Tea Business Boot Camp Covers Critical Topics Facing Tea Entrepreneurs, Retailers

Tea Business Boot Camp (TBBC), packed with tea education and networking opportunities for up-and-coming retailers, is taking place just before World Tea Expo 2015, from May 4 – 5 in Long Beach, Calif. at the Long Beach Convention Center. TBBC is a one-of-a-kind, intensive and hands-on program that provides business owners the training and knowledge they need to run a successful tea business. World Tea Expo, May 6 – 8 at the same venue, is the leading tradeshow focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products. Discounted advance registration for Tea Business Boot Camp ends April 16. Discounted early-bird pricing for World Tea Expo Core Conference Education ends Feb. 19. See WorldTeaExpo.com. Tea Business Boot Camp instructor Jack Groot, director of retail for Ferris Coffee & Nut Company, as well as founder of JP’s Coffee and Midwest Barista School, says, “Tea Business Boot Camp is a primer, a tool to assist those wanting to succeed in business to do so. I can’t wait to teach at it again.” According to Groot, success in the tea business does not happen simply by having great tea. “One can be zealously passionate and knowledgeable about tea and yet fail as a business owner,” he explains. “Being a ‘tea guru’ and owning a sustainable, profitable business are two very different things.”

Groot is among numerous well-known tea experts on the faculty of Tea Business Boot Camp. All TBBC presenters are top-notch, experienced educators, successfully working in the tea industry today. “For anyone planning to start a new tea business, tearoom, tea bar or tea lounge, the Tea Business Boot Camp is an absolute must,” shares Jane Pettigrew, a TBBC educator, international tea consultant and author of 14 books on tea. Pettigrew said, “There is a lot to know about tea and if new tea business owners don't know the basics, they are likely to make expensive mistakes. The Tea Business Boot Camp is a great opportunity to gather all the information you need, meet new contacts, and make new friends in the ever-expanding tea world. I just wish there had been a Tea Business Boot Camp when I started my business back in 1983.” Day one of TBBC is all business. Students will absorb information from several one-hour sessions that cover a range of topics from the basics of tea business and financial management considerations to marketing, purchasing and inventory, and Tea 101. Day two is all about the leaf and includes the World Origin Tasting Tour – an exciting and informative program that explores eight countries of origin and their teas. Tea Business Boot Camp delegates can also attend World Tea Expo, creating one powerful, week-long agenda filled with tea-learning opportunities. Register at WorldTeaExpo.com.