Following a tea board meeting this week, plans are underway to revive the regional cooperative tea factories in Kangra. Four cooperative factories were established in Kangra between 1964 and 1981, but three of them shut down, and only the one in Palampur remains open. With the growing small tea grower segment, reopening and upgrading the factories could benefit farmers. The Hindustan Times quoted Kangra Valley Small Tea Planters Association president Suksham Butail as saying it could benefit 250 small tea growers and support the livelihood of 6,000 individuals.
Tata and HUL may increase tea prices
Supply of tea has been hit this year, with climatic conditions being a significant reason. The surge in tea prices stems from a sharp decline in production. Tea production dropped by about 13% from January to July, impacting prices. July auction prices in North India increased by 21% from last year. August saw a further rise in auction prices in Kolkata and Siliguri. Coonoor and Cochin also saw a price rise of 37% and 21% respectively. The impact of price rise was seen in CTC more than orthodox. This is expected to impact retail prices from the top two packeteers in India, Hindustan Unilever (Lipton, Taj Mahal, Brooke Bond) and Tata Consumer Products (Tata Tea, Tetley, Kanan Devan, Agni, etc.). Incidentally, share prices of several listed tea companies, including Jayshree Tea and United Nilgiri Tea Estates, surged on Wednesday thanks to increased procurement costs. Business Today
CAG report highlights the inadequate implementation of labor laws
A recent Comptroller and Auditor General report highlighted inadequacies in implementing labor laws in Assam. The audit on Implementation of Schemes for the Welfare of Tea Tribe, for 2015-16 to 2020-21, assessed the implementation of welfare schemes for the tea tribes across Cachar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, and Sonitpur. There are 390 tea estates in these zones, of which 40 were selected for the audit based on plantation size and worker count. The audit included records and interviews with 590 workers. Some of the areas highlighted are insufficient intervention by the state in aligning wages with the Minimum Wage Act (MW Act), inadequate efforts to improve workers’ conditions, wage disparities between Barak Valley and the Brahmaputra Valley, poor implementation of welfare schemes, and lack of reports and data as mandated. Pratidin Time
Tea festivals are enjoying a resurgence, basking in the renewed enthusiasm of health-conscious consumers and the joy of imbibing quality tea. The 14th Annual Northwest Tea Festival draws tea enthusiasts to Seattle for two educational and fun days at the Seattle Center on September 28th and 29th. The Northwest Tea Festival has a rich history in tea, evolving from a small local event to become the foremost social gathering for tea lovers in a region known for its beverages.
Founders Doug Livingston and Julee Rosanoff chat with Tea Biz Podcast Host Dan Bolton
How it Came About
Julie Rosanoff is a pioneer in specialty tea dating to 1990 when she co-founded the Perennial Tea Room near the Seattle waterfront. In 2004, Julee hosted tea-themed dinners there, with author Norwood Pratt narrating the story of teas as courses were served. Tastings and special events led to the founding of the Puget Sound Tea Education Association and the region’s first tea party featuring Barnes & Watson, Teahouse Kuan Yin, Tea Geek (Michael Coffey), Sa Tea, Village Yarn & Tea, and Choice Organic Tea. Inspired by the mass tastings hosted by Bay Area tea firms for the 50,000 foodies attending the first Slow Food Nation in September 2008, the Northwest Tea Festival, a not-for-profit venture, launched to wide acclaim later that month.
Dan: The Northwest Tea Festival is a genuine specialty tea experience, a social gathering of respected speakers and vendors with a delightfully appreciative audience. Julee, tell us what inspired you to get involved in hosting the event.
Julee: Author and tea expert Norwood Pratt inspired me to start the festival. He attended a meeting of several key vendors in Seattle then, and he said that no one was celebrating the 400th anniversary of the House of Orange importing tea to Amsterdam, which is the origin of orange pekoe. So we said, We’ll do it, and we spent a year sorting it out, and the following year, we had our first tea festival, and we’ve had them every year since then, except for COVID, where we were down for three years. Now we’re back. I didn’t know what would happen the first year we did it. The most exciting thing for me was having 500 people standing in line waiting to get in that first day, all having a wonderful time. I think we only had about seven booths, and it was a wonderful thing. Everybody had a good time. And they all said, We want to come back, please do it again.
On the morning of the first day, there is a line out the door, down the street, and around the block, and it is just fabulous to see all these people waiting to have tea.
That’s how it started.
Founders Julee Rosanoff and Doug Livingston with Author Norwood Pratt
Continued…
Joining us today are founders Julee Rosanoff and Doug Livingston.
Dan: Doug, has organizing the festival changed your view of tea?
Doug: My view expanded quite a bit when I considered how to present tea to somebody else and not just focus on myself. I also considered bringing in speakers to talk about the culture behind tea and all the various social aspects of tea nationwide. While working on the show, I became more engrossed in tea.
Doug Livingston
I did my homework and learned a lot more, and I was able to contact some amazing people, not only locally but nationally and internationally, either in person or via some media. So, yeah, it changed me and grew my understanding, appreciation, and love of tea. It’s hard to measure, but it had a huge impact.
Dan: That’s a wonderful story about the show’s origin. I’ve attended several events and found new activities as they matured. Will you give listeners a glimpse of what will happen this year? What makes this year’s show special?
Julee: We’re still coming out of COVID, reorganizing and getting ourselves, and Doug and I, after 17 years, are stepping back a bit. What makes this year special is that new people are in charge. They’re working very hard, and they’re doing an incredible job. Some things will be different, and some things will be the same. It will be very exciting watching them succeed with all this new experience and responsibility they haven’t had before. It’s going to be great to see.
Dan: Will you tell us, Doug, a little about the venue and the show’s layout? Doug: Over the years, we’ve moved around many venues. It’s always been centered in the downtown Seattle Center complex. The current venue is an exhibition hall. Our attendance right now is somewhere around 3500 people. Up to 5,060 have attended in past years, including vendors. It’s a large exhibition hall with space for a lot of presentations. An exhibition floor area and areas are partitioned around the perimeter for other events, presentations, or workshops.
Others on our planning committee brought in the tea lounge concept. They’ve developed it and turned it into a very exciting way of allowing people to experience tea rather than just walking around between vendors sipping tea, which is essential. This offers a little bit more interaction, which is kind of between the formal presentations and workshops. It’s very accessible to people, and it’s been very well received.
Dan: I want to focus momentarily on an emerging trend — retailing tea by offering memorable experiences. Everyone in America knows what tea is, but millions have simply not experienced or enjoyed the exquisite taste of high-quality specialty premium tea.
Julee, will you describe how the festival makes it easy for someone who is a commodity tea drinker to be awakened to the culture, style, and taste of tea?
Julee: First, people come in to see maybe 40 or 50 vendors, all of whom have their version of exquisite tea. Everybody who attends is given a teacup, which will hold about two ounces of tea, and as they walk around, they can sample all the teas that vendors are brewing all day long for two days. When they ask questions, the vendors will have plenty of information. They’re going to find a lot of samples if there’s something someone likes, they can take some home. If they don’t like it, they can throw it out and start again — that happens because our ability to taste must grow and develop, and you might not welcome specialty if you’ve been drinking Lipton tea bags. There is a wide range of what people can try and taste, just with the vendors.
And then, if they go to the Tea Bar, they can sit and try different teas and have them three or four different times; you know that they’ll re-steep because re-steeping is only possible with exquisite teas. People who are not used to it will find it a whole new experience. And so, people can have a wide range of varieties and experiences that will awaken their taste buds and their sensitivity to tea and its wonderful range of experiences and flavors.
Dan: Doug, what’s going through their mind when someone’s face lights up after tasting these teas?
Doug: Well, a lot of different things. As you know, giving somebody an experience that is new and different to them is one of the core things of the tea festival. Our tea festival isn’t a commercial event. It’s not a trade show where vendors sell to other businesses; our focus is on the person drinking the tea and when they light up and realize there’s an aspect to it that they didn’t realize before. That’s growth for them. That’s personal growth, that’s enjoyment, that’s delight, that’s education, and all of those are core goals of the event.
And when we see that happen, we know we’re doing what we’re trying to do.
There’s nothing wrong with drinking commodity teas. There’s nothing sacred about having to find the most exquisite oolongs and so forth. The idea is the experience and its social aspects. And that was also one of the biggest challenges with COVID: the social aspects. Being able to see that response from people and experience that exchange that back and forth was so truncated because socially, we couldn’t be social as much. And you know, with all the media that came in and became available, that helped a lot and certainly expanded the capacity to do that from a great distance. So yes, we can do a Zoom, Facebook, or FaceTime thing and share that experience with someone you know, who will smile and make noises of enjoyment. We can vicariously experience reaching out to somebody. Tea is a social beverage. That is why it’s so ingrained in so many societies at a very basic level. That is the core value of tea. Ours is not a tea culture where you don’t have meetings without tea. In some societies, it’s like being properly dressed; it becomes an important part of the experience.
So, yes, that is a long answer to describe the experience that tea is all about.
“For me, this is a way for 3000 people to reunite with friends. People always talk about who they’ve met. I can’t wait to see this person or that person. Boy, I came from St Louis or Montreal to hang out with these five people in a comfortable place, which is always accommodating. I share experiences with people I’ve known, in some cases, for almost two decades.” — Andrew Goodman
Doug: The festival celebrates this amazing beverage that has captivated the world. We, as organizers, try to maintain a setting and structure so everybody involved can have an enjoyable time, whether it’s an exhibitor, an attendee, somebody doing a workshop, a volunteer, or a staff member working at the festival. We really work to make this an enjoyable and learning event, and that’s why education is so important. We’re looking at the experience of everybody around this whole subject of tea and how people can share that experience, whether they’re a presenter or whether they’re a consumer, whether they’re somebody who’s trying to start a business.
Dan: Julee, picture yourself as a carnival barker inviting passersby to purchase a ticket to the show.
Julee: Come to the tea festival and learnabout a drink you probably already like. You’ll also meet people who share your enthusiasm and will show you new ways to drink and enjoy tea.
There will be more people to meet, new friends, and an opportunity to expand your cultural experience throughout the world. You will meet people from all over the world. It’s going to be very exciting. Don’t miss it!
Josh Brock of the Empty Tea Cup (standing), Barbara and Ward Everson, Charles Dawson, Anais Dawson (standing), and Diarmuid Fahy (baseball cap). The Eversons and the Dawsons are semi-officially representing Whatcom Tea, a Western Washington Tea Education Club we have run for almost 20 years. Anais Dawson is pictured assisting the main Tea Bar but typically runs the Tea Tutorial Table. Photo courtesy Charles Dawson
Tea Bar & Lounge
The Tea Lounge is on the east side of the Exhibition Hall. It is open throughout the afternoon and serves various kinds of tea at tables with fun themes.
Tea Tutorial Table
The Tea Tutorial Table is a space for a slower-paced educational exploration of teas lasting fifteen to twenty minutes. Participants will be guided in depth through a tea or series of teas.
Tea Bar
The Tea Bar is a space for short, three—to five-minute intensive tastings. These will typically compare two similar teas, contrast related but dissimilar teas, or focus on one very special tea. The Tea Bar was created by Charles and Laurie Dawson, founders of Whatcom Tea. All the teas they share are from their personal collection. The sharing is, without expectations, part of their mission to make tea accessible, affordable, and fun. The tea bar is kid-friendly, and children participating in the tea bar may walk away with something extra!
Tea Barista Table
The Barista Table is a place to taste a quick cup of one of the many teas found at the festival. We will brew finds from the festival and, if you like, point you in the right direction so you can acquire some of your own. Standing room only!
Tea Guest Table
The Tea Guest Table is a space for knowledgeable members of the tea community to share their love of and experience with aspects of tea. This may include in-depth tastings, demonstrations of teaware and techniques, fun contests, or blind tasting events. Depending on the presentation, session length may vary considerably.
The Empty Tea Cup
The Empty Tea Cup is a place to rest. After participating in several aspects of the tea industry, Josh Brock concluded that the best way to support tea is to share it in its basic forms. To expose others to the fundamental element of tea that unites all cultures, generations, ceremonies, and sincere hospitality.
PS: Those coming to the festival don’t have to go to the market anymore to grab lunch. We have selectively added a few very nice people with delicious cakes, pies, and savories. So it can be an all-day event if you wish to do it that way. Some people pack lunch. In addition to the beautiful teaware, we have people who make honey, and all kinds of specialty products focused on tea. The festival is truly an immersive experience with Camellia sinensis. – Andrew Goodman
CLICK TO CONTINUE reading the interview and see a preview the new Tea Bar & Lounge
Northwest Tea Festival | Seattle Center: Exhibition Hall 301 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109 Saturday, September 28 – 10 am – 4 pm Sunday, September 29 – 10 am – 4 pm
Lindsay Lohan TV Ad Advocates Office Tea Breaks | Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify | China Launches Global Tea Marketing Initiative | Kenya Suspends Auction Price Minimums on Old Tea | AI Models Predict Local Weather on a Planetary Scale. | Dan Bolton | Episode 182 | 23 August 2024
Torrential monsoon in the rugged tea lands caused deadline landslides. Torrential monsoon in the rugged tea lands caused deadline landslides. Photo by Melech Charly on Unsplash
Wayanad Landslide Aftermath
It has been nearly a month since the devastating landslide in Wayanad. Over 100 people are still missing. DNA testing has been the only way to identify family members. Media reports carry stories of families desperately trying to understand whether a missing family member is alive or among the unidentified dead. There have been mass burials, and among those dead are several people who came from states such as West Bengal and Assam to work on tea, coffee, and rubber estates here. Harrisons Malayalam Ltd. is one of the largest tea companies in the state, with tea estates in the affected area and about 600 workers. The company has committed to supporting relief measures for its employees.
Andrew Yule & Company Reports Losses
The Deccan Heraldhas reported news of Andrew Yule & Company, a public sector undertaking under the heavy industries ministry, declaring nearly Rs 1000 crore or USD 100 mn in losses for 2023-24. This has put the future of 8,000 workers in Assam at risk. The company owns 15 estates, of which 10 are in Assam. There are concerns about how this would impact the running of the estates, with labor unrest being a top concern. The chief secretary has sought interventions from the union government to help the company address its current situation.
Lindsay Lohan TV Ad Advocates Office Tea Breaks | Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify | Botanists Identify the Gene that Causes Tea Leaf Droopiness | PLUS Revitalizing Kumaon | A century ago, Kumaon’s high-mountain estates were abandoned. The formerly productive tea fields lay fallow until an enterprising young entrepreneur marshaled the resources of US-based Frontier Co-op and USAID’s Cooperative Development Program to benefit hundreds of tea smallholders.
Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea in Marquette, Mich., inspired the villagers in the Kumar region to create a new era of economic resiliency and autonomy. The solar-powered factory with state-of-the-art equipment will process regeneratively grown certified organic tea in four styles available in retail locations by November. Vable writes, “We hope our model serves as a blueprint that can be replicated and improved upon so we can all collectively raise the bar on transparent sourcing, regenerative agriculture, and smallholder farmer equity.”
Actress and producer Lindsay Lohan appears in a new television commercial and social media campaign urging tea drinkers to take a break at work. The commercial, financed by the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, features Pure Leaf, the top-selling ready-to-drink tea brand in the US. The minute-plus spot is the first national multimillion-dollar tea advertising campaign since the pandemic.
The Pure Leaf brand also launched a US-only coupon giveaway of a free bottle to enjoy on your next tea break. Text 737-377-3774 between June 27 and July 25 to receive a bottle or visit. PureLeaf.com/TeaBreak
In the commercial, Lohan, who has starred in several Netflix original films in the past few years and is currently filming Freaky Friday 2 with Jamie Lee Curtis, asks, QUOTE “When was the last time you took a break? I mean a real break. It’s like we forgot breaks even exist. Standing on an office coffee table, she shouts “it’s time for a tea break.” We all deserve a moment to recharge and revitalize ourselves. Soon the office staff is headed out the door chanting “tea break, tea break” and chugging Pure Leaf.
Edelman made the humorous 90-second spot, supported by research that reveals “three in five workers struggle to take breaks during the workday, and more than half of workers feel too busy or interrupted by work to take a refreshing break. Nearly two-thirds of the 1010 full-time workers surveyed feel mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. However, sixty-three percent (63%) of workers surveyed noted that when they take quality breaks, they return recharged for what’s next*.
Pure Leaf sales exceeded $985 million in mass market and convenience outlets in 2023, compared to competitors Arizona’s $956 million and Lipton’s $561 million. Globally, the RTD market is forecast to increase by $27.7 billion, a 25% growth rate, from 2024 to an estimated $138.15 billion in 2028. An accompanying press release explains, “The Pure Leaf Tea Break campaign encourages workers to challenge today’s hustle culture with a centuries-old workplace ritual—a quality tea break—and the first bottle is Pure Leaf Iced Tea. Lindsay Lohan said, “We owe it to ourselves to take a moment each day to pause, recharge, and revitalize. I’m proud to partner with Pure Leaf to promote the importance of taking a daily tea break because no matter what you do, we all deserve the time to reset and refresh. For me, prioritizing breaks is essential for all of the roles I juggle, allowing me to return stronger and more restored.” Pure Leaf and Mind Share Partners are providing tips for making the most of work breaks and posting examples of “away on a break” messages online. “To support the cultural shift toward better breaks at an organizational level, Pure Leaf is also launching the Pure Leaf Tea Break Grant program in partnership with Mind Share Partners. This initiative will provide funding for small businesses and non-profits to implement break initiatives aimed at promoting employee revitalization,” according to the release. Julie Raheja-Perera, General Manager/VP – Pepsi Lipton Partnership North America, says, “At Pure Leaf, we are intentional about how we craft our delicious real brewed iced teas so you can feel refreshed and revitalized. We know many people are not taking enough quality breaks during the workday, so we’re launching the Pure Leaf Tea Break to remind people that a moment to reset is very important. Revitalization is just a sip away with our delicious, iced teas made from a few high-quality, simple ingredients and naturally occurring caffeine from tea leaves.”
Red Sea Growing More Dangerous to Shipping
Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify
The Red Sea skirmishes, a significant factor in the ongoing shipping crisis, have increased sinkings, indicating that the crisis is far from over.
A surge in global freight rates, reaching over $4,200 per 40ft container in May 2024 – the highest on record – has put a significant financial strain on tea exports and other goods since October 2023.
Tea exports are currently at their peak following the spring harvest. India’s peak is from April through June, Sri Lanka’s is from May through August, and Kenya’s is from January to June.
Demand for tea in Europe is slack, which has helped avoid a serious shortage of tea imports, but the added cost of landing tea from Africa, South Asia, and the Far East cannot be ignored. One German-based retailer told Tea Biz that they are shipping tea by rail from China, which is faster and cheaper than shipping tea around Africa.
Since the beginning of the year, the Drewry composite container index has averaged $3,579 per 40-ft container, $831 higher than the 10-year average. Containers are in short supply and out of place because ships are not transporting empties. The cost of shipping tea from China to the US ports has also increased by 69% from April through May 24.
The Houthis have launched 50 missile and drone attacks since October, killing four. In the latest, the Yemen-based, Iran-backed militants used explosive-laden drone boats to slow or disable large vessels that are then targeted by ballistic missiles. A “double tap” on June 19 destroyed the Tudor, a bulk carrier. Two more successful missile attacks followed, disabling another bulk carrier. The Houthis sank their first ship in March. Fuel and insurance costs have increased due to higher risk and because ships spend more days at sea. Lloyd’s of London reports a £1.1 billion expense associated with underwriting unrecoverable planes and cargoes in Ukraine since the onset of the war.
Only 4% of war claims have been processed.
Egyptian authorities say revenue plummeted by several hundred million dollars due to the Red Sea skirmishes.
According to Egypt’s Minister of Finance, traffic through the Suez Canal declined by 64% in May, lowering revenue to $334 million, more than 50% lower year-over-year. Losses in late 2023 amounted to $150 million. Only 1,111 ships traversed the canal in May, compared to 2,396 ships in May 2023. Tonnage is down 68.5% to 45 million tons. About 15% of trade by volume transits the canal annually. The canal is the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia.
According to the International Monetary Fund, ship traffic transiting the Cape of Good Hope has surged 74% above 2023 totals. A drought that limits the capacity of ships transiting the Panama Canal, where trade volume is down 32% compared to 2023, further complicates the situation for shippers.
Genetic cause of Tea Leaf Droop visible in tea plants
Botanists Identify the Gene that Causes Tea Leaf Droop
Researchers at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences report finding a gene that could transform the tea industry’s approach to mechanical harvesting.
An estimated 70% of the world’s tea is now sheared or mechanically plucked, but in most instances, the leaves gathered are damaged, yielding a relatively small percentage of “perfectly plucked” two leaves and a bud. Instead of snipping whole leaves at their base, leaves on stems that bend or droop are cut into small pieces and later discarded during the sorting process.
The study identified the CsEXL3 gene and gene regulator CsBES1.2 as the source of weak stems. Their findings, first published in the peer-reviewed journal Horticulture Research, could improve harvesting by minimizing leaf damage, leading to better-tasting tea.
Planters turn to mechanical harvesters to reduce labor expenses and improve efficiency by increasing the number of rounds while lowering costs.
One of the lead researchers, Dr. Jiedan Chen, writes that discovering the gene and its regulatory pathway “offers a promising genetic target for breeding tea plants better suited for mechanical harvesting, potentially revolutionizing the tea industry.”
Haoran Liu et al. explain that CsEXL3 regulates mechanical harvest-related droopy leaves under the transcriptional activation of CsBES1.2 in tea plants, Horticulture Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae074
BIZ INSIGHT – In 1952, Agronomist Norman Borlaug learned of the sturdy stems of dwarf wheat in Japan. For his experiments, he obtained seeds with the stem-strengthening gene. Working with a USDA plant breeder at Washington State University, he developed disease-resistant plants that yielded more wheat per acre than any known cultivar. The wheat was first planted in Mexico, and by 1956, Mexico was producing enough wheat to be self-sufficient. Borlaug’s cultivars, which produced 14 times more wheat than previous cultivars, were introduced worldwide, averting famine and saving an estimated one billion lives, including several million people in India’s great famine. Borlaug would earn a Nobel Prize and became known as the father of the Green Revolution.
FEATURE
Raj Vable, Founder of Young Mountain Tea
Tea Rebellion: Anatomy of a Purpose-Driven Brand
By Dan Bolton
Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea in Marquette, Mich., inspired the villagers of Kumaon to create a new era of economic resiliency and autonomy. The solar-powered factory with state-of-the-art equipment will process regeneratively grown certified organic tea in four styles available in retail locations by November. Vable writes, “We hope our model serves as a blueprint that can be replicated and improved upon so we can all collectively raise the bar on transparent sourcing, regenerative agriculture, and smallholder farmer equity.”
Raj founded Young Mountain Tea in 2013 as a social enterprise to provide a sustainable future for farmers, 90% of whom are women. He graduated from the University of Michigan and later earned an MS in environmental science from the University of Oregon. He first traveled to Kumaon as a Global Partner with AVANI, spending a year developing a permaculture tea cultivation program involving 300 farmers. He was named a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in 2013 and worked in Almora, India, before returning to the US as a Rural Venture Catalyst in Oregon’s Regional Accelerator Innovation Network.
Lindsay Lohan TV Ad Advocates Office Tea Breaks | Suez Shipping Disruptions Intensify | Botanists Identify the Gene that Causes Tea Leaf Droopiness | PLUS Revitalizing Kumaon | A century ago, Kumaon’s high-mountain estates were abandoned. The formerly productive tea fields lay fallow until an enterprising young entrepreneur marshaled the resources of US-based Frontier Co-op and USAID’s Cooperative Development Program to benefit hundreds of tea smallholders. | Episode 175 | 5 July 2024
Why is First Flush Tea so Tasty? Metabolites | Oversupply Threatens Kenya’s Harvest Windfall | World Tea Expo: An Infusion of Fresh Ideas Opens this Weekend | PLUS Tea Revolution founder Annabel Kalmar describes the DNA of a purpose-driven venture.
Annabel Kalmar, founder of Tea Rebellion, a small direct-trade single-farm tea retailer, describes the DNA of a purpose-driven tea venture and the challenge of changing how tea is traded, marketed, and consumed. She says the goal is to be a sustainable, transparent, award-winning tea brand. Tea Rebellion, founded in 2017, does not sell blended or flavored tea. Farms are co-branded, and marketing draws attention to the farm and identity of growers. “To affect change, we need to credit the maker of the product,” she says. “To drive impact, I choose to work with tea farmers with a clear goal of sustainability and impact in their communities. Several of these farmers are female-run or committed to the empowerment and well-being of women,” she says.
The allure of first-flush teas has inspired poets for centuries, but what of the science?
Scientists are rhapsodic, too.
In spring, the buds of high-mountain teas burst with amino acids. Tea leaves contain significantly more carbohydrates, flavonols, and polyphenols in summer and autumn.
According to a 2020 study published in Food Research International, flavonoids and flavonols (the good-tasting, good-for-you compounds), catechins, and amino acids abundant in spring leaves showed sharp seasonal differences. The researchers concluded that harvesting time was one of the most critical factors affecting metabolites most closely related to the quality of green tea.
A team analyzing young translucent Anji Baicha leaves plucked on March 6 found their leaf chemistry significantly differed from leaves from the same plants plucked on May 10. The analysis, which combined liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS), was found to “assess tea quality objectively and reliably.”
Since then, the research has been used to ascertain optimal harvest dates to take advantage of tea’s multiple health-promoting effects, primarily attributed to its secondary metabolites, including polyphenols, amino acids, caffeine, and other compounds.
Last year, Chinese researchers using the same technique found that they could distinguish all six categories of tea by calculating differences in the accumulation of signature compounds.
The study involved 1,329 leaf samples collected from every major tea-producing region in China. Most of the samples (1,146) were green teas, but categories included white, yellow, oolong, black, and dark tea. The concentration of chemicals revealed the geographical origin and harvest period. For example, in early spring, green teas from Jiangnan contain China’s highest concentration of theanine and free amino acids. Researchers employing fluorescence spectroscopy found they could identify and differentiate black tea from distinct tea gardens. Their work was published in the journal Food Chemistry in January.
BIZ INSIGHT—The studies found that fermentation significantly reduced total polyphenols, catechins, and theanine content. Tea masters intuitively know this after decades of manipulating these compounds using various processing techniques to enhance aroma, umami, and overall taste. Now, they can better source raw leaves that contain the raw compounds needed to produce a specific tea. The research also allows for verification of the varietal, harvest date, and locations specific to each garden.
Kenya Tea Growing Counties
Oversupply Threatens Kenya’s Harvest Windfall
Kenyan tea exporters sold 523 million kilos in 2023, earning a record Sh 180 billion ($1.23 billion). However, oversupply due to favorable weather, subsidized fertilizer, and aggressive plucking threaten to undermine black tea prices globally.
Tea exports are in decline, and bulk tea prices are falling. The World Bank forecasts tea prices will decline 2% in 2024. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) expects “prices to weaken to an average of $2.75 per kilo in 2025.”
Greenleaf production rose 15% among Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) smallholders from June 2023 through January. Unit prices are up 13% to Sh 345 per kilo, rewarding growers with a record bonus.
But the windfall is more closely tied to currency fluctuations than demand. Slowing economies, sanctions, and war globally contribute to auction warehouses bulging with staling tea.
According to the East Africa Tea Traders Association (EATTA), 40.7 percent of the tea on offer remained unsold in 2023. Traders normally buy 75 percent of Kenya’s annual harvest at auction, but demand is unusually low, forcing the country to consider abandoning a $2.43 per kilo minimum price established in 2021.
Kenya stands out as the only country among the top five producers worldwide to see gains in volume and value. China reported a second year of declining export sales to $174 billion. In Sri Lanka, export value increased due to high unit prices, but volume continued to decline. India also saw declines in volume and value. Turkey, the world’s fifth-largest tea-producing country, reported tea production declined to 275,000 metric tons. Tea exports were up but amounted to only $25 million in 2022-23.
Unlike China and India, Kenya’s domestic tea market is relatively small, making Kenya the world’s top black tea exporter, even though India produces much more significant quantities. East African tea-producing countries export more than 90% of the teas grown there. Kenya exports 95% of its tea, of which only 10% is blended and packed.
The big surge in value did not significantly increase unit prices. Auction price averages fell in 2023 compared to 2022. Earnings surged by almost a third (31%) on volume that grew by 72.5 million kilos from the 450 million kilos sold in 2022.
The full-year price average was 10% lower in 2023 than the previous year “largely because we believe that market surpluses have been large in recent years and that stock levels are therefore high,” writes EIU.
BIZ INSIGHT – Ten years ago, Kenya experienced a similar bubble, which soon burst. Acreage under tea grew by 45%, and production jumped by 25.8% between 2003 and 2012. In 2014, the Mombasa auctioned a record 400,000 metric tons with little left unsold. The monthly volume approached 35,000 metric tons during peak months, with only 2,000 tons unsold. The global tea surplus reached 130,000 metric tons the following year as Kenyan production reached new highs. Shortly after, Greenleaf prices plummeted to 35 cents per kilo, down from 55 cents per kilo in 2012. Tea profits at plantations across East Africa fell by 30% when the pricing bubble burst.
World Tea Expo | North America’s Biggest Tea Industry Tradeshow
World Tea Expo: An Infusion of Fresh Ideas
The World Tea Expo returns to Las Vegas Convention Center this weekend through March 20.
The annual event draws worldwide attention to a North American market that fosters innovation and rewards quality-conscious producers who export specialty grades. The event is co-located with the Bar & Restaurant Expo.
It all begins Sunday with a meet-and-greet at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Sessions on Monday include the Tea Business Incubator, which is a must for tea retailers. This year’s program is immersive, with a new Tea Primer Certification and hands-on demonstrations essential to understanding tea’s organoleptic qualities. Kevin Gascoyne’s Rare Tea tasting is a fantastic opportunity to experience the “qi” in tea.
Tea educator Sharyn Johnston is hosting a reunion of Tea Academy graduates at the NxT Stage on Tuesday afternoon.
Tea Biz will be on the floor for live podcast interviews with attendees and exhibitors at the International Pavilions. Exhibitors include several Chinese, Sri Lankan, Korean, Japanese, and African tea suppliers.
I will also be hanging out at the Tea Bar to taste winning teas from the beverage challenge and with keynote speaker and good friend Jeff Fuchs on Tuesday from 1 to 2 pm.
Look for me at the Azilo Ultra Lounge at the Sahara on Tuesday night from 6:30 to 8 pm for the tea industry happy hour.
Say my name when passing on the South Hall floor, and you’ll receive a free full-year subscription to Tea Journey magazine.
BIZ INSIGHT—I’ve attended this show for 20 years as a journalist, speaker, panelist, presenter, exhibitor, and attendee. Every year, I learn something new and treasure the opportunity to mingle with a vibrant community of tea professionals.
FEATURE
Annabel Kalmar, founder Tea Rebellion
Tea Rebellion: Anatomy of a Purpose-Driven Brand
By Dan Bolton
The “B” in B Corp signals “Benefit” for all. In tea, that means an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system for everyone and the planet. There are fewer than 9,000 B Corps globally.
Annabel Kalmer says, “Incorporating the B Corp stakeholder considerations into our Articles of Corporation for the UK and Canada ensures that our environmental, social, and governance commitments are firmly embedded in our corporate structure.
The goal is to be a tea brand for sustainable, transparent, award-winning tea. Tea Rebellion co-brands with farms and does not blend or flavor tea.
“We remain firmly wedded to our original Tea Rebellion DNA,” says Annabel, who has a master’s in economics specializing in micro- and rural finance. She previously worked for the World Bank and the OECD. She returned to academia to study agriculture, focusing on environment and gender. Her fieldwork included studying female banana growers in El Salvador and coffee farms in the Dominican Republic. To drive impact, I choose to work with tea farmers with a clear goal of sustainability and impact in their communities, several of which are female-run or committed to the empowerment and well-being of women.
Why is First Flush Tea so Tasty? Metabolites | Oversupply Threatens Kenya’s Harvest Windfall | World Tea Expo: An Infusion of Fresh Ideas Opens this Weekend | PLUS Tea Revolution founder Annabel Kalmar describes the DNA of a purpose-driven venture. | Episode 159 | 15 Mar 2024
