I hope to be seeing many of you at the World Tea Expo this next month, possibly at my  ‘Supply Chain Management and Quality Control’ seminar or maybe just walking the floor of the show. Either way, I’ll be happy just knowing you’re there and learning more about teas.

The WTE is a great place to learn about teas and the specialty tea industry, and certainly one of the easiest and… read more...

Popularity: 61% [?]

It’s not hard to see that the restaurants of our choice are a little easier to get into these days. This bodes well when we want to dine out but can be a little scary if we’re selling into the Food Service Industry.The good news is that grocery stores seem to still fill to the brim and many websites are doing a brisk business is teas.

If you’re struggling within your… read more...

Popularity: 78% [?]

These are difficult times for many of us and although we’re lucky to be in a business that’s a bit more recession proof than many others, it can still be tough.

Times like these require that we take extra steps to assure that our tea offerings have real value, perceived value and most of all, value that is easily recognized by our customers. Recognizable value is often even more important than… read more...

Popularity: 83% [?]

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is ending and tea production in the seasonal areas of China, India and Georgia is coming to a close for the year, while production in the seasonal areas of Argentina and other producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere is just awakening. This in mind, I’m reminded of the many phone conversations I’ve had with tea buyers, blending companies and brand owners about the freshness of… read more...

Popularity: 76% [?]

Finding and Filling a Gap / The Business of Tea

Reading business plans for upstart tea companies is one of my favorite occupational duties. On an average I encounter this pleasure about 3 times per month. Each time I sit down to read one I’m nearly overcome with a sense of excitement and anticipation. By the time I’m finished reading the mission statement and a few paragraphs of  the general plan… read more...

Popularity: 84% [?]