World Tea Expo 2010
Friday, July 16th 2010 @ 11:36 AM
WORLD TEA EXPO
Las Vegas, NV, June 11-13, 2010
SPECIAL REPORT
Prepared by Gail Gastelu, Publisher/Editor in Chief - The Tea House Times
Where to begin? If you have been reading my reports for several years now, you know why I call them “Special” Reports. And yes, they are normally quite -looong- to read, but hopefully you will read it all and appreciate the show coverage.
Where does one begin? How does one begin to share the excitement of such an extraordinary show? As I write this, the World Tea Expo’s website had just been updated with photos of the 2010 expo and so now I feel I should tell you to go there as soon as possible and view the photo presentation on the home page at http://www.worldteaexpo.com The presentation is Awe-Inspiring. It truly captures the passion we tea business owners have for the industry and the excitement shared with buyers on the show floor. I really cannot say it enough.--If you are not going to World Tea Expo to exhibit or attend, you are truly missing out. The networking is phenomenal - but YOU must also make an effort to make things happen. Go to the expo and experience all it has to offer and make the most of every minute you have there.
If you walk any trade show blindly - breezing up and down the aisles - and leave and say there was nothing of interest - you may be very wrong. What I have learned as an Editor is the need to ASK QUESTIONS. Sometimes the sales person at a show booth has instructions to do certain tasks. You should make it your business to ASK what is new. Ask to be shown what is special about a product or service. Speak with the booth staff. But - going even further than that - speak to the business owner.
At World Tea Expo you will find that many of the booths have staff members but most also have the business owner in the booth for a good part of the show hours. This is a perfect opportunity to meet the face behind the success of each business. It is especially nice to make a connection with someone who owns a business to which you have been investing money in their line of products. Take it one step further and email the company prior to the show and make an appointment to meet with the executives while at the show!
On Friday, June 11, World Tea Expo kicked off with an exciting and new Tea Infusion Challenge! The first ever tea brewing competition was held to determine the best infusionist or tea professional who has comprehensive knowledge, experience in brewing, and talent for expressing the characteristics of tea. There were five entrants to compete and properly brew three of the 2009 World Tea Championship teas (now re-named the North American Tea Championship). Entrants were judged on the following: Quality of infusion - including color, taste, smell, agony of the leaf; Technical Skills - timing, volume, and presentation; and Tea Knowledge - needing to answer two questions about the tea. And the winner was Suzette Hammond, Trainer with Peet’s Coffee and Tea (and recently seen - June 23 - on the Dinner Impossible - Caffeine Crash Episode - on Food Network). Jason Walker, Founder of WalkerTeaReview.com (someone to watch - a real go getter!) was VERY close behind and took second place. Read more about the event - Click Here for more of the excitement.
Throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, several other events took place on or near the show floor including Vendor Presentations with Teas Etc, Sungarden Tea, The Tea House Times (if you missed my presentation - I had pre-recorded it for you - Click here to view ), Rishi Tea, Ito En, International Tea Importers - An Author’s Circle to meet and greet industry authors each day - The Art of Painting with Tea by Jeffrey Axelrod on Saturday - and an Oolong Rolling & Pouchong Wrapping Demonstration on Sunday.
Classes were varied, informative, and useful as always and included every level of expertise from New Business Boot Camp for the newbies, to Tea 101 for fresh faces, and all the way up to Executive and Technical series classes for experts and executives. Skill building workshops were much longer than the typical class and offered hands on skill building for creating tea blends, cupping, serving, etc. Some super workshops included Creative Finger Sandwiches, Tea and Chocolate Pairing, Tea and Cheese Pairing and more (some of my favorites since they are fun, informative, and almost a forced and very enjoyable break to the day).
A common thread running through many of the classes I personally attended was the importance of product labeling and legalities of what can be placed onto your label, how to go about organic certification, etc. No matter the topic of the class, this was an important mention in many of them. Focused tasting sessions were offered for green teas, black teas, blends, and tisanes. If you have not yet had the pleasure of really sitting down to a focused tasting or cupping session, I suggest you do it when you can. Until you have time to sit, compare, and appreciate a variety of teas and each unique quality, taste, and smell, using all of your senses, you cannot fully appreciate all that specialty tea offers.
Any trends this year? Well - last year’s trends are blending into this year. Across all shows I attend, with the way the economy has been, new product introductions at most shows are down. World Tea Expo had a lot of new introductions from various businesses, but many are following the same trends we have seen over the past year including adding tea as an ingredient to all types of products including baked goods, other foods, other types of beverages, and beauty products. In an effort to go green, many have updated packaging to be more eco-friendly and less wasteful. Let’s say everyone is being very creative and putting on their thinking caps. A good thing! Several awards were given for new products - Click here to read all about it.
The younger business owner is also on the scene. The tea industry is seeing many new, younger faces looking to go into business - all types of tea businesses - from traditional to trendy. Just sit back and watch - see who is around you - and what they are doing. Not only at shows, but in your own shops too. Watch and listen. As I walked the show floor one day, I approached a booth with a product I was interested in and while I was there, two young men came along who were also interested in the products. (I watched them.) They asked all the right questions, were eager and excited as they collected information for the new business they were about to launch. (They were watching me too!) After we all left this booth, they approached me. Having seen my name tag and wanting a little publicity for their new business, they stopped to chat. Very charming they were. And they impressed me. Not just young faces in the crowd, but people who were taking time to ask questions, take it all in, learn the right way to do things, all while appreciating every single bit of help people were giving them to help them reach their new business goals. Taking this one step further - they made me ecstatically happy when they also told me that they visit theteahousetimes.com to download each new issue for free. “Being a start up business,” they told me, “with limited funds right now,” they went on, they sincerely appreciated the ability to log in to www.theteahousetimes.com website and download the most recent issue - learn about new products that we review - learn about tea - stay on top of trends - and share the excitement of the tea industry! This made my day completely! Since I redesigned our website just a few months ago to accommodate every way a person could possibly get or read The Tea House Times publication - in print by subscription - or online - I was thrilled for the positive and rewarding feedback, not to mention speaking with a couple of young guys who “get it!” Work hard, ask questions, learn and keep seeking knowledge, stay on top of trends and follow the industry through the publications that work so very hard for you - and hopefully support us with subscriptions and advertising too! P.S. they will be sending something for me to review - more soon on that.
And - the excitement continues!
The World Tea Expo’s New Business Boot Camp had its own networking reception on Wed, June 9 and a graduation on Thursday, June 10. The World Tea Expo Opening Night Reception was on Friday, June 11 around the pool of the Las Vegas Hilton - windy night - but fun - the appetizers were a Mexican theme this year and there was a mariachi band and all! On Saturday, June 12, the North American Tea Championship - Iced Tea Class - Award Celebration was held by invitation only - it was a spectacular and fun award ceremony with so many well deserving winners. In our world - the tea industry world - Iced Tea is heavenly. Not the horrible stuff we grew up on. Iced Tea champions are teas you can truly, truly, taste. And I mean they taste like specialty teas should taste. Again, if you have not experienced a cupping session to discover each and every quality of tea, you will need to do that to be able to realize why some of these iced teas are so very special. A list of winners can be found at the World Tea Expo/World Tea News website - Click here to read more about it. Following World Tea Expo on June 14 and 15, STI (Specialty Tea Institute) held certification courses and professional cupping sessions - those sessions are truly spectacular - all day tasting and learning about tea.
Now, on to some of the products I discovered while making my rounds, chatting with business owners, etc. and my summary of this year’s World Tea Expo. .
WORLD TEA EXPO 2010 - EXHIBITORS AND PRODUCTS
When I put on my “press hat” - leave our booth for awhile - and walk the show floor, I am usually looking for what’s new from the familiar faces or what’s completely new. Here are some things I found particularly interesting this year - but far from a complete list of products and teas available.
Ajiri Tea Company - http://www.ajiritea.com - New Product winner for packaging. Must see it to see why. Great story behind this company and its packaging of Kenyan Black Tea - helping people!
Axelrod Art - axelrodart.com - Artistic creations made using tea. Beautiful creations, wall hangings, and t-shirts too.
Basilur Tea - basilurteausa.com - Pure Ceylon teas from Sri Lanka. World class designer packaging, loose leaf and teabag teas.
Benaya by Axicon - axiconworld.com - Stunning tea ware and very unique vases, clocks, and more.
Botanical Bakery - http://www.botanicalbakery.com - Fabulous cookies and beautiful new packaging too. “Delicately sweet, rich buttery goodness, subtle botanical flavors”
Camellia Cha’s Curiosi-tea - camelliacha.com - Curiosi-tea is a book by Camellia Cha (to be reviewed in a future issue of The Tea House Times) - also offering greeting cards, gift cards, etc. Humor and poetry!
Catalyst Gourmet - http://www.catalystgourmet.com - Unique Catalyst Tea Enhancers to spice up your teas, baked goods, etc. Cookies and finishing sugars too! New Creative Cumin Curry.
Creano - creano.com - Gorgeous - truly - glass teapots, glass teacups, and blooming teas. Beautifully boxed for perfect gift giving. I think I want the Diamond Design - stunning!
Earlene Grey - http://www.earlenegrey.com - Featured in the Author’s Circle this year. And, at Earlene’s booth - her wonderful new book and cards, etc. Check out her website to learn more about her Tea Poetry Society and yearly poetry contest too.
Eilles - eillesroyal.com - Royal purveyors of coffee and tea since 1873! They have a great passion for quality teas and service pieces. Now in USA.
Elmwood Inn Fine Teas - elmwoodinn.com - Always something new and special to discover in their teas such as Cherry Rose Green or Chocolate Mint or yummy Southern Pecan - see also their division of publishing - Benjamin Press - benjaminpress.com - a wonderful variety of books and in particular tea industry’s best known authors. Coming soon - The Classic Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo, a new addition of one of the world’s most influential books on tea and art, introduction by Bruce Richardson (Fall 2010 release)
Finum - http://www.finum.com - Finum by Riensch & Held is based in Hamburg, Germany and manufacturers filters and accessories for tea and coffee. Several award winning products. Their newest is a fabulous, patented glass teapot with built in brew control and strainer - a must see - the Tea Control 0.4
Harshita Designs - harshitadesigns.com - Harshita always has some new wonderful scarves and capes and tops and more all with beautiful prints - some tea related - some other pretty designs. I have seen her designs in many high end shops. Stunning! I own 3 Harshita Design pieces and always receive compliments when I wear them.
Harvest House Publishers - harvesthousepublishers.com - An incredible and huge assortment of gift books. One stop shopping for a fabulous selection for a gift shop at your tearoom. Latest publications from Lisa Boalt Richardson are fabulous.
Kim Bees Gourmet Teas - kimbees.com - Must see these - bottled in wine shaped bottles. They have gourmet loose teas and honey too. Fun product.
International Tea Importers - teavendor.com - ITI is a major importer of teas. Over 500 types of tea “by the pound or by the pallet.” - James Norwood Pratt was there with his new Tea Dictionary (new product award winner) too! (see also http://www.teasociety.org)
Ito En - itoen.com - Japan’s premier tea company. Check out their entire award winning collection of teas and iced teas. This is what I mean by the TRUE taste of tea - in every single one of their huge variety of iced teas too. New Mate Sencha shot. All of their “shot” teas taste amazing - a shot of amazing healthy tea.
Lucha Tea - luchatea.com - new travel tea tumbler to enjoy loose leaf tea. BPA free food grade plastic. Tumbler, strainer/filter, and lid with 12 oz capacity.
Melville Candy - melvillestore.com - These look like spoonfuls of honey on a stick - so many to choose from - attractive and delicious. Some are actually cinnamon sticks used in place of the stick with the same wonderful honey spoon on the end.
Northwest Glass Designs - northwestglass.com - Beautiful collection of glass teapots and double wall glasses - must see the Gourmet Drip Coffee or Tea Makers. What a sight! People will flock to your store to see it.
QCS - Quality Certification Services - qcsinfo.org Need certification or help with labeling? Check them out.
Runa - drinkruna.com - Amazonian guayusa tea (pronounced “why-you-sa”). A stimulating beverage with a smooth clean taste - rich in caffeine and antioxidants.
Sharey Monk Studio - http://www.shareymonk.com - Absolutely GORGEOUS fine art prints of antique teacup paintings. A must have for your home, office, or tearoom. New mini-prints launched at the show. Group the smaller ones or order a huge teacup painting!
Sweet Shop USA - sweetshop.com - decadent handmade chocolates, truffles, dipped cookies, and more. One truffle - so beautifully decorated - can be the most desired gift of all :)
Teas Etc. - teasetc.com - Award winning teas, certified organic and kosher. Private label, custom blends, etc. We just tried their Bolivian Whole Leaf tea and found it to be as wonderful as all the other teas offered by this company.
The Tea House Times - http://www.theteahousetimes.com - In publication since 2003 - subscribe - advertise - use our website for resources. Tea Course - introduced in 2008 - online e-learning resource for the tea industry. See http://www.teacourse.com
Tea Bureau - http://www.teabureau.com - The Tea House Times introduced this tea business directory in 2008 and also includes a Tea Speakers Bureau, Tea News Bureau, and representation of tea industry business products and services - Representation at this show included the following:
GOLDEN MOON TEA - Golden Moon Tea LLC was founded in 1993 and specializes in developing the highest quality loose tea products for customers interested in traditional methods of tea selection and infusion. With over thirty high quality selections of tea varietals, blends and herbal teas, Golden Moon Tea LLC established itself as a quality supplier of products backed by premium customer service. The company website is located at www.goldenmoontea.com. www.goldenmoontea.com
GRANDMA RAE - Individually handmade and custom tea products for your gift giving and teatime enjoyment. Friendship Tea Bags, Tea Wallets, Cozies, Teapot Purses, Tea Cup Carriers and much more. www.grandmarae.com
MY FAYEVORITE THINGS - Faye Fitzgerald, owner of “My Fayevorite Things”, is a Certified Tea & Etiquette Specialist. Her company encompasses all of the things tea-related that she is passionate about…books, tea greeting cards, gift cards with tea sayings, etiquette cards, and miscellaneous tea gifts. Faye also designs aprons for boutiques and tea rooms. She specializes in affordable gifts of originali-“tea”. Her personal and professional mission is to offer affordable gifts and training, and to change the world one individual at a time. www.fayevoritethings.com (352) 455-2345
SET TO A TEA - Create your own tea career around your life. Become a consultant for Set to a Tea. Beautiful catalog, high quality products, hostess gifts. Income opportunity. Sign up and start your business! Click here to see a sample consultant website and while there, sign on to become a part of the team
TEA COCKTAILS, the spirit of Tea - Tea Cocktails is the first liquor made of Tea. It is produced based on exclusive handmade Tea blends using an original recipe from Patagonia Argentina. Available in four flavors: Queen Victoria, Irish Tea, Earl Grey, Green Tea and jasmine. www.teacocktails.com.ar
TEA COURSE - Online tea education at www.teacourse.com Members-only website with 2 levels of membership. Limited access for general students of tea. Full access for tea professionals wishing to also educate staff and customers through provided handouts, promote your business, affiliate earnings program, etc.
TEA DYED TEES - Something old is new again! Tea Dyed Tees updates the traditional art of tea dyeing. Handcrafted shirts, scarves, accessories, and home accents, enhanced with pure tea. All-natural and eco-friendly - no chemicals or commercial dyes. www.teadyedtees.com
VICTORIAN HOUSE SCONES - Mix. Freeze. Bake Whenever. Victorian House Scones manufactures wholesale scone, biscuit, and shortbread cookie mixes. Our scone mixes were named Best New Product at World Tea Expo (2009), and have received the Tea House Times Seal of Approval. No minimum order; you decide what works best for you. Come "taste" drive our scones and cookies. www.victorianhousescones.com (877) 749-1943
Tea for Two - http://www.teafortwo.com - High quality and beautiful tea accessories. Teapots, strainers, racks, jam servers, sugar and creamers, servers, clocks, cozies and so much more. One stop shopping for the best in accessories.
Tea Squeeze by Squeezmo - teasqueeze.com - Cool little silicone gadget for squeezing your teabag or holding your used tea bag - in a full spectrum of colors - and imprintable. New Product Award Winner.
The Green Teaist - thegreenteaist.com - Hojicha Gelee in a jar. New Product award winner.
The Meaning of Tea - http://www.themeaningoftea.com - An ongoing tea journey through music, books, film and tea! Keep watching them. An exquisite New line of 100% organic teas - Rejuvenation Tea, Organic Moroccan Mint, Organic Golden Monkey.
The Tea Spot - theteaspot.com - Steepware and loose leaf tea. New Ecosteep - new product award winner. Check it out!
Thistledown Cozies - thistledowncozies.com - New Hob is a modern tea cozy designed for the male tea drinker (watch for our printed review on this). Full line of a variety of styles of tea cozies in many different fabric choices. Tea wallets too.
Tightvac - tightvac.com - a sustainable container - simple design that works so well to seal out the air for coffee or tea. Vacuum seals VERY easily each time.
SUMMARY
The 2010 World Tea Expo was a huge success all around for the producers of the expo, exhibitors, and attendees. The Tea Industry remains strong in growth and is attracting all kinds of new buyers and new business owners interesting in taking part of the steady growth of the industry.
“Despite a challenging economy, the tea industry is flourishing as deals were made, products were sold and business connections were solidified.” “There’s no stopping the specialty tea industry,” said George Jage, president and founder of the World Tea Expo. “While the global economy is slowly repairing itself, the tea industry is thriving. The energy, aroma and, most importantly, the business activities on the show floor is a powerful leading indicator of the explosive growth for specialty tea in North America in the year ahead.”
The 2011 World Tea Expo will be June 24-26 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it will again co-locate with Natural Marketplace.
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