Tea Report
Logistics in Disarray: Delivering Tea on Time
Covid-19 restrictions slowed processing but factory output remained steady and warehouse space quickly filled in producing countries. Ground transport remains severely limited in India... Read more
India Tea Dealt Double Blow
Little early-spring rainfall in Assam and West Bengal curtailed plucking and idled factories that are now contending with logistics challenges tied to a massive surge of Covid-19 infections. Many workers are on leave during the slowdown and lockdown. Read more
The Bosporus Tea Party: Turkish Tea Thrives in Lockdown
For a lot of Turkish people, life would be empty without the coffeehouse. In a country of 82 million people, coffeehouses function more as social clubs than mere places to sip a hot beverage. Read more
Tea Stands Out in Grocery
Center-aisle categories like tea rarely accelerate at growth rates faster than advertising-driven fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories – but that is exactly what happened in 2020. Read more
Tata Tea Pulls Out of US Foodservice
The sharp decline in tea sales to foodservice and office coffee distributors in 2020 forced many smaller specialty distributors to exit or consolidate. Read more
European Specialty Tea Association and Danish Tea Association to Merge
The Danish Tea Association, which has been promoting specialty tea in Denmark through education and competitions for five years, announced that its board voted to join European Specialty Tea Association (ESTA). Read more
Nepal Announces National Tea Traceability Project
Twenty years ago, Nepal's government turned its attention to tea both to alleviate rural poverty and generate foreign revenue from sustainably produced exports. Read more
White Tea: From Fuding, China to Malawi, Vietnam, and India
The demand for teas labeled as “white” is growing fast. Just a decade ago, the market was well defined: pedigree regional Chinese and a very few individual varieties from Sri Lanka and Kenya, with a narrow and distinctive growing, harvesting... Read more
India E-Auction Still in Disarray
Five years after going digital, the tea auctions in India remain in disarray. The Federation of All India Tea Traders (FAITTA) warns that price discovery Read more
Kenya Planters Prevail as Court Permits Mechanization
In February, Kenya's High Court ruled that labor unions cannot prevent tea planters from mechanizing tea harvesting despite the likelihood of lost jobs. Read more
Global Tea Initiative (GTI) Colloquium Spans Tea Culture and Science
Tea scholars publish reams of research that rarely find an audience beyond academic journals and small gatherings at symposiums. Read more
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
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