• Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 46

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    Hear the Headlines

    | Ekaterra Tea CEO John Davison Gets Underway
    | India Steps up Efforts to Halt Illegal Tea Imports
    | Chinese Archaeologists Discover Oldest Tea Yet

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Features

    This week Tea Biz travels to Singapore for a conversation with John Davison, CEO of ekaterra tea, soon to be the largest tea company in the world. Ekaterra is currently a division of Unilever that houses 34 tea brands including Lipton, PG Tips, TAZO, Brooke Bond, Lyons, and Red Rose. In November CVC Capital Partners, a multi-billion private equity firm headquartered in Luxembourg, paid $5.1 billion for Ekaterra tea, outbidding several competitors and establishing a valuation based on 14x earnings before taxes and depreciation.

    Ekaterra Tea CEO John Davison discusses his plans for re-energizing the Unilever tea portfolio.

    Ekaterra tea CEO Re-energizes World’s Largest Tea Company

    By Dan Bolton

    John Davison joined Unilever in March 2021 to carve out the company’s underperforming tea portfolio. Davison was formerly CEO at Zuellig Pharma, a $13 billion pharmaceutical distribution company employing 13,000 workers in 12 Asian countries. Davison, who is British, is a graduate of Cambridge University and Harvard Business School. He began his career with UK retailer Marks & Spencer before joining McKenzie & Co. in 1991. He was global head of strategy at Diageo in 1995 during the Guinness merger and a regional president at Danone for 11 years beginning in 2003. Davison, who lives in Singapore, will relocate to Europe after Christmas. Davison discusses the urgency of improving tea quality and adopting sustainable initiatives along the entire supply chain. Listen to his plans for re-energizing the world’s largest tea company.  Read more…

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    John Davison on re-energizing the world’s largest tea company

    News

    Sparsh Agarwal, Selim Hill Tea Estate

    India Steps up Efforts to Halt Illegal Tea Imports

    By Dan Bolton

    India’s food safety and customs officials have stepped up inspections of tea imports targeting Nepal and citing complaints that large quantities of Himalayan grown tea are being illegally passed off as origin protected Darjeeling tea.

    It is not clear how great a quantity is involved but CBIC is asking for proof of export license and sanitary and phytosanitary certificates after customs authorities discovered that only 23.4 million kilos of the 60.4 million kilos imported into India during the past three years for re-export had been re-exported. The Darjeeling Tea Association asserts most of this tea arrived from Nepal and was sold as if India produced it.

     Growers describe a porous border that makes it possible for raw tea leaves to cross from Nepal. Unscrupulous factory owners can confidently process the leaf and pass it off as Darjeeling in the domestic market, reaping a significant difference in price. Tea vendors are in on the game, offering as little as 600 rupees [about US$8] per kilo to producers and then doubling the price for unsuspecting customers.

     Larger quantities of bulk processed tea can also cross the border as a bilateral trade agreement waives tariffs and prevents arbitrary inspections that could be viewed as harassment.

     India is the largest market for Darjeeling with 5 to 6 million consumers. As India’s premier growing region, Darjeeling has focused mainly on controlling overseas exports to protect its name and reputation for purity and taste. Joining us today is Sparsh Agarwal a fourth-generation Darjeeling grower at Selim Hill Tea Estate who articulates a domestic threat, which is the import of teas blended to dilute the Darjeeling brand.

    Listen to the interview
    Sparsh Agarwal explains how a porous border with Nepal dilutes the Darjeeling brand

    Agarwal reports “The crux of the problem is that if you have spent any time in Darjeeling, you know that the border between Nepal and Darjeeling is super porous, right? So there’s a large problem of green leaves being smuggled in and then being produced in Darjeeling tea factories. The second-degree problem is that tea shops are buying Nepal teas at a fraction of the price of Darjeeling teas. This is not the problem of the growers, to be honest, it’s not the grower’s fault that this is happening. Ultimately we will all have to go towards better, more established sourcing of teas using technology. We are looking into how technology like blockchain can be used to be able to improve these things. We are right now in advanced conversations with one particular company to be able to do better sourcing for our customers so that they know that this tea is not only coming from Salem Hill, it’s coming from these sections within Selim Hill.” 

    Biz Insight – India is also aggressively challenging importers to monitor Kenyan tea, threatening to cancel their operating license for violating new rules that require labeling by origin. Kenya had hoped that India would establish a minimum import price, a solution endorsed by the Indian Tea Association. Instead, India stepped up inspections taking a closer look at quality and quantities to slow a recent surge of low-value teas.  Kenya shipped to India 2.8 million kilos of tea from January through June, up from 1.5 million kilos in the same period last year.

    Tea remains unearthed from ancient tombs in Zoucheng, Jining City, Shandong Province, China. /CMG

    Chinese Archaeologists Discover the Oldest Tea Yet

    Archaeologists extended the age of prepared teas to the early stages of the Warring States, circa 453 to 410 BC, a period 2,400 years ago, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.

    The samples were discovered in tombs excavated in Shandong Province in the remains of a city built 2,800 years ago. [during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC)]. Stem and leaf carbonized residues were found in an inverted porcelain bowl. Researchers led by Professor Wang Qing at Shandong University said the residue is likely dregs left by ancient people after boiling tea. Tests for theanine confirmed the substance as tea. The findings advance the age of prepared teas by more than 300 years in a study published in the Chinese-language Journal of Archaeology and Cultural Relics.   Dan Bolton

    • Read more… links indicate the article continues. Learn more… links to additional information from reliable outside sources.
    Tea Price Report
    Nov 27 – Sale 47

    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 47

    Tea Biz caught up with tea exporter Pranav Bhansali of Bhansali and Company to review the Indian tea industry’s past year. He said, “Quality teas have been selling at fantastic premiums for CTC and Orthodox teas, even at this late stage of the season. This is surprising, especially for CTC teas, since it is unusual to see the major packeteers and blenders being this aggressive and active on quality produce at this time of the year.” Bhansali says, “Indian tea exports have taken a hit due to high CTC prices and weather disruptions.” The Tea Board estimates a decline of 8-10% in calendar 2021 compared to the same period last year. “Supply chain disruptions and container shortages are expected to continue into 2022. On the bright side, Iran continues to be the largest consumer of Indian Orthodox teas,” says Bhansali. Read more…

    Aravinda Anantharaman
    • Aravinda Anantharaman introduces the two-part series Frugal Innovations with Abhijeet Hazarika and Indian tea growers Saurav Berlia and Shekib Ahmad who describe cost-efficient experiments and pilots that demonstrate why tea producers should embrace simple technologies with scalable impact. Listen to Episode 47 of the Tea Biz Podcast | Friday, Dec. 10


    Upcoming Events

    December 2021

    Sips & Bites: Exploring the World of Artisanal Tea | December 15 | Virtual |
    Director Dr. Katharine Burnett will share an overview of the Global Tea Initiative. Manik Jayakumar, Founder of QTrade Teas & Herbs, and Rona Tison, Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations at ITO EN, North America, will discuss their work in the tea industry and walk attendees through a tasting of their exquisite teas. The Global Tea Initiative (GTI) for the Study of Tea Culture and Science was established in 2015 to promote evidence-based knowledge about tea. | Register FREE (Zoom) | 6-7 pm PST | Sponsored by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, University of California, Davis.


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    Ekaterra CEO John Davison

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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 45

    Tea Biz Podcast Logo

    Listen on your favorite player

    Hear the Headlines

    | In the Black: Holiday Sales Surge
    | CVC Capital Pays $5.1 Billion for Unilever’s Tea Portfolio
    | Weather Stations: A Climate Change Adaptation Essential for Tea

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Features

    This week Tea Biz travels to Brisbane, Australia where East Forged Tea co-founder Kym Cooper reminds us that innovation need not be at the expense of the timeless taste of tea. East Forged preserves that taste ? with no sugar, coloring, or artificial flavoring ? in a convenient, slightly fizzy, nitro-infused, cold-brewed iced tea that pours a craft-brew-like head of foam. 

    … and then to Boston, Mass. to learn how Evy Chen, facing an 82% decline in foodservice sales of her signature cold-brewed tea, reformulated, rebranded, and relaunched online as a successful direct-to-consumer brand. 

    Manufactured in a brewery and then canned, the teas get a burst of CO2 for fizz and nitrogen to add texture and a creamy head. Photo courtesy East Forged

    A Fizzy, Foamy Innovation in Tea

    By Dan Bolton

    East Forged teas, launched in Australia in 2020, are nonalcoholic sparkling adult beverages cold-brewed for 12 hours from organic whole leaf green, black, and white teas and blended with low-sugar Calamansi, Pitaya, or Yuzu juice. Manufactured in a brewery and then canned, the teas get a burst of CO2 for fizz and nitrogen to add texture and a creamy head. The black tea tastes of citrus and is dry, not sweet, the Fujian-grown white tea is flavored with calamansi, a mild, wild citrus-hybrid from the Philippines ideal for social occasions. Read more…

    Listen to the interview
    Kym Cooper describes the importance of making teas that taste like tea

    Resilient & Resourceful

    The tea industry globally demonstrated its ability to recover quickly during two years of disruption. Less is said about individuals who overcame pandemic-related obstacles and the resourcefulness of people that grow, process, and trade tea. To remedy that, Tea Biz is sharing stories of resilience, reinvention, pivots, and clever workarounds that exceeded expectations.

    Evy founder Evy Chen

    A Story of Reinvention

    By Dan Bolton

    In 2020 US restaurant and foodservice sales declined by $240 billion (22% for the year) placing unprecedented stress on food and beverage suppliers. In Boston, Evy’s Tea founder Evy Chen watched as standing orders for her organic, sustainable, artisan cold-brewed bottled teas cease overnight. Revenue fell 82%. She persevered, observing that COVID lockdowns led to a surge in online transactions and altered long-established consumer buying habits. Within a year she had reformulated, rebranded, and relaunched online as a successful direct-to-consumer brand known as Evy. Read more…

    Evy Chen on bouncing back after a dramatic drop in sales of her namesake cold-brewed tea.

    News

    Unilever spent the past year consolidating its 34 tea brands into a single division launched as ekaterra Tea.

    CVC Capital Pays $5.1 Billion for Unilever Tea Portfolio

    By Dan Bolton

    CVC Capital Partners last week paid $5.1 billion to acquire legendary tea brands Lipton, PG Tips, Brooke Bond, Lyons, Bushells, and Red Rose as well as relative newcomers TAZO, T2, and Pukka Herbs culminating Unilever’s corporate carve-out. 

    The portfolio of 34 brands was christened Ekaterra Tea following a year-long restructuring with the intent to either sell or separate the division from Unilever’s core offerings. Ekaterra is now the world’s largest tea company with approximately 10% global share and the leading tea brand in 58 markets. Unilever retained its tea business in India and Indonesia along with the PepsiCo-Lipton partnership headquartered in the US.  

    Ekaterra CEO John Davison welcomed the acquisition: “ekaterra is a strong business with positive momentum and has an exciting future ahead under the new ownership of CVC Fund VIII. We look forward to the next stage of our journey as the world’s leading Tea business.” Read more…

    Biz Insight – Bold big-scale investments in tea companies are rare. Five years ago Unilever spent a combined $500 million acquiring retail chain T2 in 2013, completing the roll-up in 2017 when it bought the TAZO brand from Starbucks and Pukka Herbs. 

    But these acquisitions were tactical and defensive, designed to stimulate revenue in light of a moribund black tea category by diversifying an aging stable of legacy brands from Lipton to Lyons. The $5.1 billion deal announced by Luxembourg-based CVC Capital this week is 10x greater, signaling an intent to revitalize and elevate the portfolio. Unilever spent the past year shaping a new corporate model for the large-scale production of sustainable tea but was unwilling to finance it. Ekaterra’s vision could only be realized if the corporate carve-out attracted aggressive bidding. Fortunately, it did. Finalists CVC Capital, Carlyle, and Advent International each spent time and money evaluating the potential rewards for investors. The low bid of $4 billion demonstrates that independently they agree that Ekaterra is headed in the right direction. CVC’s winning bid was 14 times (EBITDA), a measure of the portfolio’s basic contribution to Unilever’s earnings. All three bids embraced the complexity of re-imagining tea at scale. Insiders say CVC won the day with determination and grit. 

    • Ekaterra Tea CEO John Davison and Dan Bolton met virtually for an hour-long interview last week in which Davison discusses the urgency of adopting sustainable initiatives along the entire supply chain. Listen to his plans for the company in Episode 46 of the Tea Biz Podcast | Friday, Dec. 3

    Restaurant reservations are up 4% in the US and are now 7% higher globally compared to 2019, according to OpenTable. Recovery is uneven. During the past two years, 90,000 US restaurants closed permanently and the omicron variant has heightened concerns about future lockdowns.

    In the Black: Holiday Sales Surge

    By Dan Bolton

    Shoppers are exceeding expectations for the holidays.

    Americans spent an estimated $5.1 billion on Thanksgiving Day and nearly twice that on Black Friday sales that extended through Sunday. Adobe’s Digital Economy Index estimated total sales will reach $9.2 billion. Small business Saturday will net $4.5 billion. Toy sales are up 256%. Barclaycard Payments reported a 16.7% increase in volume compared to the same period on Cyber Monday 2020 and a 4.5% increase in payments compared to pre-pandemic levels.

    US consumer spending online rose 20% in the first three weeks of November, according to the Adobe Index which predicts a record $207 billion in e-commerce sales this holiday season, up 10% compared to 2020. The US Census Bureau tallied $214.6 billion in third-quarter e-commerce sales, which now account for 13% of total US retail sales. The National Retail Federation projects holiday sales will increase 8.5% to 10.5% totaling $859 billion over the forecast period, compared to 2020. 

    Consumers appear to be heeding the advice to shop early. The Guardian reported a Deloitte survey that showed people spent 80% to 85% of their holiday gift budgets before Black Friday. Read more…

    Africa has only one-eighth the minimum density of weather stations recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) leading to inaccurate forecasts and unreliable early-warning systems. Kenya’s government currently maintains only 22 rainfall stations in a country spanning 225,000 square miles. 

    Weather Stations: A Climate Change Adaptation Essential to Tea

    The Glasgow Climate Pact calls for doubling the developed world’s investment in climate adaptations for poor nations. 

    Farm-level mitigation is underway as tea gardens dig ponds to capture rainwater and plant trees for shade but generalized weather forecasts focus on changes in average conditions and are of little help alerting growers to heatwaves and frost. 

    Africa has only one-eighth the minimum density of weather stations recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) leading to inaccurate forecasts and unreliable early-warning systems, according to the Washington Post. Kenya’s government currently maintains only 22 rainfall stations in a country spanning 225,000 square miles. 

    As it turns out, the gardens themselves are repositories of great volumes of “hidden” weather data used by the University of Leeds to develop high-tech computer simulations capable of providing climate information that is both useful and usable for tea growers in Kenya and Malawi.

    The Conversation explains that understanding what future conditions will be like is particularly important for tea growers because the tea plant has a long lifespan, of more than 80 years. “That means it is critical to take decisions now that will continue to be sound in the future, like replanting with better and resilient cultivars, planting shade trees and crop diversification,” according to researchers.

    The site-specific modeling establishes a temperature threshold specific to tea varieties. In Kenya’s Rift Valley growers are alerted when projections show several consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 27 degrees Celsius. In Malawi, the threshold temperature is 35 degrees Celsius.

    “Projections from a suite of 29 global climate models offer projections for the 2050s and 2080s,” according to the Leeds University researchers.

    Biz Insight – In January the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) signed a two-year contract with aWhere of Denver, Colo. to monitor 6,787 virtual weather stations in Kenya that provide advanced weather data and analytics that support climate-smart agricultural decisions. aWhere maintains 1.7 million virtual weather stations worldwide according to CEO John Corbett, who writes that “Having accurate weather data and analytical tools to generate actionable insights for the food sector positions Kenya as a leader in climate adaptation.”

     Dan Bolton

    • Read more… links indicate the article continues. Learn more… links to additional information from reliable outside sources.
    Tea Price Report
    Nov 20 – Sale 46

    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 46

    This week saw good quantities of tea on offer, with an all-India sale percentage at 80%. Prices were marginally higher than Sale 45. Kolkata saw good demand for all CTC, Orthodox, and Dust. Hindustan Unilever was active for CTC while the Middle East was active for Orthodox. The quantity of Darjeelings on offer this week was higher and prices were up marginally. In Assam prices remained largely the same as the previous week, however, they are better than corresponding 2019 prices. Analyst Abhijeet Hazarika @TeaSigma notes that high sales volume in the last two weeks with increased offerings has eased pressure on supply. Read more…

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    Upcoming Events

    December 2021

    World Tea & Coffee Expo | Gandhinagar, India | December 2-4
    Launched in 2013 and now operated by Messe Muenchen India, this hybrid virtual and in-person event for tea and coffee professionals is now scheduled for the Helipad Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Website | Register
    Click to view more upcoming events.


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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 44

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    Hear the Headlines

    | India Tea Industry Reforms
    | Glasgow Climate Pact Boosts Morale, but Will Momentum Build?
    | Drinking Tea Linked to Lower Risk and Severity of Stroke
    | Golden Leaf Awards Return

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Features

    In Part 2 of this extended Newsmaker Interview, Aravinda Anantharaman speaks with Tea Board of India Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah who describes a new board mission to increase consumption, promote tea exports and expand markets at home and overseas. He also addresses discussions underway to transfer regulatory oversight of India’s tea industry from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Read more…

    India Initiates Tea Industry Reforms

    By Aravinda Anantharaman

    India’s highest levels of government are reforming the basic structure of agriculture. The intent is to loosen regulations on pricing and storage and to permit direct sales of produce. The rules have protected India’s farmers from the free market for decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the reforms a “watershed moment” for Indian agriculture. Opposition by farmers has been so intense that Modi announced in November that the government will abandon the September 2020 reforms. Will tea reforms go forward? In this Newsmaker Interview Prabhat Bezboruah, Chairman of the Tea Board of India describes a new board mission to increase consumption, promote tea exports and expand markets at home and overseas. He also addresses discussions underway to transfer regulatory oversight of India’s tea industry from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

    Listen to the interview (Part 2)
    India Tea Board Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah discusses reforms in the regulatory oversight of India’s Tea Industry.
    Listen to the interview (Part 1)
    The year has been “quite bad” compared to 2020, explains India Tea Board Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah

    News

    Ekaterra CEO John Davison, left, is joined by: Sebastian Pole, Founder, Pukka Herbs (with mic), Ruchira Joshi, UK Country Director, Sustainable Trade Initiative, IDH, Jenny Costelloe, Executive Director, Ethical Tea Partnership and Abdul-Razak Saeed, Climate Policy Lead, Rainforest Alliance.

    Glasgow Climate Pact Boosts Morale, but Will Momentum Build?

    By Dan Bolton

    The Glasgow Climate Pact constructively addresses issues critical to the tea industry both for brands and producers. The document also advances efforts to end deforestation and to phase down (not phase-out) coal.

    COP26 brought into line the four largest polluters when India announced plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2070. India is the world’s fourth-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. China announced it will be carbon neutral by 2060 and both the US and EU reaffirmed their commitment to reach net-zero by 2050. 

    The pact makes concrete tools to curb warming and establishes new rules to hold countries accountable for curbing emissions but falls short of financing efforts in less developed countries. The pact also leaves unresolved how much and how quickly each nation will cut emissions. Delegates returned to their homelands demonstrating greater cohesion and consensus that every nation must do more before the 2022 summit.

    Tea brands welcome rules to encourage trade emission-reduction credits and prevent double-counting and wording that allows carbon-market credits from decades past (Kyoto Protocols).

    The agreement advances the Paris Accords but pledges made by 197 countries are unlikely to contain atmospheric temperatures at less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above their pre-industrial levels. Scientists estimate that close adherence to pledges may limit global warming to around 2.4 degrees Celsius.  Others say temperatures will increase by 2.7 degrees Celsius.

    Warming to either level will wreak havoc in the tea lands. Degrading tea quality and reduction in yield are already apparent in three regional hotspots.

    South India is one of the hotspots where tea production is threatened along with the Rift Valley in Africa and portions of China.

    Biz Insight – Many of the 74 nations where tea is produced find it difficult to finance climate mitigation efforts at the farm level. Unresolved at this year’s summit are concrete steps by developed countries to make good on a $100 billion a year promise made in 2009 to assist poor nations. Contributions in 2019 were $30 billion short and $50 billion of what was pledged is directed at mitigation with much less earmarked to finance adaptations. In Glasgow, delegates asked that countries “at least double” to $40 billion the money committed to financing adaptations making possible construction of clean energy alternatives to coal and wood.

    Golden Leaf judges evaluating teas in 2019 competition

    In-person Judging Returns for the 2021 Golden Leaf Awards

    By Jessica Natale Woollard

    Australia’s Golden Leaf Awards return in 2021 with live, in-person judging to crown this year’s best teas in the Australian market. Tea submissions are open until Nov. 30. View the award guidebook for more information.

    The Golden Leaf Awards are presented by the Australia Tea Masters and feature a number of categories: green, black, white, yellow teas; matcha; Pu-erh; herbals; chai; and iced tea. There’s even a category for tea packaging and best tea house.

    The judging is blind and done by industry professionals. Learn more…

    Australia Tea Masters founder and CEO Sharyn Johnston speaks with Tea Biz’s Jessica Natale Woollard about this year’s event.

    Listen to the interview
    Australia Tea Masters founder Sharyn Johnston
    Tea and Coffee Drinkers are Less Likely to Suffer Strokes
    Moderate consumption of coffee and tea separately or in combination lower the risk of stroke and dementia

    Tea and Coffee Drinkers are Less Likely to Suffer Strokes

    A decade-long study of 365,000 people suggests that tea and coffee drinkers are 32% less likely to suffer a stroke when compared to nondrinkers.

    Results of the UK Biobank study, initiated in 2006 and continued through 2020, were reported this week in the online journal PLOS Medicine. The authors write that “while previous studies have looked at associations between tea and coffee consumption and better brain health, there has been inconsistency in findings.” 

    “Our findings suggested that moderate consumption of coffee and tea separately or in combination were associated with lower risk of stroke and dementia,” writes lead author and Professor Yuan Zhang at Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.

    Associating tea and coffee drinking with better health outcomes does not guarantee that the same outcome will happen for everyone, according to a review of the research published by Medicine Net.

    Professor Zhang said it is also possible that coffee and tea consumption might be protective against dementia and post-stroke dementia. Strokes cause 10% of deaths globally, and those who survive often experience post-stroke dementia. People who have had a stroke have a far greater risk of developing dementia than people who have not had a stroke. About 1 in 4 who have had a stroke will go on to develop signs of vascular dementia, according to WebMD. In the US vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.

    Drinking coffee or tea even in very small amounts lowered the risk for both strokes and dementia.

    Researchers cite weakness in that study participants were in better health than the population as a whole, and that the participants are mainly white and British (96%) “therefore we cannot infer an association that is relevant to everyone in the UK.” Learn more…

    Biz Insight – Drinking two to three cups of coffee or three to five cups of tea daily (or in combination) led to a 28% lower risk of dementia compared with those who do not drink tea or coffee. Researchers say that around 40 years of age, the immune system starts to decline. As people age, they experience a form of chronic low-grade inflammation. Experts have linked this kind of age-related inflammation to dementia and cognitive decline. The worldwide population of those aged 60 years and over will grow to 2.1 billion by 2050 according to the United Nations. Rates of dementia are expected to increase alongside this aging population, according to Medical News Today

     Dan Bolton

    • Read more… links indicate the article continues. Learn more… links to additional information from reliable outside sources.
    Tea Price Report
    Nov 13 – Sale 45

    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 45

    Large quantities of Kenyan tea imported and blended with Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri, and Kangra tea are impacting the quality of Indian teas sold domestically. Indian media report Kenya tea imports increased 146% year-on-year between January and August prompting the Tea Board to take a stern stance. Importers must now report within 24 hours any tea stored for distribution and declare origin, quantity, and describe the quality of leaf stored. Random checks are underway. Read more…

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    Upcoming Events

    November 2021

    Iraq Tea Festival | Nov. 28-29 | Baghdad Chamber of Commerce
    Baghdad, Iraq |

    Click to view more upcoming events.


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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 43

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    Hear the Headlines

    | The Desirability of Sustainability
    | Ekaterra Tea Pledges Net Zero Emissions by 2030
    | Grocery Shoppers Say They Will Pay for Sustainable Food
    | Inflation Demonstrates a Troubling Persistence

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Features

    Tea Biz this week travels to India where the traditional tea plantation model is under regulatory scrutiny. The union government there is redrafting legislation from the 1950s to gradually loosen regulations, abandoning requirements that previously limited who could grow tea and where it could be grown. In Part 1 of this extended Newsmaker Interview, Aravinda Anantharaman speaks with Tea Board of India Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah to better understand the current situation and the economic and societal forces driving change.

    India Tea Board Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah

    India Tea Reforms: Challenges and the Current Situation

    By Aravinda Anantharaman

    The Tea Board of India has been in the news recently for various reforms that seem to be underway. We spoke to Prabhat Bezboruah Chairman of the Tea Board of India to understand the changes that are brewing with the board as well as his views on how the Indian tea industry is faring this year. Bezboruah has been chairman since 2017. An alumnus of IIM Calcutta and the Wharton School of Business, he is the first tea planter to hold the position. Read more…

    Listen to the interview (Part 1)
    The year has been “quite bad” compared to 2020, explains India Tea Board Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah
    • Next week, in Part 2 of India Reform: Tea Market Expansion, Prabhat Bezboruah discusses high-level talks on transferring regulatory oversight of India’s Tea Industry from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

    News

    Ekaterra Tea CEO John Davison
    Ekaterra Tea CEO John Davison at the UN’s Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, Scotland

    Ekaterra Tea Pledges Net Zero Emissions by 2030 at COP26

    By Dan Bolton

    Ekaterra Tea, Unilever’s newly-created division of legacy tea brands and the world’s largest tea supplier, pledged this week to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2030.

    The division, led by CEO John Davison, announced sustainability and climate goals during a panel discussion with several NGOs deeply committed to the sustainability of the tea industry. During a press briefing on Nov. 8, Davison reiterated the company’s commitment to 100% sustainably sourced teas, a switch to all plant-based tea bags, and recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging by 2025 along with the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices for raw materials sourcing by 2030.

    Davison said, “We want to give back to nature more than we take. To sustain is to reduce the drain on the planet’s resources, which is a good start, but at ekaterra, we want to go beyond this. In the tea category, we have a unique opportunity to become climate positive through the regenerative power of plants.”

    Greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 66% since 2010, said Davison who promised a further reduction to 80% from the 2010 baseline. Ekaterra owns Lipton, PG Tips, TAZO, Brooke Bond, Lyons, Pukka, and Red Rose  —  the leading tea brands in 58 of the 110 countries where its portfolio of 34 products is sold. Ekaterra has a staff of 3,500 in 90 offices and employs 1 million people in 21 countries earning 2 billion Euros annually (about $2.3 billion in US dollars).

    “Real leadership today, means mobilizing and transforming the entire tea industry for positive impact,” said Davison.

    The announcement benefitted from global attention on COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland where an unexpected climate agreement between the US and China added to the momentum for change. Delegates are negotiating an accelerated carbon emissions-cutting schedule and financial aid to developing countries. Scientists stressed the importance of keeping global temperatures within a 1.5 degrees Celsius target.

    Copious amounts of tea were visible during the event. At one point, protestors dressed as caricatures of world leaders staged a tea party-themed performance where they were served “burnt Alaska” and “Arctic melt.” 

    Biz Insight – There was a greater sense of urgency during the two-week summit. “Everyone knows what is at stake for the future, we have no choice but to rise to that challenge,” COP26 President Alok Sharma told delegates. The UN’s 26th Conference of the Parties, delayed by a year due to COVID, promises a renewed commitment to climate change in the most important response since the Paris Agreement. Learn more…

    Ekaterra Tea Zero Carbon Pledge
    Ekaterra Tea pledges Net-Zero carbon

    The Desirability of Sustainability

    By Dan Bolton

    Are grocery shoppers willing to compensate suppliers for the additional cost of producing goods that are good for the environment?

    The answer is “Yes” according to a global panel of 86,000 consumers conducted by YouGov, a UK-based online market research firm.

    “Sustainability – both in terms of production and consumption – is top of mind for many consumers globally,” according to YouGov data journalist Hoang Nguyen.

    As governments worldwide sign accords to battle climate change, reduce carbon emissions, and look after the planet’s health, “consumers are also inclined to playing their part in helping preserve the environment and are willing to back their personal values with their spending dollars,” according to YouGov.

    YouGov’s International FMCG/CPG Report 2021 compares shifts in consumer preferences and consumption patterns in 17 countries. 

    When queried on their willingness to pay more to address environmental concerns, only responses from persons identified as mainly or partly responsible for grocery shopping for their household (grocery shoppers) were tallied. Globally, three in five German grocery shoppers (60%) were willing to pay more to address environmental concerns. Next were US grocery shoppers at (58%), closely followed by UK grocery shoppers at 57%. More than half of grocery shoppers in Australia (53%) showed a similar inclination. 

    In Japan, feelings are mixed. Only three in ten grocery shoppers agree with the statement: “I don’t mind paying more for products that are good for the environment.” 42% of this audience neither agree nor disagree with the statement.

    Younger Generations in UK and US are More Likely to Pay More for Sustainable Products
    Younger Generations in UK and US are More Likely to Pay More for Sustainable Products

    Biz Insight –  The YouGov panel indicated that in the UK and the US, Gen Z and millennial grocery shoppers were far likelier than older age cohorts to say they would pay more for sustainable products. Learn more…

    FAO Food Price Index is spiking in 2021

    Inflation Demonstrates Troubling Persistence

    Dismissed initially as “transitory” economists responded with concern this week as an increase in the US cost of living touched a 30-year high. 

    Inflation increased to 6.2% in October, growing at a pace not seen since 1990, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation was more subdued in the European Union at 4.1% last month, up from 3.4% in September. 

    US food prices added far less to the overall cost of living than energy costs, for example, which rose by 30% in the past year but food inflation has spiked globally. Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise due to weather-related flooding and droughts and more expensive inputs.  Bloomberg writes that a United Nations Index tracking staples rose 3% to a fresh decade high in October, threatening even higher grocery bills for households that have already been strained by the pandemic. 

    Tea is plentiful. Rising prices for bulk transactions are blamed on energy costs, shipping logistics, and expensive ground transport – not scarcity. The cost of labor climbed steeply in 2021 at both ends of the supply chain along with costs for manufacturing packaged goods (CPG). In the tea lands, worsening hunger is a concern as Africa and India experience multi-year highs. National governments and aid groups report the poorest families are struggling. The World Bank reports that global poverty had been declining before COVID-19. “As a result of long-term scarring, we estimate that by 2030, 588 million people could still live in extreme poverty, an additional 50 million people compared with pre-COVID-19 estimates.”

     Dan Bolton

    • Read more… links indicate the article continues. Learn more… links to additional information from reliable outside sources.
    Tea Price Report
    Nov 6 – Sale 44

    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 44

    This week, the big news is the invitation to Indian tea companies to participate in Iraq’s first tea festival. Iraq was a significant market for Indian tea until 2006, when the government of Iraq procured tea from India under the UN food for oil program. The import of tea was around 80 million kilos, with nearly half coming from India. Today, Sri Lanka is the major supplier to Iraq. The invitation from the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce comes as a boost at a time when Indian exports are struggling, even as competition from Kenya and Sri Lanka intensifies. 

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    Upcoming Events

    November 2021

    Iraq Tea Festival | Nov. 28-29 | Baghdad Chamber of Commerce
    Baghdad, Iraq |

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  • Tea Biz Podcast | Episode 42

    Tea Biz Podcast Logo

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    Hear the Headlines

    | A New Theory on How Green Tea Promotes Longevity
    | The Bubble Tea Business is Frothing Globally
    | Assam Smallholder Collective Debuts Equifarm Tea Brand

    Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    Features

    This week Tea Biz travels to Miami, Florida to the offices of SAMA Tea where CEO Michael Parisi uses artificial intelligence to create new functional blends. SAMA’s CLAIRE platform is programmed to discover whitespace for new tea products, provide marketing insights based on consumer behavior. It even lists trending ingredients to consider in formulating the company’s new line of adaptogenic teas…

    Then we Zoom called two of the winners of the AVPA’s 4th Teas of the World Contest, starting in Crete, Greece where Jessica Natale Woollard spoke to the family-owners of Tofillo Farms, gold medal winners in the botanicals category.

    Then to Miaoli, Taiwan where Dan congratulates five-medal winner Rick Chang at the Xuejian plantation where he produces authentic bug-bitten Oriental Beauty oolong.

    Jay and Radhi Devlukia-Shetty co-founders SAMA Tea
    Jay and Radhi Devlukia-Shetty co-founders SAMA Tea

    Delicious by Design

    By Dan Bolton

    SAMA is an adaptogenic tea brand made delicious by design, according to SAMA CEO Michael Parisi, co-founder of 100.co, an artificial intelligence-powered brand creation platform used to parse millions of retail data signals such as product reviews and consumer beverage trends. Applying insights gleaned from this vast reservoir led to the recent launch of four purpose-driven tea blends inspired by Ayurveda and crafted to help balance the mind, body, and heart. The teas are sold in samplers or by subscription. Parisi spoke with Tea Biz from SAMA’s company headquarters in Miami, via Zoom.

    Listen to the interview
    SAMA CEO Michael Parisi uses artificial intelligence to create new functional blends.
    Malotira "Mountain Tea" from Tofillo, Crete
    Malotira “Mountain Tea” from Tofillo, Crete

    Native Malotira Tea from Crete Wins Gold

    By Jessica Natale Woollard

    High in the White Mountains on the island of Crete grows malotira, an ancient herb with small yellow flowers used to make Cretan Mountain Tea. Rodo Vasilaki and her husband and business partner Nikos Psyllakis grow the herb on 30-acres of family-run farms that are dotted across the island. Their Malotira Tea, known locally as tsai tou vounou and by the Latin name Sideritis syriaca, won gourmet gold at the 4th AVPA Teas of The World contest. Another one of their teas, Pink Healer, featuring Cretan sage and pink rockrose, earned a “gourmet” distinction. Read more…

    Listen to the interview
    Xue Jian Oolong Tea farm in Miaoli, Taiwan
    Xue Jian Oolong Tea farm in Miaoli, Taiwan

    Taiwan High Mountain Oolongs Earn Multiple Gold Medals

    By Dan Bolton

    Miaoli is a city of 89,000 nestled in the mountains of western Taiwan. The region is home to the Hakka, an indigenous tribe employed in the cultivation of tea since the early 1900s. Gardens in the area are famous for producing Oriental Beauty, an oolong that depends on the bite of the tea leafhopper to develop its honey fragrance and honeysuckle taste. Rick Chang is director at Xue Jian, a tea plantation situated at 4,500 feet altitude that produces oolong and black tea. The company first competed in the AVPA contest 2018, winning a gold medal that year and at least once every year since. Read more…

    Listen to the interview
    Rick Chang Xue Jian Oolong Tea

    News

    A New Theory on How Green Tea Promotes Longevity

    By Dan Bolton

    Researchers at ETH Zürich have discovered that green tea catechins are not passive antioxidants but pro-oxidants that act to strengthen cells against attack by free radicals, leading to longer life and greater fitness.

    Initially, the presence of green tea catechins increases oxidative stress for a short while which has the subsequent effect of strengthening the defensive capabilities of the cells and the organism, according to study leader Dr. Michael Ristow, professor for Energy Metabolism at the University’s Department of Health Sciences and Technology.

    “Catechins, aren’t in fact antioxidants, but rather pro-oxidants that improve the organism’s ability to defend itself, similar to a vaccination,” said Ristow. “Green tea activates genes that produce certain enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CTL) that deactivate free radicals in nematodes, the test organisms chosen for the study,” he explained. 

    The findings from the study translate well to humans, said Ristow. “The basic biochemical processes by which organisms neutralize oxygen free radicals are conserved in the evolution history and are present in everything from unicellular yeast to humans,” he said.

    His findings appear in the October issue of the peer-reviewed journal Aging.

    Learn more…

    • Tian J, Geiss C, Zarse K, Madreiter- Sokolowski CT, Ristow M: Green tea catechins EGCG and ECG enhance the fitness and lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans by complex I inhibition. Aging, 2021 Oct 4;13. doi: 10.18632/aging.203597call_made
    From left, Sabin Narzary,  Sanibar Boro, Assaigra Boro, Thapsa Boro, Baburam Daimary, Pijush Goyary, Ajith Boro, Bijoy Boro, Kukhol Boro,  J. John, Minto Goswami,  and Sanjwrang Basumatary.

    Assam Smallholder Collective Launches National Tea Brand

    By Roopak Goswami

    Subsistence growers with generations of experience understand how to cultivate tea but are held back by their inability to process, package, and ship larger quantities. Few ever advance beyond the constraining role of supplying profit-driven bought leaf factories. 

    Grassroots Tea in New Delhi aggregates, repacks, wholesales, and retails authentic teas supplied by collectives and helps smallholders secure financing to establish Tea Producer Companies. TPCs then partner with the collectives to operate mini-factories that each process 2,500 kilos of green leaf to make 500 kilos of tea a day. Smallholders become producer stakeholders and ag entrepreneurs. Last week Grassroots debuted the equifarm brand on Amazon India. Equifarm teas range in price from $4.85 to $8.15 (INRs 605) for 250 grams. Unlike most smallholders — who receive perhaps a tenth of the retail price — growers supplying equifarm tea receive a far greater percentage of what consumers pay. This is because Grassroots Tea and lenders enable stakeholders to earn significantly more money by adding value close to origin. Read more…

    Philipping-based Jollibee buys controlling shares of Milkshop, Taiwan.
    Philippine-based Jollibee buys a controlling share of Milkshop, Taiwan.

    The Bubble Tea Business is Frothing Globally

    Manila-based Jollibee Foods Corp. this week acquired a majority stake, paying $12.8 million for one of Taiwan’s largest bubble tea companies, the latest of many investments fueling the global expansion of the multi-billion segment.

    The 250-location Milkshop International, founded in 2008, operates 231 units in Taiwan and the remainder in Singapore, Hong Kong, Melbourne, and Vancouver, Canada. Milkshop grew revenue by 12% compared to 2019 generating $75 million in sales in 2020.

    Jollibee, which operates 5,853 outlets in 34 countries, announced that the investment “gives JFC the opportunity to participate in this fast-growing beverage category.” Milkshop drinks are offered in three Jollibee locations.

    Kung Fu Tea, founded in 2010 in Queens, New York operates 250 locations in the US. Gong Cha operates 1,400 stores including 36 North American locations. In September ChaTime, Taiwan’s largest bubble tea brand with 1,200 locations in 50 countries, announced a major expansion in the US.

    The global market, valued at $2.2 billion in 2019, is rebounding from an acute shortage of tapioca pearls that followed lockdowns in 2020. Fans worldwide adopted a self-imposed “one boba” per day limit during a period when Taiwan halted the water-intensive manufacturing of pearls to conserve water during a two-year drought. Taiwan manufacturers 90% of the world’s favorite boba-sized black tapioca pearls.

    Technavio estimates the global market will grow at a compound annual rate of 6.5%, adding $942 billion in sales by 2025. Fortune Business Insights predicts $3.9 billion in sales by 2027. Market leaders include Kung Fu Tea, Gong Cha, Chatime, ShareTea, and Coco Fresh.

    Biz Insight –  There are now 20,000 bubble tea outlets in the US and the drinks are sold at another 30,000 restaurants including Sonic and Dunkin. Jollibee operates 69 US stores. The US market for bubble was estimated at $240 million in 2020 and displaying every indication of continued growth. For example, San Francisco-based Boba Guys now manufacture their tapioca pearls in the US. 

     Dan Bolton

    In Memoriam

    Peter G.W. Keen
    Prof. Peter G. W. Keen, a brilliant educator, and author with a passion for tea passed Oct. 26. Keen was born in Singapore, educated at Oxford, and taught at Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. He published more than 30 scholarly books during his 79 years, including three books on tea along with many hundreds of magazine and online articles about his beloved brew. A celebration of life is planned for spring 2022.
    Click to read his obituary.

    • Read more… links indicate the article continues. Learn more… links to additional information from reliable outside sources.
    Tea Price Report
    Oct 30 – Sale 43

    India Tea Price Watch | Sale 43

    In North India, Kolkata saw good demand for all tea types. Among buyers, the Middle East was active for orthodox tea while HUL and TCPL were active for CTC and dust. In Darjeeling, more broken and fannings found takers this week. Guwahati also saw good demand with major blenders active for both leaf and dust. Siliguri also saw good demand for tea, as it did the previous week. In the south, Coonoor saw good demand for CTC leaf with nearly 96% on offer sold. Cochin and Coimbatore saw better uptake for dust. Of the 692 kilos of green tea on offer at Coonoor, only 173 kilos sold at INRs 200 per kilo. Read more…

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    Upcoming Events

    November 2021

    HX: The Hotel Experience | Nov. 14-15 | New York City
    Jacob Javits Convention Center | Agenda | Register

    Click to view more upcoming events.


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