• Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 34

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    Hear the Headlines

    | Sri Lanka Tea Yields Feared to Decline
    | McLeod Russel Settlement Resolves Insolvency
    | Bangladesh Tea Sector Returns to Pre-Pandemic Production Levels

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Tea Price Report
    Sept 4 – Sale 35

    India Tea Price Watch

    The South India Tea Exporters Association, led by Chairman Dipak Shah, identified twin problems that have continued to be a significant challenge this year: one is the rising cost of ocean freight, and the second is the problem of pesticides in tea where the onus of testing for permissible residue levels lies with the producers. But the liability – should tea be rejected by the buyer – rests with the exporter. Learn more…. – Aravinda Anantharaman

    Features

    This week Tea Biz visits with Rare Tea Lady Henrietta Lovell whose passion for tea is exceeded only by her commitment to bettering the lives of those who make it.

    … and then we travel to Banbury, UK to learn how the Tea History Collection is digitizing tea history one tome at a time.

    Rare Tea Lady
    Since founding The Rare Tea Co. in 2004, Henrietta Lovell has charted her own course in tea.

    Henrietta Leads the Way

    By Kyle Whittington | TeaBookClub

    Since founding the Rare Tea Co., in London in 2004 Henrietta Lovell has traveled the globe sourcing direct for the world’s five-star dining rooms and developing relationships at the farm level where her commitment to fair pricing for the finest tea and charitable work set a standard. “If I can make people appreciate tea, it will change the world,” she says. Rear more…

    Listen to the Interview
    Rare Tea Lady Henrietta Lovell.
    Tea History Collection founder Denys C. Shortt OBE

    Tea History Collection

    By Dananjaya Silva | PMD Silva & Sons

    The Tea History Collection in Banbury, UK, founded by Denys Shortt OBE has hosted a full calendar of events since opening in May. This tea industry resource is now undertaking the daunting task of digitizing bound volumes recording the trademark and ownership of colonial gardens from the early days of tea. Listen as Shortt discusses the importance of preserving tea company heritage online to be shared by all. Learn more…

    Listen to the interview
    Denys Shortt on the importance of digitizing tea history for all to share.

    News

    A monument known as the Tea Daughter at the entrance of Moulvibazar district at Srimangal, Bangladesh. Photo courtesy Faizi Tea Estate, credit: Shomoyeralo.com

    Bangladesh Tea Rebounds

    By Dan Bolton

    The tea sector in Bangladesh is expected to return to near pre-pandemic production levels after setbacks in 2020. Like neighboring Assam, Bangladesh experienced a spring drought, high temperatures, aggressive pests, and the onslaught of the pandemic. Despite these challenges production through July is ahead of last year’s totals and estimated to reach 86 million kilos. Read more…

    Spring bounty could become a fall shortfall as synthetic fertilizer supplies dwindle. Kandy tea garden in morning light by © Luboslav Ivanko | Dreamstime.com

    Sri Lanka Tea Yields Feared to Decline

    By Dan Bolton

    Sri Lankan tea growers are experiencing the first effects of the country-wide ban on chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemicals (PPC).

    After a productive spring, the fall harvest is predicted to decline beginning in October.

    Herman Gunaratne, one of 46 experts picked by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to guide the transition to organic-only inputs told Agency Press France (AFP) that “The ban has drawn the tea industry into complete disarray.”

    Gunaratne who manages the Ahangama Tea Estate, said “The consequences for the country are unimaginable.” was removed from the Green Socio-Economy after disagreeing with the president, according to AFP.

    President Gotabaya ordered a halt to inbound shipments of fertilizers used to cultivate food crops such as rice and cash crops including cinnamon and pepper. Growers are concerned that plants accustomed to a rich diet of nitrogen and phosphate will take time to adjust to organic compost and manure.

    Tea is the nation’s highest-earning export, generating $1.25 billion in foreign currency from the sale of 300 million kilos of tea annually. Sri Lanka harvested 187.8 million kilos through July. Mid-year crop yields were 20% ahead of the half-year mark set in 2020 but prices were higher on average last year.

    Meanwhile, the fiscal crisis facing the country worsened as the Sri Lankan rupee depreciated 20% against the US dollar and British Pound. Food inflation is at 11.5% and long queues at food markets signal shortages. The government has invoked rules that fix prices and prohibit the hoarding of staples such as paddy, finished rice and sugar which briefly increased to SLRs 200 per kilo.

    Sri Lanka’s economy, heavily dependent on tourism, declined 3.6% in 2020 and foreign reserves are at record lows.

    Biz Insight – During the next month Tea Biz will interview several key decision-makers, tea researchers, and non-government agricultural experts to discuss the pros and cons of switching Sri Lanka to organic-only cultivation.

    McLeod Russel Settlement Resolves Insolvency

    India’s largest bulk tea producer has settled with creditors to resolve financial peril.

    PP Gupta, managing director of Techno Electric & Engineering, agreed to terms for repayment of a delinquent INRs 100 crore ($14 million) loan by McLeod Russel India, saying “this is now behind us, and we wish the company good luck.”

    Techno triggered the insolvency on Aug. 6 by filing a formal application with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for redress.

    McLeod borrowed the funds in 2018 and failed to make timely payments due to shortfalls in revenue from tea. The company sold several tea gardens to meet its obligations, but the sums were insufficient to satisfy creditors. McLeod currently owes its lenders approximately INRs 1800 crore (about $245 million). A resolution process, led by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will now proceed.

    The company operates 31 tea estates in Assam and two in West Bengal, producing a combined 44 million kilos of Indian tea annually with additional holdings in Africa and Vietnam.

    — Dan Bolton

    • Read more… links indicate the article continues. Learn more… links to additional information from sources.

    Upcoming Events

    September 2021

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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 33

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    Hear the Headlines

    | Timely Tea Delivery Faces Troubled Waters
    | Tea is Thriving in the Convenience Channel
    | Iran Tea Production Increases 25 Percent

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Tea Price Report
    April 28 – Sale 34

    India Tea Price Watch

    Assam’s annual floods have arrived this week with 16 districts affected. India’s Ministry of Commerce also suspended seven sections of the Tea Act, 1953. It appears several reforms are underway to lift regulations, including the recent relaxation of norms to obtain export and distribution licenses. – Aravinda Anantharaman

    Features

    This week Tea Biz puts Burmese chefs in the spotlight for their culinary contributions to tea.

    … and then we travel to London where Unilever unveiled four guiding principles of regenerative agriculture a topic currently trending in tea.

    Regenerative Agiculture

    By Dan Bolton

    Can a world that has already eroded a third of the planet’s soils feed a population of 10 billion without intensive agricultural practices that rely on heavy inputs of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides that sustain monoculture farming?

    To answer this question, the Tea Biz Podcast and Blog is undertaking a series of interviews with thought-leaders in tea from organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance, growers in Sri Lanka, where a nationwide ban on the import and manufacture of plant chemicals was instituted in May; and with multinationals like Unilever, a company with extensive tea holdings that recently unveiled its basic principals of regenerative agriculture. Read more…

    • Next in the series is a conversation with the Rainforest Alliance on how regenerative agriculture differs from sustainable farming.
    Listen to the Interview
    First in a series of podcasts on regenerative agriculture
    Laphet Thoke
    Laphet Thoke, fermented tea leaf salad.

    Tea Leaf Cuisine

    By Aravinda Anantharaman

    Pickled tea leaves may sound a bit out of the ordinary but not for Southeast Asian chefs. Burma, now known as Myanmar, is an ancient crossroads influenced by the cuisine of bordering Bangladesh, China, Thailand, and Laos. It is here that laphet has become a national dish that is now finding its way to US and European consumers as branded packaged goods. Learn more…

    Listen to the review
    Aravinda Anantharaman on the versatility of tea.
    Imports in TEUs are approaching 550,000 per month at Los Angeles area ports, far exceeding totals for the same January through July period during the past four years. In August idled ships numbered a high of 44.

    Timely Tea Delivery Faces Troubled Waters

    By Dan Bolton

    The disruption of global supply chains is getting worse. Container vessel reliability for tea shipments crossing the Pacific continued to decline this summer as prices reached new heights. The World Container Index for eight East-West routes rose to a composite cost of $9,613 for the week of August 19 – up 360% compared to the same period last year. Consignments of tea shipped from Shanghai to Rotterdam increased 659% to $13,698 last week. Sobhanadri Jonnalagadda at Spisys Ltd. in Telangana, India, reports that the cost of booking a container destined for Hamburg from Hyderabad increased from £3000 to £9000.

    Port congestion, backlogs at container terminals locked down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and rapidly increased volume dashed hopes for a return to normalcy until next spring. Logistics costs considered manageable by tea wholesalers early this year are now seen as out of control. Inflation is a growing concern, but the unpredictability of delivery dates is causing far greater problems.

    Green tea exporter Zhejiang Tea Group’s US operation, Firsd Tea, advises tea buyers to calculate projected inventory needs for at least six months and consider adding 20% to projected volumes to avoid out-of-stock conditions and transportation delays.

    This week there were a record 44 container vessels trying to offload at Southern California ports, an all-time high. And ports are getting busier as the holidays grow near. Imports in TEUs are approaching 550,000 per month at Los Angeles area ports, far exceeding totals for the same January through July period during the past four years.

    On arrival shortages of dockworkers, crane operators, warehouse staff and qualified truckers cause further delays. Driver shortages are at all-time highs forcing companies to offer incentives. Qualified drivers are now earning $27 per hour. FreightWaves reports that refrigerated carrier J.S. Helwig & Son increased pay 4 cents to 62-cents per mile for experienced drivers – that’s $1240 for a 2,000-mile round trip. New hires earn 50 cents per mile and a $1000 signing bonus.

    Biz Insight – The likelihood of a ship arriving on time was better than 80% in 2019 is now “hovering around 40%”, according to logistics analysts Sea-Intelligence. Add port and trucking delays and buyers this fall (whether they are consumers ordering Christmas tea online or wholesalers booking containers) — will experience delivery times extended by four to six weeks.

    Foxtrot online for delivery nationwide and locally with a 60-minute guarantee, soon to be 30 minutes.

    Tea is Thriving in the Convenience Channel

    By Dan Bolton

    Convenience outlets thrive at locations near where people live and in 2020 people stayed close to home.

    In-store sales at US grab-and-go outlets rose for the 18th year in a row to $255 billion in 2020. Beverage sales are a top category, accounting for 20% of all sales. Ready-to-drink iced tea makes up about 5% 4.7% of that total, trailing soda, juice, energy drinks, and bottled water, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).  

    New York-based Nielsen reports that overall, tea grew by 11.1% through April 2021.  During that period liquid tea generated $3.4 billion in sales, RTD tea earned $142 million. Green tea sales were up 72.7% during the pandemic to $18.6 million, Nielsen.

    In 2020 the dramatic decline in commuter trips, lockdowns and a consumer shift to grocery and home meals increased their spend but cut trips to convenience stores by more than 20%, according to NACS. The number of transactions declined 14% as basket sizes grew 18% compared to 2019.

    The pandemic had a huge impact on self-serve beverages. Hot dispensed sales fell 33.4%, and cold dispensed beverages declined 7.9%, reflecting the drop in footfall amid stay-at-home orders and work-from-home schedules, writes NACS. In contrast, beer saw unprecedented growth accounting for 6.3% of total convenience store sales due to the closure of bars and restaurants (only 12.4% of 150,000 US convenience stores are licensed to sell beer).

    Market research firm Technomic writes that US beverage sales overall declined 31% by volume in 2020. Spending declined 29% with cold dispensed beverage volume down 30%.

    Biz Insight – Foxtrot markets, an upscale convenience chain is known for its 60-minute delivery guarantee “is the corner store reimagined” says venture capitalist David Barber. Stores feature locally baked treats, coffee, freshly brewed tea, and organic wine, craft beer, gifts, and everyday essentials.

    Foxtrot is an upscale, hyper-convenient convenience chain

    CEO Mike LaVitola told Forbes that half of the company’s transactions occur online for delivery nationwide and half in-store. He said the company intends to introduce hyper-convenient 30-minute delivery and expand its selection of private-label convenience items in larger, 4,000 square foot stores.

    The start-up has raised $65 million in January from the likes of former Whole Foods Market CEO Walter Robb and Momofuku restaurant founder David Chang. The chain, founded in 2014 in Chicago, currently has 13 locations with nine to open in 2021 and 50 within two years. New locations include Dallas and Washington DC and Austin, Tex., Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, and Houston.

    Harvesting tea in Gilan, Lahijan province, Iran

    Iran Tea Production is Up 25 Percent

    Iran’s Tea Organization (ITO) reports a 25% increase in tea production so far this year and higher export numbers as well. During the first five months of the year, Iran harvested 114,445 metric tons of raw leaf, valued at 6.5 trillion rials (about $155 million US), according to ITO. The tea organization considers 51% of the harvest premium grade, down from 79% in 2020.

    Iran is a net tea importer, No. 6 in the world, spending $236.3 million on tea in 2020, according to World’s Top Exports.

    In recent years growers began exporting increasing quantities of tea. In 2020 4,000 metric tons of teas were shipped to 12 countries regionally including Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, India, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia as well as Canada, Australia, Spain, and the Czech Republic. In 2020 tea exports averaged 86 cents per kilo. Sales totaled $6.5 million, up 2.6% compared to 2019.

    Iran’s tea industry employs 55,000 families cultivating tea on 70,000 acres [28,000 hectares].

    — Dan Bolton

    Upcoming Events

    September 2021

    Level Up, Virtual
    September 29 | The Tea & Herbal Association of Canada will host a mid-year Meet-Up from 10 am to noon. Admission $55 (CAD) Members $50. Agenda | Register

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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 32

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    Hear the Headlines

    | Afghan Tea Market Concerns as Taliban Conquers Kabul
    | Foodservice Recovery Rates Vary Widely by Sector
    | Researchers Confirm Heart Healthy Aspects of Tea

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Tea Price Report
    April 21 – Sale 33

    India Tea Price Watch

    Afghanistan is an importer of green and orthodox black tea from India and in 2020-21, about 760,000 kilos of tea was exported from there. At the moment, the movement of cargo between the two countries stands interrupted. – Aravinda Anantharaman

    Features

    This week Tea Biz visits Darjeeling, India on word of the sale of the iconic Jungpana and Goomtee tea estates to Anshuman Kanoria, principal at Balaji Agro International and chairman of the Indian Exporters Association

    … and then to London where Kyle Whittington reviews The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, a novel by Lisa See.

    Anshuman Kanoria discusses his company’s acquisition of two of Darjeeling’s best-known tea gardens.

    Restoring Darjeeling’s Reputation from the Roots Up

    By Aravinda Anantharaman

    The sale of two iconic Darjeeling tea gardens focused attention on the ongoing challenges facing growers in this fabled tea-growing region. Jungpana and Goomtee were acquired by the Santhosh Kanoria Group, which owns the tea export company Balaji Agro International. The group also owns Tindharia estate in Darjeeling. We spoke to Anshuman Kanoria, Chairman of Balaji Agro and Chairman of the Indian Exporters Association about this acquisition. Read more...

    Listen to the Interview
    Anshuman Kanoria on India’s unrealized potential in tea
    Lisa See has written a “brilliantly layered book” writes Whittington

    The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

    By Kyle Whittington | TeaBookClub

    New York Times best-selling author Lisa See has written several novels revealing her fondness for tea. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, however, uniquely explores the mysterious world of Pu’er. Reviewer Kyle Whittington writes that See’s novel “consists of so many brilliant layers… for the tea reader this is a wonderful story, packed with great tea content that will either develop or ignite an interest in, and a desire to explore the world of Pu’er.” Read the review…

    Listen to the review
    Kyle Whittington reviews The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
    A tea break for Afghan farmworkers. Afghans annually drink 1500 cups of tea per capita. Kahwa (a tea and spice blend) and green tea with mint are favorites. Photo by © Karl Allen Lugmayer | Dreamstime.com

    Afghan Tea Market Concerns as Taliban Conquers Kabul

    By Dan Bolton

    Afghanistan is a major tea-consuming nation and a smuggler’s paradise for tea. The country became a profitable middleman by clever manipulation of border regulations that were only recently reined in after decades of openly flaunting Pakistani Customs enforcement.

    Since tea trades in US dollars, money in Taliban controlled bank accounts is frozen. Bank withdrawals are limited and in-bound remittances from Western Union and MoneyGram have stopped. The East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) reports bidding at the Mombasa auction on tea bound for Afghanistan slowed as the Taliban occupied Kabul but EATTA explained that Afghanistan gets its Kenyan tea via Pakistan where there have been no disruptions at all, according to The East African. Shipments between India, another major source of tea, and Afghanistan were halted this week.

    Afghanistan’s banks are closed, halting direct deposits for salaried workers. Interbank transfers are subject to sanctions imposed by western powers decades ago to curtail terrorist activity. The Financial Action Task Force, warned member countries they must ensure that “no funds or other assets are made available, directly or indirectly” to the Taliban or face fines and censure by the United Nations and the US along with many of its allies. During the 20 years since the Taliban was last in power, many businesses transitioned from cash and writing checks to digital banking. Prices for basic commodities like bread, oil, and tea have doubled since the government collapsed and the economy is in freefall.

    In 2020 foreign aid from the US and Europe accounted for 43% of the economy. Remittances from Afghans living outside the country were nearly $800 million last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Given near universal sanctions due to a global blacklisting of the nation’s central bank, the Taliban will find it difficult to borrow or trade essential commodities, making taxes on citizens and local businesses the Taliban’s sole source of funds in a $22 billion economy.

    It is too soon to know how the collapse of the Afghan government and the return of the Taliban will alter the tea market, but smuggling was rampant during the 1996-2001 Taliban regime. In Helmand province, traders said that “if we smuggle 40kg (heroin), we give the Taliban 4kg.”

    Pakistan Customs lists black tea and green tea as two of the five most smuggled commodities. Tea exports to Pakistan surged in 2020, increasing 18.7% in value compared to 2019, making it the world’s highest-valued tea import market at $590 million. Kenya accounted for $497 million of last year’s import spend, growing 27% following a decision by the Indian government to no longer export tea to Pakistan.

    Afghans prefer green tea to black, yet hundreds of thousands of kilos of black tea are landed annually at the Port of Karachi, Pakistan. Until recently Pakistan charged a combined 38% tax and duties on tea making the import cost of tea 32% higher than tea imported into Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a landlocked nation so huge quantities of African tea, mainly from Kenya, are delivered to the Pakistani port tax-free, taxed at a low rate at the Afghan border, and then transported to large warehouses where it is broken into retail packets and smuggled into Pakistan. Smugglers pay a 12%-15% bribe and transportation cost, pocketing the difference.

    Biz Insight – Pakistan’s Competition Commission considers smuggling to be “the biggest threat faced by the domestic tea industry, causing loss of millions of rupees to the government and forcing legal importers out of business,” according to a 2019 report. A crackdown on violators in late 2020 led to a 55% increase in customs duties collected (a proxy for illegal trade) and evidence of a concerted effort by Pakistan to decrease the cost of legal imports, making smuggling unprofitable.

    It will take years to rebuild some US foodservice sectors to 2019 consumer spending levels.

    US Foodservice Recovery Rates Vary Widely by Sector

    By Dan Bolton

    Sales at Quick Service Restaurants (CSR) and the Supermarket Prepared Foods segment are well ahead of pre-pandemic totals but “everyone in foodservice is starting from a really different point,” reports Ann Golladay, senior project director at Datassential Research’s Baltimore office.

    Datassential calculates that — overall — consumer spending in foodservice declined from $806.7 billion in 2019 to $701.4 billion in 2021 and will not return to pre-pandemic spending levels until 2023.

    Golladay explained to webinar participants Aug. 19 that Fast Casual, once the darling of the industry with the largest real growth will not reach pre-pandemic spending levels before 2023 “and that will be nominal growth that does not include inflation,” she said. Golladay estimates inflation at 5% per year “so you will probably have to back down these projections 10% by then,” she said. Consumer spending at fast casual restaurants declined 19% in 2020. The segment is projected to generate $67.4 billion next year compared to almost $68.7 billion spent in 2019.

    A survey of the nation’s grocers found that 74% reported increased sales in 2020. The consumer spend for prepared foods at supermarkets in 2022 will be $38.8 billion, rising by 119% compared to 2019 dollars.

    Recreation, lodging, and convenience store foodservice segments will take even longer to recover. Lodging, for example, will have only achieved 71% of its 2019 consumer spend by 2022.

    Until workers return to downtown offices, the business and industry foodservice sector, projected to reach pre-pandemic sales of $6.9 billion, will never recover.

    Tea Biz Insight – Jack Li, principal at Datassential identified five “x-factors” that could disrupt the official projections. These include new variants, vaccine mandates, additional and extended lockdown, sustained inflation, and a combination of labor and supply chain bottlenecks.

    Tea flavonoids reduce risk and severity of adverse cardiovascular events.

    Researchers Confirm Heart Healthy Aspects of Tea

    By Dan Bolton

    Accumulating evidence of tea’s heart health benefits led researchers to conduct an umbrella review describing and critically evaluating the totality of medical evidence to date.

    Their findings: “It is reasonable to judge that two cups of unsweetened tea per day has the potential to decrease CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk and progression due to its flavonoid content.”

    The peer-reviewed paper authored by Abby Keller and Taylor Wallace and published in the Annals of Medicine, examines 10 years of studies, from 2010 to 2020, that identify several biological mechanisms showing a decreased risk and severity of cardiovascular disease in tea drinkers.

    The authors write that “Results of population studies commonly suggest that tea consumption is inversely associated with several health outcomes. Shorter-term clinical intervention studies provide additional evidence that tea consumption has the potential to affect intermediate outcomes and biomarkers of disease in healthy, at-risk, and diseased populations.”

    Based on this umbrella review, the researchers observed that the consumption of tea as a beverage “did not seem to be harmful to health; therefore, the benefits of moderate consumption likely outweigh risk.” 

    In Memoriam

    Miriam “Mim” Enck, president of The East Indies Coffee & Tea Company, in Lebanon, Penn., passed away Saturday, Aug. 14 after a short illness. Since 2018 Enck has operated the company founded by her late husband, Walter Progner who started the specialty tea retail business in 1976. She was 75.

    Upcoming Events

    August 2021

    POSTPONED: Beijing International Tea Expo, Beijing China
    August 27-30, 2021 | Beijing Exposition Center (the recent coronavirus outbreak forced Beijing authorities to halt all events that attract large crowds. Watch this space for new date when it becomes available.)

    September 2021

    Caffé Culture Show, Business Design Center, London
    September 2-3 | The European Speciality Tea Association will host a Speciality Tea Hub on the exhibition floor with a tea brew bar, a members’ lounge, educational seminars and small exhibitor pods.  Admission is free | Program | Register

    Level Up, Virtual
    September 29 | The Tea & Herbal Association of Canada will host a mid-year meet up from 10 am to noon. Admission $55 (CAD) Members $50. Agenda | Register

    Click to view more upcoming events.

    Share this episode with your friends in tea.

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    Subtext

    Avoid the chaos of social media and start a conversation that matters. Subtext’s message-based platform lets you privately ask meaningful questions of the tea experts, academics and Tea Biz journalists reporting from the tea lands. You see their responses via SMS texts which are sent direct to your phone. Visit our website and subscribe to Subtext to instantly connect with the most connected people in tea.

    Subscribe to Subtext

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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 31

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    Hear the Headlines

    | Delta Delivers Foodservice Setback
    | Why are Tea Tariffs Still in Place?
    | Tea Marathon is a Victory for Japanese Growers

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Tea Price Report
    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 32

    Prices were similar to the previous week with the exception of Darjeeling which dropped significantly, marking the end of the summer flush. The week leading up to India’s Independence Day was largely uneventful. Read more…

    Features

    This week Tea Biz visits Japan for a victory celebration of the Japanese Tea Marathon, an event during the Tokyo Olympics that drew attention worldwide to 15 tea producing regions in a country famous for quality green teas

    … and then we travel to Paris, France as the deadline nears for the AVPA‘s annual Teas of the World contest, a unique global competition in a tea consuming country that focuses on the gastronomic pleasure and profits of tea.

    Virtual marathon introduces tea lovers to 30 teas and 15 tea-growing regions in Japan

    Victory for Japanese Tea Marathon

    By Jessica Natale Woollard

    As athletes from around the world competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, tea lovers participated in an event of their own: the Japanese Tea Marathon. The marathon included 15 days of online events that shone a spotlight on Japan’s teas, producers, and the 15 tea-producing regions. Led by the Global Japanese Tea Association and Japan Tea Central Council, tea marathoners learned about 30 Japanese teas, how to brew them, and where they’re grown. Kyle Whittington, a Tea Biz contributor and host of the TeaBookClub, attended every tea marathon event, tasting 30 teas over 15 sessions. He gives the event a gold medal! Read more…

    Listen to the Interview

    Wrap-up with marathon finisher Kyle Whittington
    AVPA’s Teas of the World Competition judges gastronomic qualities of tea pleasing to the French

    A Gastronomic Tea Competition

    By Dan Bolton

    The deadline to enter the AVPA’s 4th annual Teas of the World Contest is Sept. 15. Our guest, Philippe Juglar is president of AVPA (Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products), a Paris-based, non-governmental, non-profit organization that judges wine, chocolate, coffee, and teas best suited to local preferences. He joins us to discuss what it takes to be a winner in the only “gastronomic” tea competition in a consumer country that evaluates tea solely to promote the good practices of production and trade. Read more…

    Listen to the Interview

    AVPA President Philippe Juglar on what it takes to be a winner
    Two Samovar Tea Café locations in San Francisco pivoted to pizza after 20 years. The Yerba Buena shop above.

    Delta Delivers Retail Setback

    By Dan Bolton

    Consumer spending declined in the US, China, and Europe in July. In the US infections from COVID Delta variant surged, reaching 140,000 new cases per day. Sales at restaurants, stores, and online declined 1.1% compared to June 2021, according to the US Commerce Department.

    The impact on tea retail is uneven.

    Revenue at restaurants and bars sales grew by 1.7% on average with much greater gains in regions where a high percentage of the population is vaccinated. In the US second quarter spending grew at an annual rate of 11.8% with total retail sales 17.5% higher than the pre-pandemic levels  ?  offering a glimpse of how much potential there is for a return to normal.

    Economists now say the third quarter will dampen that outlook. Tea shops in downtown locations anticipating the September return of office workers will largely avoid lockdowns but can’t meet expenses in high-rent locations. Meanwhile footfall in European and American malls declined. In China online sales growth slowed to 4.4% from an average 21% in July, confirming consumer hesitancy worldwide.

    Biz Insight – Tea retailers occupying valuable real estate face tough choices. Jesse Jacobs, founder of well-respected Samovar Tea House Cafes, a local chain that reliably generated more than $3 million annually for years, was first forced to close its three locations, then hibernate. This week Jacobs and his brother Joshua announced that Samovar will pivot to serving Detroit-style pizza. Joyride Pizza will occupy the Valencia and Yerba Buena locations. In San Francisco where general retail rents average $40.54 per sq. ft. per year and restaurant retail costs $45-$75 per sq. ft., serving pizza is profitable.

    Jacobs told Eater San Francisco, “I spent 20 years developing Samovar into an iconic brand. Similar to other restaurateurs across the country, COVID-19 dissolved the brick-and-mortar businesses to the point of no return. We needed to creatively adapt to the moment.” Teas remain on the menu and www.samovarlife.com retains its luster as a premium online tea retail destination but without office workers, and with government bailouts exhausted and commercial landlords agitating for relief, tea retailers in downtown locations are unlikely to survive.

    Tariffs on Chinese teas imported into the US penalize consumers

    Why are Tea Tariffs Still in Place?

    By Dan Bolton

    Last week a consortium of 30 major business groups appealed to the US White House to remove tariffs on Chinese goods. Tea exports to the US declined after the imposition of tariffs (initially 15%, currently 7.5%). Tea imports fell to around $50 million in 2020, down from nearly $100 million traded in 2016. China’s tea export volumes are down overall due to the pandemic, but with $2 billion in tea exports, China is clearly finding buyers globally. In June the average price of exported Chinese tea rose 2.54% to $6.86 per kilo. 

    The US has not won the trade wars it instigated. Certainly not in tea. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently admitted that tariffs on Chinese goods are hurting American consumers. The Biden administration is unwinding trade entanglements over aerospace and autos with the Europeans. Last week Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang told Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council that trade ties could recover, but first, the US must cancel unfair tariffs on Chinese goods. China has shown interest in hosting Yellen in talks with Chinese Vice Premier [Liu He] this fall. Eliminating the tariff on tea and reciprocating by easing Chinese tariffs on American goods imposed solely in retaliation is an important first step.

    Tea Biz Insight – No one in the tea industry wanted the US to levy tariffs on tea. The 7.5% tariff is an unnecessary cost compounded by rising shipping and operating expenses. Miniscule import revenue makes the tea industry a pawn in this geopolitical chess match of billion-dollar multinationals that include Apple, Ford Motor, and IBM yet easing the restrictions on tea could play a symbolic role. In China’s business culture conversations that begin with tea lead to agreements often far more influential than the US preference for confrontations in courts.

    Upcoming Events

    August 2021
    POSTPONED: Beijing International Tea Expo, Beijing China
    August 27-30, 2021 | Beijing Exposition Center (the recent coronavirus outbreak forced Beijing authorities to halt all events that attract large crowds. Watch this space for new date when it becomes available.)

    September 2021

    Caffé Culture Show, Business Design Center, London
    September 2-3 | The European Speciality Tea Association will host a Speciality Tea Hub on the exhibition floor with a tea brew bar, a members’ lounge, educational seminars and small exhibitor pods.  Admission is free | Program | Register

    Level Up, Virtual
    September 29 | The Tea & Herbal Association of Canada will host a mid-year meet up from 10 am to noon. Admission $55 (CAD) Members $50. Agenda | Register

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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 30

    Tea Biz Podcast Logo

    Listen on your favorite player

    Hear the Headlines

    | Top India Tea Producer McLeod Russel Faces Bankruptcy
    | Tea Authentication Protocol to Chemically Verify Origins
    | Soggy Soil Keeps Kulhads in Short Supply

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Tea Price Report
    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 31

    This week’s highlight is the news from Darjeeling, of the sale of the estates Jungpana and Goomtee. The new owner is the Santosh Kumar Kanoria Group led by Anshuman Kanoria that also owns the estate, Tindharia, also in Darjeeling. Jungpana was last on the market in 2017.  Read more…

    Features

    Tea Biz this week travels to Brooklyn where Rona Tison executive vice president of ITO EN North America explains the appeal of functional tea and introduces a new matcha LOVE ENERGY + line of ready-to-drink teas.

    … and then to New York City, headquarters of the World Tea Academy, where online education director Lisa Boalt Richardson describes the newest of six certification programs.

    Rona Tison executive vice president ITO EN North America

    Natural Tea Energy

    By Dan Bolton

    In the ready-to-drink category, tea-focused brands like ITO EN are innovating. Instead of concentrates and solubles, line extensions are brewed from whole leaves from sustainably grown tea and offered in recyclable packaging. Rona Tison, Executive Vice President of ITO EN North America, joins Tea Biz to discuss what makes tea the ideal base for function-enhancing blends that appeal to health-conscious consumers. Learn more…

    Listen to the Interview

    ITO EN’s Rona Tison on function-enhancing tea blends
    Aromas of Tea is the World Tea Academy’s newest advanced certification

    An Aromatic Education Online

    By Jessica Natale Woollard

    Tea industry certifications are becoming sought after in the industry. There are certifications for tea specialists, sommeliers, blenders, health experts, and now tea aroma specialists, a new offering from the World Tea Academy. Joining me on the podcast today are Lisa Boalt Richardson, online education director of the World Tea Academy, and Kathleen Hippeli – Lisa’s assistant and a former tearoom owner.

    Listen to the Interview

    Lisa Boalt Richardson and Kathleen Hippeli discuss online education opportunities
    McLeod Russel harvests 73 million kilos of tea annually across 180,.000 acres (73,000 hectares)

    Tea Giant McLeod Russel Faces Bankruptcy

    By Dan Bolton

    McLeod Russel India, once the largest producer of tea in the world and currently India’s largest tea producer — is facing bankruptcy. McLeod, a Kolkata-based division of the Brij Mohan Khaitan Group that employs 73,000 workers, operates 31 estates in Assam and two in West Bengal as well as tea gardens in Africa and Vietnam.

    The corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) was triggered by default on a $14 million (INRs 100 crore) loan dating to 2018 but McLeod carries $270 million in debts and faces a combination of debtors. The application was revealed in a stock exchange filing Aug. 6. An interim resolution professional was named to the National Company Law Tribunal case.

    Azam Monem will continue to guide the operations of the company and key managerial staff remain in place with the intent to restructure.

    The storied company dates to 1869 when J.H. Williamson and Richard B. Magor operated in Assam. The Khaitan family purchased the company in 1987 and in 1994 purchased 51% of battery maker Union Carbide’s Eveready Industries operating the company in two divisions, electrical and tea. The company went public in 2000 and in 2004 demerged into two separate companies McLeod producing and marketing tea and Eveready manufacturing batteries and flashlights.

    In August 2017 McLeod sold Bhatpara TE for $2 million, according to Global Ag Investing. It was the first garden sold in the firm’s modern history as production rose to a peak that exceeded 118 million kilos that year (2017-18). Acquisitions from 2005 to 2010 had increased the number of estates to 48 including Williamson Tea, Doom Dooma Tea Company (2007), Moran Tea (2008), and Borelli Tea (17 tea gardens) bringing McLeod’s total acreage under tea to 98,000 acres (39,770 hectares). Revenue exceeded $265 million with $9.7 million in profits in fiscal 2016.

    Biz Insight – A combination of massive flooding in Assam, rising labor costs and conflicts amid declining exports significantly reduced earnings, eroding profits. Quarterly losses rose to $3 million in recent years. A misjudgement in lending more than $390 million to the closely held battery company led to the default in February 2020 on the loan from Techno Electric & Engineering and two other creditors. To lower its debts the McLeod sold an addition 17 tea estates between March 2019 and May 2020 generating $102 million (INRs 764 crore) but it wasn’t enough. Divestiture of 21 tea gardens in India and Rwanda since 2017 reduced annual production from 118 million kilos to 73 million kilos of tea. Rival Camellia Plc., the holding company of Goodricke Group, is now the largest tea producer in the world. Amalgamated Plantations, owned in part by Tata Global Beverages, is the second largest Indian tea producer, according to Rediff.

    Institute for Global Food Security houses the Assured, Safe and Traceable (ASSET) Technology Center

    Tea Authentication Protocol to Chemically Verify Origins

    By Dan Bolton

    The Institute for Global Food Security is analyzing the leaf chemistry of tea from a broad range of geographical locations to create a map identifying the “chemical fingerprints” of tea samples. The protocols can be used to verify the tea was grown at the stated origin as marketed. The rigorous examination uses state-of-the art spectrometry and artificial intelligence modeling to also identify the presence of bulking agents, dyes, and adulterants, soapstone, plumbago, and gypsum. In their review of vulnerable food supply chains, Professor Chris Elliott and researcher Dr. Di Wu found tea to be at high-risk due to the complicated nature of tea production, making authenticity testing a tricky undertaking, according to New Food Magazine.

    Elliott, a professor of food safety with the (Assured, Safe and Traceable) ASSET Technology Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, said that “once these statistical models are built, they will be validated with further samples of known origins to calculate the predictive capability of the methods. The most robust (accurate) technique will be selected, and the method will be fully validated to international standards. This method will then be transferred to laboratories across the world, said Elliott. Learn more…

    Biz Insight – Professor Elliott is seeking partnerships with tea companies and research organization as well as major retailers to join in the effort to improve the integrity of the world’s tea supply chains. Here are his contact details: Professor Chris Elliott, Institute for Global Food Security, Biological Sciences Building, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland | [email protected] | +44 (0) 28 9097 6514.

    Clay Kulhads in Short Supply

    Soggy soil and sunless days have curtailed the manufacture of India’s iconic Kulhad leading to widespread shortages of these simple unglazed terracotta clay cups. As a result, chaiwala are forced to switch to paper or plastic. Neither is acceptable to chai drinkers accustomed to crushing the Kulhad underfoot. Near constant downpours in Dakshindari turned clay quarries into soup and persistent overcast skies prevent air drying before firing. The cups still available are selling for INRs 1 (rupee) each in lots of 100, more than three times the typical wholesale cost.

    Biz Insight – Last November the Indian government ordered the nation’s train stations to sell tea exclusively in locally made Kulhads, boosting demand to help employ two million potters. India’s Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the eco-friendly cups are currently available at 400 train stations. Learn more…

    Aravinda Anantharaman reports on the decision to switch from plastic to clay cups

    – Dan Bolton

    Upcoming Events

    August 2021
    POSTPONED: Beijing International Tea Expo, Beijing China
    August 27-30, 2021 | Beijing Exposition Center (recent coronavirus outbreak led Beijing authorities to halt all events that attract large crowds. Watch this space for new date when it becomes available.)

    Share this episode with your friends in tea.

    Sign up
    News Archives
    Tea Journey
    https://teabiz.sounder.fm/episode/news-01212021

    Subtext

    Avoid the chaos of social media and start a conversation that matters. Subtext’s message-based platform lets you privately ask meaningful questions of the tea experts, academics and Tea Biz journalists reporting from the tea lands. You see their responses via SMS texts which are sent direct to your phone. Visit our website and subscribe to Subtext to instantly connect with the most connected people in tea.

    Subscribe to Subtext

    Subscribe and receive Tea Biz weekly in your inbox.

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