Tea Report
As Pandemic Recedes, Bottled Tea Resurges
Ready-to-drink tea resumed its growth trend following two years of flat sales during and just before the COVID pandemic. Read more
Rwanda Smallholders Gifted Country’s Largest Tea Factory
As Rwanda privatized its tea sector a decade ago, philanthropist Sir Ian Wood seized a rare opportunity to acquire the country’s largest tea estate. Read more
Ukraine’s Frost-Tolerant Tea Cultivars
Virtually all the world’s tea thrives in a narrow band between the equator’s latitudes of 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south. Rising temperatures within this band threaten to diminish the quality and reduce yields by 25% in key producing regions.. Read more
Tea Sustainability Update on Earth Day 2022
This year, there is a sense of urgency as the world pauses to reflect on the planet’s health: Friday, April 22, marks 52 years of Earth Day advocacy. Read more
Tea in the 'Stans: Realigning the Global Tea Supply Chain
Russian tea consumers are discerning. According to the International Tea Committee, neighboring Georgia, which in 1991 supplied the USSR with 95% of its tea, manufactured only 5,000 metric tons in 2020, with only 200 metric tons exported to Russia. Read more
India Bypasses Russia Sanctions
India’s decision to bypass sanctions is a relief to tea and coffee exporters. Read more
Special Breaking Report: Tea Crisis Looms in Russia and Ukraine
Overcoming the combination of sanctions, boycotts, pandemic-impeded logistics, and the suspension of business by beverage multinationals – a virtual economic blackout – is all but insurmountable for Russia’s major tea brands. Read more
Russia Attacks Ukraine: Tea Industry Unsettled
Traders in Sri Lanka, India, and Kenya watched with trepidation as Russia, one of the world’s highest tea-consuming nations, besieged neighboring Ukraine. Read more
FAO: Tea Industry Can Transform Agri-Food Globally
The director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Feb. 23 that tea could play a leading role in transforming global food systems. Read more
ISTA Announces New Protocols for Judging Specialty Tea
Judging tea quality and publishing the results on a scale like the Specialty Coffee Association’s cupping criteria at first appears insurmountable. Read more
Japan: Government Boost Leads to Record Tea Exports
In 2020 Japan announced plans to increase tea exports from ¥14.6 billion (US$126.3 million) to ¥31.2 billion as part of a government program to boost farm, fishery, and forestry exports to ¥5 trillion in 2030. Read more
Germans Set Tea Consumption Record
The German Tea & Herbal Tea Association (Teeverband.de), based in Hamburg, reports that tea consumption (both Camellia sinensis and herbal and fruit infusions) grew by 2 liters in 2020 to a record of 70 liters per capita. Read more
Coffee and Tea Drinking Linked to Fewer Strokes
A 14-year study of 365,000 people suggests that tea and coffee drinkers are 32% less likely to suffer a stroke when compared to non-drinkers. Read more
Ekaterra C.E.O. Intends to Grow Not Scythe CVC's Tea Portfolio
Two decades of tea company acquisitions failed to offset frustratingly sluggish growth that convinced Unilever executives to jettison its tea portfolio despite a dependable €2 billion (US$2.3 billion) annual turnover. Read more
Plight Worsens as Sri Lanka Tea Growers Exhaust Fertilizer Stocks
Sri Lanka began September under a government-declared state of economic emergency, rationing goods amid a foreign exchange crisis that will likely require a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Read more
Expect a Holiday Spending Burst, but the Pandemic is Not Over
Tea retailers that survived 2020 were saved by pivoting online and the striking uptake in sales of packaged tea in grocery and mass-market outlets. Read more
The STiR Coffee and Tea Newsletter is sent two times each month with news updates, important information, and upcoming events.