Tea Report
Bought Leaf Hopes: Rising Prices Buoy Factories
Tea is perishable. Smallholders that are not under contract to supply raw leaf to a local plantation regularly must wait in line at local bought-leaf factories hoping to get a reasonable price. Read more
Global Tea Consumption Rose Slightly in 2020
A change in consumer behavior spurred a slight increase in tea consumption globally in 2020, overcoming massive declines in foodservice volume. Read more
Shippers Encounter Perfect Storm
Ninety-five percent of coffee imports in the US and Europe arrive in containers. Nearly the same percentage holds for tea. In a typical year, containers arrive, they are unloaded and returned to port with outbound cargo within 60 days. Read more
Tea Pivots Online
Online sales offer tea retailers a reprieve during the unprecedented upheaval in sales to foodservice venues. Read more
Kenya Reestablishes Tea Board
In early December, Kenya's National Assembly passed the Tea Act of 2020, advancing sweeping reforms in the tea sector. Read more
Consumers Remain Wary of Restaurants
OpenTable data reveals restaurant seatings were down 57% in the third week of November. Yelp notes that independently operated restaurants are most likely to permanently close Read more
T. Kettle Rebrands 45 Former DavidsTea Stores
Canadian turnaround investor Doug Putman has acquired leases and reopened 45 tea retail locations abandoned this summer by Montreal-based DAVIDsTEA, formerly North America’s largest tea chain retailer. Read more
Small Growers Experience Rare Win-Win Due to Tea Scarcity and Surplus
Rising green leaf prices that are squeezing margins at multi-national tea ventures are boosting the profitability of smallholders. Read more
Wollenhaupt Partners with Maruyama Tea
Japan's second-largest tea exporter and Germany's Wollenhaupt Tee announce a large volume, cold-chain distribution hub based in Hamburg. Read more
India Tea Exports In Deep Decline
A scarcity of shipping containers compounds the sharp decline in the tea harvest, making it impossible for India to equal its 2019 export totals Read more
American Specialty Tea Alliance Dissolved
The 250-member American Specialty Tea Alliance (ASTA) announced it will cease operations as a non-profit. Read more
Chinese Teas Granted EU Protected Status
In September, the European Union granted China Protected Geographical Indication (GI) for 100 products, including 28 teas, concluding 15 years of negotiations. Read more
Global Tea Trajectory
Eighty million people comprise a tea supply chain so massive that "it is inconceivable that COVID would not impact tea," explained procurement consultant John Snell during the first virtual edition of the annual North American Tea Conference Read more
Argentine Tea Spared Lockdowns is Snared by Logistics
Argentine warehouses that are normally swept clean in time for the pending harvest remain filled to capacity. Read more
Asia Dominates Non-Alcoholic Beverage Market
Quenching Asia’s thirst is a monumental task. Read more
Amazon vs Walmart
Walmart and Amazon benefitted from the surge in e-commerce grocery order and delivery. Now both are aggressively seeking to keep that momentum as Walmart introduces Walmart+ and Amazon increases its store count and announces 1,000 small delivery hubs Read more