HEAR THE HEADLINES – The New Year Brings Predictions of a Global Recession | Two-thirds of the world’s top economists predict economic weakness globally in 2023, according to the World Economic Forum, meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland. | Argentina Celebrates its Tea Centennial | Toronto Tea Festival Returns | NEWSMAKER – Dan Bolton, Founding Editor/Publisher Tea Biz Blog | Podcast | FEATURE INTRO – This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Tea Biz Blog and the 100th episode of the Tea Biz Podcast. Listeners in 117 countries have downloaded at least one of the 36,474 streams since 2021 ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Ekaterra Rebrands as LIPTON Teas and Infusions | CEO Nathalie Roos says rebranding will strengthen the company’s position as the world’s number one tea business | The First of Several Agriculture-Focused Satellites is Safely in Orbit | The Specialty Tea Institute Ceases Operations | NEWSMAKER – Mou Dasgupta, founder of Brook37 Thé Atelier | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Princeton, New Jersey, where Mou Dasgupta created Brook37 Thé Atelier, a new premium brand run by an all-woman production team. During our conversation, she describes her vision of a new era ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Easing COVID Restrictions Leads to Uncertainty in China’s Tea Industry | Millions of urban Chinese will return to their ancestral homes in rural China for the Lunar New Year, raising concerns about outbreaks and possible labor shortages in tea regions as the spring harvest begins. | The World’s Top Black Tea Producers Experience Export Declines in 2022 | Speakers at the January 19 Global Tea Initiative Colloquium at the University of California, Davis, to discuss Tea and Value. What do We Value about tea, and How Do We Value It?   | NEWSMAKER – Adam Thatcher ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Ekaterra Tea Underway | India Steps up Efforts to Halt Illegal Imports | Chinese Archaeologists Discover Oldest Tea Yet | NEWSMAKER – John Davison, CEO ekaterra tea | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Singapore for a conversation with John Davison, CEO of ekaterra tea, soon to be the largest tea company in the world. Ekaterra is currently a division of Unilever that houses 34 tea brands including Lipton, PG Tips, TAZO, Brooke Bond, Pukka, and Red Rose. In November CVC Capital Partners, a multi-billion private equity firm headquartered in Luxembourg, paid $5.1 billion ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Abandons Fertilizer Ban for Tea | Kenya’s KTDA Sets a Minimum Price for Auctioned Tea | AVPA Announces Teas of the World Winners| NEWSMAKER – Harkirat ”Harki” Sidhu, Rainforest Alliance India’s Consulting Program Coordinator for Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Calcutta, India for an in-depth conversation with Harkirat (Harki) Sidhu, Rainforest Alliance India’s Consulting Program Coordinator for Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods. Harki is an expert in mechanical tea harvesters. He makes a compelling argument ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Funding Initiatives at the UN Climate Summit are Vital to Tea as prevention gives way to funding repairs | Bangladesh Production Rebounds After Strike | New Tea Tourism Handbook Elevates Immersive Travel  | NEWSMAKER – Michael D. Ham, co-founder and company president of Wild Orchard | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz explores the exotic Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea, where Wild Orchard Regenerative Tea is grown. Michael D. Ham, co-founder and president of the company, describes in detail the cultivation and multiple washings during the processing of these ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Finlays’ and Firmenich Partner in Tea and Coffee | Japan Tea Exports Rise to New Record | Nothing is Normal in Tea Logistics, a TEANIN22 Forecast | PLUS The IDH Roadmap to a Living Wage| NEWSMAKER – Judith Fraats, senior program manager IDH, the sustainable trade initiative| FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where Judith Fraats, senior program manager at IDH, the sustainable trade initiative, discusses the IDH living wage roadmap and how tea companies can ensure a living wage for workers at every link of the supply chain.IDH Roadmap to a ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Climate Pact Boosts Morale but Will Momentum Build? | Tea Lowers Risk and Severity of Stroke| Golden Leaf Awards Return | NEWSMAKER – Prabhat Bezboruah, Chairman of the Tea Board of India | FEATURES – India’s highest levels of government are reforming the basic structure of agriculture. The intent is to loosen regulations on pricing and storage and to permit direct sales of produce. The rules have protected India's farmers from the free market for decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the reforms a "watershed moment" for Indian agriculture. In Part 2 of Aravinda ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Dietary Recommendations Proposed for Flavanols found in Tea | The National Institutes of Health (NIH) to consider dietary recommendations for first bioactive compounds | Colombo Tea Auction Prices Reach an All-Time High | India Rolls Out a Digital Retail Network for Small Grocers  | NEWSMAKER – Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to the Himalayan peaks of Kumaon, India, where Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea, is helping finance the construction of a farmer-owned tea processing facility with a capacity of 75,000 ..read more

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Bypassing Sanctions is Benefitting India’s Tea Industry | Reinvention is Routine at Starbucks | South Africa's Rooibos Industry Makes First Payout to Indigenous Communities | NEWSMAKER – Niraj de Mel, Chair Sri Lanka Tea Board | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Sri Lanka this week, where newly appointed Tea Board Chair Niraj de Mel is rallying tea stakeholders – growers, manufacturers, producers, brokers, and exporters – in the face of formidable challenges. De Mel told Tea Biz correspondent Dananjaya Silva, “I am privileged to take on this role at such a crucial time ..read more