Ahh, there is nothing more satisfying than a great cup of tea! It is the job and the mission of some to ensure that your cup of tea meets some very specific standards of excellence. Quality tea begins long before the leaves, or the tea bag, land gently at bottom … Continue reading
The U.S. wholesale tea business is a fascinating niche business characterized by an incestuous supply chain and an irrational focus on everything BUT product quality. In this post, I’ll attempt to unpack a few basic truths about the wholesale tea business that every entrepreneur should learn before either becoming a … Continue reading
2010 will likely be an interesting year. We seem on the verge of so many changes socially, politically, economically, and environmentally. Will the recession of the last couple years result in a REAL change in the mentality of the U.S. consumer? Will the economy recover quickly or will retailers continue … Continue reading
An interesting debate has been raging over the past few years among the tea literati – how do you define quality in tea?The uninitiated might expect the definition to be something as simple as: “A quality tea is one that represents the ideals of its varietal and production style and … Continue reading
Fresh from the 2009 World Tea Expo, I’m pleased to announce that the steady march towards higher quality teas continues in spite of the economic times.In a presentation to roughly 100 prospective tea entrepreneurs, I posited that the greatest obstacle to the growth of the specialty tea industry is consumer … Continue reading