Jeff Fuchs has been named keynote speaker for the 2024 World Tea Expo, returning to the Las Vegas Convention Center March 18-20, 2024.
His keynote address, Inspiring the Next Generation of Tea Lovers, is Tuesday, March 19, from 8 am to 8:30 am. Attendees will learn about Fuchs’ first-hand experiences from his global travels. Drawing on his experiences and education, Fuchs will touch on the history of tea, how it has evolved through various cultures, and explore how the new generation of tea consumers can continue to evolve.
Tim McLucas, Vice President of Bar & Restaurant Group, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Jeff Fuchs to present the Keynote session this year at the World Tea Expo. His extensive tea and travel experience gives him a unique perspective of the world of tea to present an insightful session on the industry’s past, present, and future and opportunities for future growth.”
Fuchs is an author, accomplished business owner, and documentarian who has spent the last 20 years studying Himalayan trade routes and their participants, focusing on tea as a commodity and tonic. He has led and been a part of over 30 Himalayan expeditions, including leading student groups from around the world. Using the knowledge and appreciation gained through his travels, Fuchs co-founded JalamTeas, which focused on bringing raw ‘sheng’ Pu-erh to a greater swath of sippers.
The keynote presentation is included in all registration passes, and attendees are invited to the keynote meet and greet held at the Tea Bar on Tuesday, March 19, from 1 pm to 2 pm to meet Fuchs and gain insight into the world of tea with firsthand experiences and collaborative conversations.
World Tea Expo creates a modern, dynamic, collaborative platform that unites industry professionals, tea suppliers, and enthusiasts worldwide. The event offers a blend of fresh ideas, the latest trends, and new distribution channels with focused buying, selling, networking, and education. World Tea Expo is a division of Questex Travel & Hospitality Group
Early bird registration is now open for World Tea Expo at WorldTeaExpo.com
Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion to Operate 55,000 Locations by 2030: Tea Played a Key Role in the Siren’s Record-setting Quarter | Bangladesh May Finally Break an Elusive Tea Production Record | Research Findings Challenge the Belief that Adding Cream and Sugar to Tea Negatively Impacts Health Outcomes
Tea News for the week ending Nov. 10
Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Tea News Recap
PLUS | In October, Transworld, China’s first USDA-certified organic tea producer, and Firsd Tea, the US subsidiary of Zhejiang Tea Group, released the Chinese Tea Sustainability Report, a 12-page survey of perspectives and practices at Chinese tea farms and processing facilities. Jason Walker, marketing director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey and one of the architects of the sustainability report, joins Tea Biz for an in-depth discussion of the results of this ongoing survey.
Chai stands out in a record-setting $9.4 billion fourth quarter at Starbucks, which announced plans to operate 55,000 locations by 2030, with 75% overseas.
Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion
By Dan Bolton
Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan announced a record $9.4 billion fourth quarter to close a $36 billion fiscal year. Revenue was up 12% year-to-year.
The company will expand to 55,000 locations by 2030, 75% overseas.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Rachel Ruggeri said, “Our customers continue to favor more premium beverages, creating a new normal for mix and customization. To fuel this, we continue to lean in with innovation, offering our Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, which boosted tea sales, and Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam, which has become a customization favorite with our customers.”
Gingerbread chai is a hit, I recommend it, Narasimhan told Mad Money host Jim Cramer. Cold beverages, including tea and coffee, are driving sales. Customers add modifiers to cold drinks at a greater rate than hot, and it’s an easier process through the app than anywhere else. These transactions raise ticket and produce personal branding for Gen Z to broadcast via social, according to Ruggeri.
During the past five years, Starbucks opened 9,000 new stores, 7,000 outside the US. In 2023, foreign locations, including 1,429 in Canada, outnumber for the first time the 16,255 US stores. There are now 6,800 stores in China. Starbucks said it will open an average of eight stores daily, many specially purposed as drive-thru only, double-sided drive-thru, and delivery-only locations. Drive-thru transactions account for 50% of US sales; delivery orders expanded by 24% in 2022. During its year-end earnings call, Narasimhan said the company will spend $3 billion in capital expenditures and grow to 41,000 locations by October 2024.
“Our reinvention [announced in September 2022] is moving ahead of schedule, fueling revenue growth, efficiency, and margin expansion,” said Narasimhan.
BIZ INSIGHT – Tea accounts for about 10-20% of beverage sales at coffee shops. Locations serving a wide range of hot and cold teas can increase that share to 20-30% or more. Beverage sales at Starbucks, including tea, generated about 75-80% of revenue, totaling $19.6 billion in FY22, with food products totaling $5.8 billion. Packaged and single-serve coffees and Teavana teas, ready-to-drink products, serveware, and ingredients contributed $6.9 billion, according to the company’s SEC 10-K filings.
Full speed ahead at Mirzapore Tea Factory
Bangladesh May Finally Break an Elusive Record
By Dan Bolton
During the past decade, the 168 registered tea producers in Bangladesh, encouraged by industry stakeholders, have tried, and tried again to produce 100 million kilos of tea.
Those familiar with the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, and try again,” know the real mistake is to stop trying.
Ispahani’s Mirzapore Tea Estate is 50,000 to 80,000 kilos of green leaf daily into the factory’s black CTC (cut, tear, curl).
It is a historic year, say producers. The growing season started dry, with only 99 millimeters of rainfall recorded in April. At the start of the second flush in May, the country was wet again, and in June, a staggering 995 millimeters deluged the tea lands. July and August totals exceeded expectations at 300+ millimeters, with steady rains through September.
The rainfall led to rapid sprouting of tea buds and record yields per hectare. In 2022, Bangladesh harvested 94 million kilos, a setback from the previous year when harvest totals reached 96.5 million kilos, the current record.
According to the Bangladesh Tea Board, Rajghat Tea Garden in Mouvibazar achieved 470 kilos per acre, about 70 kilos more per acre than any garden in the country. The Consolidated Tea and Lands Company garden produced 2.7 million kilos in 2023. Moulvibazar’s 90 tea gardens account for 55% of the production. Habiganj comes in second, contributing 22% of the tea produced.
Tahsin Ahmed Chowdhury, chief operating officer for estates of the Consolidated Tea and Lands Company (Bangladesh), told the Daily Star, “In recent years, while the industry has been facing irrigation problems due to adverse weather conditions, we have been benefiting from our irrigation system.”
The tea board has not released an official tally, but it now looks like Bangladesh will surge past 100 million kilos to set a 169-year record. Production through September was 69 million kilos, ahead of September 2022 (64 million kilos year to date) and September 2021 (65 million kilos year to date). A strong October and November guarantee the country will meet its production target of 102 million kilos.
Bangladesh is the world’s eighth largest tea producer, accounting for about 2% of global production.
New Research Challenges the Belief that Adding Cream and Sugar to Tea Negatively Impacts Health Outcomes
Spoonful of sugar
Medical researchers from Denmark, the UK, and The Netherlands studied whether a daily spoonful of sugar taken with coffee or tea is harmful, publishing their findings in the Oct. 18 edition of the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.
Consuming excess sugar can lead to health issues from obesity and heart disease to tooth decay, but adding sugar to coffee or tea did not pose additional health risks in a longitudinal study of males that dates to the 1970s.
The Copenhagen Male Study identified healthy men ages 40-59 at the onset of the long-term assessment of heart and lung health, diabetes, cancer, and related morbidity. Extensive testing with periodic follow-up has enabled researchers to analyze data from the 2,923 participating men. Complete medical records are available for 99% of participants.
“Overall, they did not find a significant risk for health issues in people in the sugar group versus the “no sugar” group, reports Medical News Today. “The sugar group’s death rate was 89.9%, and the “no sugar” group’s death rate was 87.5%. Over time, there was no statistically significant association between the use of sugar in coffee and tea and all-cause mortality.”
In terms of heart disease mortality, the sugar group also had a slightly higher — but comparable — rate. The sugar group’s rate was 38.2%, while the “no sugar” group’s rate was 35.3%.
Those consuming sugar have a 1% greater likelihood of developing diabetes compared to the “no sugar” group. “When correcting for confounders, there was no statistically significant association between the use of sugar in coffee and tea and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality, or incident diabetes mellitus,” according to researchers.
ED Note: The American Heart Association recommends no more than nine teaspoons of added sugar for men and six teaspoons for women per day.
– Dan Bolton
FEATURE
Jason Walker, Marketing Director Firsd Tea
Tea Sustainability Perspectives and Practices
By Dan Bolton
According to Jason Walker, most respondents to the 2023 Sustainability Perspectives survey have an improved outlook on progress made in sustainability in the last ten years. They also view present-day efforts more favorably and predict an increased improvement trajectory in the next ten years, adds Walker, 46, one of the architects of the Chinese Tea Sustainability Report. Walker is the Marketing Director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey. His expertise includes business development, market research, and tasting.
“China set [sustainability] standards, especially domestically, for tea. About 85% of China’s tea stays in China. They said, ‘We have to protect our people and raise our standards internally as well.’” he said. Read more…
Listen to the Interview
Jason Walker, Marketing Director of Firsd Tea, discusses producer perspectives on sustainability.
Share Episode 142 | Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion to Operate 55,000 Locations by 2030 | Tea Played a Key Role in the Siren’s Record-setting $9.4 Billion Quarter | Bangladesh May Finally Break an Elusive Tea Production Record | Research Findings Challenge the Belief that Adding Cream and Sugar to Tea Negatively Impacts Health Outcomes PLUS Jason Walker, marketing director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey and one of the architects of the Chinese Sustainability Perspectives report, joins Tea Biz for an in-depth discussion of the results of this ongoing survey.
Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion to Operate 55,000 Locations by 2030: Tea Played a Key Role in the Siren’s Record-setting Quarter | Bangladesh May Finally Break an Elusive Tea Production Record | Research Findings Challenge the Belief that Adding Cream and Sugar to Tea Negatively Impacts Health Outcomes
Tea News for the week ending Nov. 10
Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Tea News Recap
PLUS | In October, Transworld, China’s first USDA-certified organic tea producer, and Firsd Tea, the US subsidiary of Zhejiang Tea Group, released the Chinese Tea Sustainability Report, a 12-page survey of perspectives and practices at Chinese tea farms and processing facilities. Jason Walker, marketing director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey and one of the architects of the sustainability report, joins Tea Biz for an in-depth discussion of the results of this ongoing survey.
Chai stands out in a record-setting $9.4 billion fourth quarter at Starbucks, which announced plans to operate 55,000 locations by 2030, with 75% overseas.
Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion
By Dan Bolton
Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan announced a record $9.4 billion fourth quarter to close a $36 billion fiscal year. Revenue was up 12% year-to-year.
The company will expand to 55,000 locations by 2030, 75% overseas.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Rachel Ruggeri said, “Our customers continue to favor more premium beverages, creating a new normal for mix and customization. To fuel this, we continue to lean in with innovation, offering our Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, which boosted tea sales, and Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam, which has become a customization favorite with our customers.”
Gingerbread chai is a hit, I recommend it, Narasimhan told Mad Money host Jim Cramer. Cold beverages, including tea and coffee, are driving sales. Customers add modifiers to cold drinks at a greater rate than hot, and it’s an easier process through the app than anywhere else. These transactions raise ticket and produce personal branding for Gen Z to broadcast via social, according to Ruggeri.
During the past five years, Starbucks opened 9,000 new stores, 7,000 outside the US. In 2023, foreign locations, including 1,429 in Canada, outnumber for the first time the 16,255 US stores. There are now 6,800 stores in China. Starbucks said it will open an average of eight stores daily, many specially purposed as drive-thru only, double-sided drive-thru, and delivery-only locations. Drive-thru transactions account for 50% of US sales; delivery orders expanded by 24% in 2022. During its year-end earnings call, Narasimhan said the company will spend $3 billion in capital expenditures and grow to 41,000 locations by October 2024.
“Our reinvention [announced in September 2022] is moving ahead of schedule, fueling revenue growth, efficiency, and margin expansion,” said Narasimhan.
BIZ INSIGHT – Tea accounts for about 10-20% of beverage sales at coffee shops. Locations serving a wide range of hot and cold teas can increase that share to 20-30% or more. Beverage sales at Starbucks, including tea, generated about 75-80% of revenue, totaling $19.6 billion in FY22, with food products totaling $5.8 billion. Packaged and single-serve coffees and Teavana teas, ready-to-drink products, serveware, and ingredients contributed $6.9 billion, according to the company’s SEC 10-K filings.
Episode 142 | Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion to Operate 55,000 Locations by 2030 | Tea Played a Key Role in the Siren’s Record-setting $9.4 Billion Quarter | Bangladesh May Finally Break an Elusive Tea Production Record | Research Findings Challenge the Belief that Adding Cream and Sugar to Tea Negatively Impacts Health Outcomes PLUS Jason Walker, marketing director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey and one of the architects of the Chinese Sustainability Perspectives report, joins Tea Biz for an in-depth discussion of the results of this ongoing survey.
UK Tea Academy Announces 2023 Winners of The Leafies | Rooibos Tea Named a Top 10 Pantone Color for 2024 | FSSAI Steps Up Safety Analysis of Indian Tea Factories
Tea News for the week ending Nov. 3
Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Tea News Recap
PLUS | Tea was first cultivated in what is now Tanzania by German colonists early in the 20th century. Farms were planted high in the Usambara Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro rising vertically from the plains. The region was known as Tanga and would later, under British rule, become Tanganyika. The UK greatly expanded tea production through the 1960s and remains a major trading partner with the Republic of Tanzania. Joining us today is Steve Anyango, an expert strategist in commodity trading and logistics with deep ties to tea. Steve is Managing Director, Nemooneh Iranian Food & Beverage Industries.
Listen to the interview
Steve Anyango on the characteristics of Tanzanian Tea.
Winners of The Leafies are celebrating worldwide this week following an award ceremony at the Asia House attended by 100 guests, including Tea Biz London correspondent and PMD Tea Managing Director Dananjaya Silva.
Awards Ceremony
Dananjaya Silva reports on The Leafies Awards Presentation and Tasting from the Asia House in London.
This year’s competition attracted 320 teas. Contenders were divided by type, region, and processing into 48 categories. Twenty-five of the award-winning teas were sampled after the award presentation, which included judges, winners, and beverage executives from sponsor Fortnum & Mason.
Twelve judges representing eight nationalities were awarded 13 Gold awards. Several individuals were recognized for special awards, and 36 teas were “highly commended” in citations that praised noteworthy characteristics.
Japanese teas dominated with five gold awards. India won two: Glenburn for its Darjeeling Moonshine and Rujani Tippy Reserve in Assam on the Aideobarie Tea Estate. Lumbini Tea Valley won gold for Sri Lanka, and Zen Zen took home gold for its Formosa Red Oolong tea. A Chinese Ya Shi Xiang submitted by Jantle Group also won gold.
Yame Tea Kumaen’s Gyokuro Saemidori from Fukuoka foo·koo·ow·kuh Japan was the highest-scoring tea of the competition, earning the Fortnum & Mason Best In Show award. The tea will be sold at the company’s showroom. Kazumi Nakatani traveled from Japan to brew and pour the winning tea. Zealong Tea Estate was awarded prizes for its Aged Oolong and Aromatic Oolong. Zealong also received the UK Tea Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for its pioneering tea culture 25 years ago in New Zealand. CEO Gigi Crawford served the tea.
New this year is a category for retailers selling fine tea. Chaki Co in Uji, Kyoto, Japan, won two retail gold awards. The tea venture was founded by tea farmers who are masters of “deconstructing and reassembling” tea. Dorothy’s Teas was named Best Seller of White Tea for its Shannong Estate Silver Needles.
Rooibos Red Chosen as one of the Top 10 Colors for 2024
By Dan Bolton
The arbiters of fashion selected rooibos red as one of the top ten colors in 2024 during New York Fashion Week, which attracted 230,000 designers, editors, stylists, celebrities, and influencers.
Pantone “is not just a name in color but a global gold standard, according to the company, which annually releases a New York edition of its Fashion Color Trend Report.” This year’s color palette “is steeped in a kind of retrospective warmth, but also indicates change, marking a transition towards a brighter, more optimistic approach to life.”
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, writes that the spring 2024 colors “inspire feelings of release. Opening the imagination and amplifying and liberating our unique artistic spirit enables us to express ourselves in more inventive ways.”
She described Rooibos Tea (No. 18-1355 TCX) as a “full-bodied red imbued with rich, woody notes.”
Selecting the color “draws attention to the rich biodiversity of the Western Cape’s Floristic Region, where the tea is grown, potentially increasing conservation efforts and attracting eco-conscious tourists,” she said.
Tea growers responded positively to the news. “The brand new belle of the ball is about to walk the runway in the most tasteful of colors – if we might say so ourselves!” writes rooibos brand Carmien Tea.
The South African Rooibos Council posted the following on LinkedIn: “Aside from seeing the color popping up in new fashion collections, experts predict it will be used across industrial designs, from cars, electronics, AI, and technology to interiors, films, and animation. Fashion icons like Gucci, Zegna, Josie Natori, Bally, and Emilio Pucci have already embraced this rich red, woody hue. Get your Rooibos on!”
“It has been an exciting journey to witness the rise of Rooibos and its adoption across industries,” says Marthane Swart, secretariat of the Rooibos Council.
South Africa Rooibos CouncilCarmien TeaLiz Bandelin
BIZ INSIGHT – Rooibos symbolizes South Africa’s heritage and is an important export product. Global recognition not only boosts national pride but may increase the tea’s international appeal, potentially boosting sales – a portion of which is shared with indigenous peoples who first harvested and brewed the popular beverage.
India Tea Undergoing FSSAI Safety Analysis
India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has stepped up oversight of the tea auction centers, analyzing tea samples from various parts of the country to determine whether these are adhering to the safety standards.
The Tea Board of India is working to ensure quality standards are met. FSSAI met with tea industry stakeholders in Kolkata in early October to discuss ways to further improve.
Rejections of India’s export consignments are rare, according to FSSAI CEO G. Kamala Vardhana Rao. He told The Millennium Post that FSSAI is in talks with tea industry stakeholders for “harmonizing” standards at the Codex Alimentarius Commission level.
There are 180 Codex member countries. Every country has set its limits on food quality standards. Rao said tea must be free from “extraneous matter, added coloring, and harmful substances. Pesticides cannot exceed the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in the guidelines.”
FSSAI regularly collects samples for testing, said Rao. Technicians analyze the collected samples for pesticide residues and adulterants utilizing the organization’s 220 mobile testing and 247 NABL-accredited laboratories. Results are not yet available.
Once the analysis is complete, “We will then present our findings to the industry,” he said.
– Dan Bolton
FEATURE
Steve Anyango
Tanzania Produces Good Teas Amiable for Blending Herbal Infusions
By Dan Bolton
Tea was first cultivated in what is now Tanzania by German colonists early in the 20th century. Farms were planted high in the Usambara Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro rising vertically from the plains. The region was known as Tanga and would later, under British rule, become Tanganyika. The UK greatly expanded tea production through the 1960s and remains a major trading partner with the Republic of Tanzania. Steve Anyango, Managing Director at Nemooneh Iranian Food and Beverage, is an expert in commodity trading and logistics with deep ties to tea. Steve has traded tea for years at the Mombasa Auction and sources tea globally for Middle Eastern markets. He joins us this week to discuss the favorable characteristics and future of Tanzanian tea.
Listen to the Interview
Steve Anyango on the characteristics of Tanzanian Tea
UK Tea Academy Announces 2023 Winners of The Leafies | Rooibos Tea Named a Top 10 Pantone Color for 2024 | FSSAI Steps Up Safety Analysis of Indian Tea Factories
Tea News for the week ending Nov. 3
Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Tea News Recap
PLUS | Tea was first cultivated in what is now Tanzania by German colonists early in the 20th century. Farms were planted high in the Usambara Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro rising vertically from the plains. The region was known as Tanga and would later, under British rule, become Tanganyika. The UK greatly expanded tea production through the 1960s and remains a major trading partner with the Republic of Tanzania. Joining us today is Steve Anyango, an expert strategist in commodity trading and logistics with deep ties to tea. Steve is Managing Director, Nemooneh Iranian Food & Beverage Industries.
Listen to the interview
Steve Anyango on the characteristics of Tanzanian Tea.
Winners of The Leafies are celebrating around the world this week following an award ceremony at the Asia House attended by 100 guests, including Tea Biz London correspondent and PMD Tea Managing Director Dananjaya Silva.
Awards Ceremony
Dananjaya Silva reports on The Leafies Awards Presentation and Tasting from the Asia House in London.
This year’s competition attracted 320 teas. Contenders were divided by type, region, and processing into 48 categories. Twenty-five of the award-winning teas were sampled after the award presentation, which included judges, winners, and beverage executives from sponsor Fortnum & Mason.
Twelve judges representing eight nationalities were awarded 13 Gold awards. Several individuals were recognized for special awards, and 36 teas were “highly commended” in citations that praised noteworthy characteristics.
Japanese teas dominated with five gold awards. India won two: Glenburn for its Darjeeling Moonshine and Rujani Tippy Reserve in Assam on the Aideobarie Tea Estate. Lumbini Tea Valley won gold for Sri Lanka, and Zen Zen took home gold for its Formosa Red Oolong tea. A Chinese Ya Shi Xiang submitted by Jantle Group also won gold.
Yame Tea Kumaen’s Gyokuro Saemidori from Fukuoka foo·koo·ow·kuh Japan was the highest-scoring tea of the competition, earning the Fortnum & Mason Best In Show award. The tea will be sold at the company’s showroom. Kazumi Nakatani traveled from Japan to brew and pour the winning tea. Zealong Tea Estate was awarded prizes for its Aged Oolong and Aromatic Oolong. Zealong also received the UK Tea Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for its pioneering tea culture 25 years ago in New Zealand. CEO Gigi Crawford served the tea.
New this year is a category for retailers selling fine tea. Chaki Co in Uji, Kyoto, Japan, won two retail gold awards. The tea venture was founded by tea farmers who are masters of “deconstructing and reassembling” tea. Dorothy’s Teas was named Best Seller of White Tea for its Shannong Estate Silver Needles.
