| Return to graphical view |
World Tea News is the online publishing division of World Tea Media; Division of F+W Media, Inc.. WTN offers business insight for the tea trade, an online source of news, information and features for the global tea industry. With our roots in the specialty tea business, World Tea News remains loyal to its core audience of independent tea retailers. As the consumption of specialty tea has grown, so has World Tea News. The online publication and e-newsletters are read by both independent tea room owners and mass merchants as well as tea artisans hand-crafting teas and large-scale growers. The rapidly growing use of tea in non-beverage applications, such as personal care and household products, continues to bring a more diverse readership to our pages.
World Tea News continuously publishes digital content. Top news stories are compiled daily and distributed weekly in our e-newsletter, which has 14,000 subscribers around the world. Content is based on its newsworthiness and value to our readers. There is no relationship between advertising and editorial, and we do not allow advertisers to influence our editorial decisions.
SFG Group LLC dba World Tea Media also producers the World Tea Expo and World Tea East trade events, and the North American Tea Championship. SFG Group is an integrated media company dedicated to providing business solutions to the global tea industry.
George JageShortly out of college in 1993, George cut his teeth in the trade show industry by running the operations for a fast-growing discount apparel trade show. Following the sale of that business in 1999, George moved to Las Vegas to escape the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and to set up shop in the trade show capital of the world. In 2003, after a friend asked if there was a trade show for tea, George researched the industry to see an enormous unmet need for an independent community and marketplace for the emerging specialty tea industry in North America. Immediately, George funded, founded, and launched the first North American tea trade show.
Since the inception of the company, World Tea Expo® has been thrice recognized as one of the Fastest 50™ growing tradeshows in North America. George also developed the leading industry news source, the World Tea News®, and in 2008 co-created the North American Tea Championship™ with his wife and business partner, Kim Jage. World Tea Expo has also in the past held the first ever tea auction on U.S. soil, created and hosted the Top Tea Cocktail Competition™, developed the World Tea Ratings™, publishes the World Tea Buyers’ Guide™, and most recently launched the Tea Infusionist Challenge™.
In 2004, George was named as one of Tradeshow Executive’s “Next Generation of Leaders”. In 2006, George was named by Gourmet News as one of the “Top 20 Under 40” in the specialty food business. In 2008 was given the Nevada Entrepreneur Award by In Business Magazine. And most recently in 2010, George was honored by the University of Nevada Las Vegas with the Jerry Valen Award of Distinction for “Hospitality and Convention Executive of the Year”.
George has served on the Specialty Tea Institute Advisory Board and was chair for the 2005 STI Symposium. He was a member of Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization from 2003 to 2006. Since 2004, George has been a member of SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers) and currently serves as a Board Member, and chaired the 2010 SISO Executive Conference.
Dan is a veteran publishing executive and former editor-in-chief of Specialty Coffee Retailer. In 2003 he founded the Natural Food Network and Natural Food magazine and launched the Certified Organic Food Directory. During his 35-year publishing career Bolton has led five publishing ventures including Beverage Bulletin and Patterson’s Beverage Journal.
Titles under this direction serving the entertainment industry include Animation Magazine and the LA 411 Publishing Co. later sold to Variety Magazine where Dan worked as directory group publisher supervising teams in New York, London and Los Angeles. In 2002 he was founding editor and remains a principal of Below the Line, a publication for film and video production crew.
Prior to his work in magazines, Bolton was a newspaper reporter, a political columnist and editor for 20 years at several newspapers in California, Kansas and Oklahoma. His expertise includes military affairs, the space program, statehouse and local government and Congress. Dan has held senior positions with several large media companies including Reed Business Information, Knight-Ridder, E.W. Scripps Howard, Donrey Media Group, the Press-Enterprise Co. and Times Mirror Co. where he was Executive Editor of the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader and the Foothills Edition of the Los Angeles Times.
Kathleen Finn is a freelance writer and communications consultant in the health and wellness field. Her company, The Natural Word, works with clients to define and refine their message as well as strategize on how to best share their narrative with their customer base. She has worked as a magazine writer, freelance journalist, marketing director, and media relations consultant.
Stints at Portland Roasting Coffee in Corporate Communications and at Coffee Fest, managing the show’s media relations gave her a taste for the beverage industry. She migrated from the highly caffeinated coffee sector to explore the powerful, yet subtle world of tea where she revels in interviewing and writing about tea entrepreneurs, growers, marketers, and others contagiously passionate about the ancient beverage. She can be reached at 503-887-2998, bellaluna@hevanet.com
As editor/associate publisher for Whole Foods Magazine, Alan Richman wrote extensively about all aspects of natural health, including foods, beverages, nutrition, dietary supplements, cruelty-free cosmetics, and more. In all, he has been covering natural products for nearly 25 years and is a respected voice in that industry. Since 2007, Alan has been a full-time freelancer, contributing numerous articles to World Tea News, as well as many other business-to-business publications, including Specialty Coffee Retailer, Natural Food Network, Specialty Food Magazine, Nutritional Outlook, Nutraceuticals World, Vitamin Retailer, Nutrition Industry Executive, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Deli Business, Whole Foods, and more.
His work also has appeared in several consumer media outlets, including Cheese Connoisseur, E/The Environmental Magazine, NJ Savvy Living, Ed Hitzel's Restaurant Magazine, EDGE Magazine, Hadassah Magazine, and more. Besides food and nutrition, he has written about home decor and home construction, banking, computers, real estate, home and garden appliances, fashion and jewelry, general lifestyle issues, and, on one occasion, cloud seeding. While working as a media consultant for corporate clients, he has created press releases, Web content, display ads, etc. To reach Alan, call (732) 536-2914, or send an email to arkr@optonline.net.
In 1983, with two friends, Jane opened and ran Tea-Time, an art deco style tea shop in southwest London. Since those busy but fun days, she has written 13 books on various aspects of the beverage, its manufacture, associated table wares, rituals, history and recipes. Over the years, she has also worked as editor of "Tea International," as managing director of St. James's Teas and as consultant and trainer to the U.K. Tea Council.
She regularly trains staff at some of London's most important five-star hotels, including the Dorchester, Grosvenor House, the Waldorf, Browns and The Savoy, and runs monthly tea master classes for anyone who wants to know more about tea in order to enhance their business or personal life. Jane speaks at conferences and events around the world and appears regularly on television and radio. Jane can be reached at jane.pettigrew@btinternet.com +44 (0) 20 7587 0486.
Sarah Baisley
sarah240sx@aol.com
Joseph Capp
josephcapp@live.com
Holly Case
micases@charter.net
Babette Donaldson
babettedonaldson@sbcglobal.net
Shyamali Ghosh
wtpcultureintros@hotmail.com
Holly Givens
hollygivens29@gmail.com
Cynthia Gold
crgold@comcast.net
Katrina Munichiello
kamwrites@gmail.com
Jill Nussinow
jill@theveggiequeen.com
Stephenie Overman
saoverman@comcast.net
Jane Pettigrew
jane.pettigrew@btinternet.com
Lisa Plummer
lisa@lisaplummerwrites.com
Brenda Porter-Rockwell
brenda@writeonporter.com
Howard Riell
howard@riell.net
Dr. Andrew Scott
dr.andrew.o.scott@gmail.com
Bethan Thomas
bethanjthomas@gmail.com
Bill Waddington
billw@teasource.com
Maina Waruru
waruruw@yahoo.com