World Tea Expo Seals Another Successful Event

Co-Located Event Draws Nearly 5,000 Attendees, Showcases Hundreds of Tea Innovations and Beverage Industry Excitement; Attendees Select the Best Teas

The passion and enthusiasm surrounding tea and the tea community was highly evident at 2013 World Tea Expo (#WorldTeaExpo), which took place June 7 – 9 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As the most prominent annual event for the industry, World Tea Expo – co-located with the inaugural Healthy Beverage Expo (#HealthyBevExpo) – attracted nearly 5,000 attendees and top businesses from more than 50 countries for the combined conferences. The event featured a dynamic exposition floor with a total of 260 collective exhibitors offering the latest innovations and “what’s next” in tea and beverages. Delegates experienced hundreds of new products, sampled new and award-winning teas and participated in three days of educational sessions and workshops. Next year’s Expos will take place May 30 – June 1, 2014 in Las Vegas. Watch for details at WorldTeaExpo.com and HealthyBeverageExpo.com.

Expo Attendees Select Best Teas

At World Tea Expo, the North American Tea Championship’s (NATC) Winners Tasting Circle gathered attendees to taste and vote on award-winning teas A total of more than 70 NATC-winning teas were sampled in four different sessions during the three days of the event, and the following teas received the most votes by delegates:          

• International Tea Importers (teavendor.com), Organic 1st Flush Singbulli Sftgfop-1 – Buyer's Choice Best Black Tea

• TEAloe (tealoe.com), TEAloe Mint – Buyer's Choice Best Iced Tea

• Teas Etc. (teasetc.com), Bai Mu Dan Superior Organic – Buyer's Choice Best White Tea

• Immaculate Leaf (immaculateleaf.com), Aged Oolong – Buyer's Choice Best Oolong Tea

• Aiya America (aiya-america.com), Aiya Premium Gyokuro – Buyer's Choice Best Green Tea

• Dethlefsen & Balk (dethlefsen-balk.us), Tuscan Dream #22351 – Buyer's Choice Best Unflavored Herbal Tea

• Dethlefsen & Balk (dethlefsen-balk.us), Maple Walnut #22522 – Buyer's Choice Best Flavored Tea

• Aiya America (aiya-america.com), Aiya Matcha infused Genmaicha – Buyer's Choice Best Blended Tea

Dionee Laslo-Baker, founder and president of DeeBee’s Organic Frozen Treats, said, “2013 World Tea Expo was one of the best, beautifully executed and well-organized shows. You could feel that everyone involved – the attendees, exhibitors, speakers and especially the organizers – were extremely passionate about the tea industry, and I was thoroughly impressed. The Expo was the perfect event to reach buyers and help launch our TeaPops line, the world's first tea-based ice pops.” Bkon co-founder Lou Vastardis, whose Bkon TX won World Tea Expo’s previously announced 2013 Best New Product Award for Innovation, said, “World Tea Expo provided Bkon a terrific opportunity to engage with a broad and meaningful spectrum of tea industry stakeholders. In addition to sharing our new technology, the Expo provided us fertile ground to build relationships and gain invaluable insights from potential customers.” Rona Tison, senior vice president of corporate relations for ITO EN (North America) INC., a subsidiary of ITO EN, LTD., said, “The show was excellent this year with the new added dimension of the Healthy Beverage Expo. Attendees were engaged with tea, which fit right into the growing trend of consumers seeking a healthier lifestyle and beverage alternatives. The education component offered at World Tea Expo is an invaluable resource to educate and grow the industry as more people join the tea community.” Jack Groot, founder and creator of JP's Coffee and Midwest Barista School, said, “World Tea Expo is THE event for the North American tea industry and beyond. I was amazed at the year-over-year growth in attendance, the number of international attendees and the overall excitement over the ‘world's most popular beverage.’ Tea is on a fast track of growth and there is so much opportunity to be a part of it. Being able to attend an event where some of the most tea-and-business savvy people share their experience and knowledge is worth its weight. Real-life understanding and success is the best teacher and that is what one gets at World Tea Expo. In fact, the Expo’s New Business Boot Camp – a unique and singular opportunity for those entering the tea industry – was an excellent business-primer for those capitalizing on the tea ‘explosion.’” Certified Tea Sommelier Linda Gaylard, who blogs at TheTeaStylist.com, noted, “World Tea Expo is a permanent fixture on my calendar. I’ve already entered it for next year. And in the four years since I first attended World Tea Expo, I’ve seen a development in the offerings on the exhibit floor and in the conference’s educational sessions. At the Expo, products are increasingly user friendly, innovative and colorful. Attendees are keen to learn more about the cultural traditions of tea so that they can bring the experience to their customers. And out in the real world I’ve seen tea ignite.” Expo attendee Bridget Goldschmidt, managing editor of Progressive Grocer, wrote, “There are plenty of scrumptious samples available,” and pointed out some of the many “notable quaffs” or exhibitors, including: Tea of a Kind, Teas Etc., Wild Mountain Tea Company, Runa, BUNN, Adagio Teas, Tea Gschwender and Tejava, among others. George Jage, founder and director of World Tea Media, said, “We’re very grateful to all those who participated and made the 11^th annual World Tea Expo a big success, along with the newly launched Healthy Beverage Expo. The overall traffic of the co-located shows was excellent and we received a significant amount of positive feedback from participants. Plus, the show was a hotbed of innovative new products and smart classroom-setting dialogues on industry topics. Some of the key issues at this year’s event were sustainability, supply-chain transparency, organic, quality, labeling and terroir and tea. And while we’ve said it before, it still holds true that now is an exciting time for tea and the beverage industry, and we can’t wait to see what develops as a result of all the innovations and industry-wide discussions.” For details and updates on next year’s events, visit WorldTeaExpo.com and HealthyBeverageExpo.com. Registration opens around mid-January 2014.