United States
Coffee Expands with U.S. Support
A five-year agriculture program supported with U.S. dollars recently ended with about 40,000 farmers showing improvement in production and expansion of export markets. Now, a new initiative begins to push those accomplishments even further. Read more
Bigelow Certified as B Corp
Bigelow Tea has joined a very small number of companies certified as B Corporations, where B stands for benefits. These companies have shown a proven commitment to making their business “a positive force for social and environmental change.” Read more
CBD Coffee
American Shaman, an American retailer known for its enthusiasm for CBD, notes that now that cultivating hemp is legal in the United States is a rush to deliver more palatable and convenient forms of cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive companion to THC. Read more
Walmart Features Ito En Tea
Ito En has contracted with Walmart to stock two of its top-selling teas nationwide in the US. Read more
Taxing Circumstances
Consumers in the US are now paying a putative 15% tariff on Chinese tea with the possibility of further increases as high as 25% in the months ahead. Read more
Tariffs Roil Coffee and Tea Market
Decoupling the deeply entwined US and Chinese trade relationships will have a profound and largely negative impact on coffee and tea retail. Read more
US Coffee Drinkers Prize Freshness
A poll of 2,000 US coffee drinkers by Peet’s Coffee & Tea shows the importance of coffee freshness and flavor. Read more
Avoiding Tariffs in a Trade War
While the impacts of the inclusion of Chinese tea imports in the U.S. trade war are unclear and the details labyrinthine, one certainty is that there will be tariff evasion. This is a sophisticated, pervasive art form in world trade. Read more
Jollibee Looks for More Acquisitions
The Philippine fast-food giant that purchased Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in July, has expressed an interest in additional mergers or acquisitions in the United States and China. Read more
US Tariffs Begin on Chinese Tea and Coffee
A 15% tariff on Chinese tea and coffee imports effective Sept. 1 is proving hard to swallow. Read more
FTC Reviewing Detox Tea
The US Federal Trade Commission is reviewing social media promotions by the makers of “detox” teas. Read more
American Consumers Pay Tea Tariff on Sept. 1
For the first time since the country’s founding, U.S. consumers will pay a 10% tariff on Chinese tea beginning Sept. 1. Read more
Tea Industry Faces Disruptive 10% Tariff
Continued volatility poses a threat to processed coffees Read more
Tariff on Chinese Tea Likely
All the tea from China will be taxed at least 10% if the Trump Administration carries through on its threat to impose a $300 billion round of tariffs effective Sept. 1. Read more
Interest in Hemp Coffee and Tea Grows
Musician Willie Nelson produces CBD coffee and tea while the US Food and Drug Administration holds hearings on whether to classify the hemp molecule as an ingredient in foods and drink and possibly a regulated drug. Read more
Tea Industry Wary Despite Tariff Truce
The US tea industry drew a collective sigh of relief following President Donald Trump’s late-June decision to postpone levying tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods. Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a resumption of trade negotiations. Read more
Celebrity Social Media Promotion of ‘Detox' Teas Triggers Outcry
The Federal Trade Commission has been asked to investigate celebrity endorsements of detox teas. Read more
Follow the Leaders: Experts Weigh in on Tea Tariffs
Import taxes could conceivably cost Americans $135 billion. America’s “get tough on China” stance has its fans, but no one interviewed favors adding 25% to the cost of importing Chinese tea. Read more
US Consumers Brace for Higher Tea Prices
Few Americans can assess the immense impact of tariffs on every Chinese import, but they will easily notice the difference between a $6 box of 100 teabags and one that sells for $7.50. Read more
Rothfos and InterAmerican Open New HQ
A new headquarters to house InterAmerican Coffee and Rothfos Corporation will open this summer in Hoboken, New Jersey. Read more
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