Tea News and Biz Insight - February 12, 2021

NEWS HEADLINES - Hard tea packs a punch…. India earmarks worker subsidies for women and children… and beware of false claims, FDA has so far issued 145 warnings to companies, including tea companies, to stop misleading consumers with products that claim to cure COVID-19.

FEATURES - This week Tea Biz reports on the growing sophistication of tea farming in the United States…and learn about Canada’s acclaimed tea sommelier certification program that trains tea professionals on campus or online.

Since 2013 the US League of Tea Growers has nurtured close collaboration among the more than 60 growers in 15 American states producing tea for commercial sale. Led by Angela McDonald, owner of Oregon Tea Traders, the group hosts online webinars and discussions. This week Kevin Gascoyne, a well-known tea buyer and co-owner of the Camellia Sinensis tea company in Montreal, counseled the group on what American tea growers need to do to make themselves competitive on the world stage. He also had this to say about what makes America’s experiment in tea growing relevant to the industry at large.

Enrollment in the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada’s tea sommelier certification program surged during lockdowns and continues to grow in the new year. The designed for tea professionals, costs between $2,500 and $3,500 to complete online, or, on campus. Jessica Natale Woollard in this report talks with founder Shabnam Weber and MacKenzie Bailey, a tea sommelier enrolled in the online program.

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