13 years, 4 months ago-
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@There were quite a few business there that really stood out! One thing I found surprising was the number of businesses selling pu’erh tea. There were at least 7 or 8 booths that boasted quite a selection of pu’erh cakes. Much more than last year anyways!
Also, the selection of RTD beverages and companies involved in that industry is on the rise. I saw quite a variety of them, and was able to taste quite a few!
It is definitely a place where you want to spend more than just one day. I did not have that luxury, but I would suggest it! The connections made there are valuable!
Also, be sure to check out the Tea Farmers Alliance! That will grow rapidly I believe! -
@sirwilliamoftheleaf Can’t say I’m overly excited about the rising number of RTD teas. Partly because I don’t really like cold or iced tea much, and partly because I think it’s “pop” culture tea. A Jersey Shore version of my favorite brew. However, maybe it’s better than drinking cola, though even that depends.
Like you I’m surprised about the increase in pu-er tea vendors. Only because I thought it was the “novel” thing to do a couple of years back – however I hope it’s a sign for continuing interest in “serious” tea drinking.
Interesting what you said about making “valuable tea connections.” We weren’t there but part of me felt it must be tempting to take @chanteas stance on it all, they said:
“The World Tea Expo is a place where connections are made. Deals happen on the expo floor, but for the most part there is too much noise and commotion to connect with tea lovers.”
I’m sure the best way to finish up an evening on the floor is getting together like they did.
J. -
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@Thanks for the nod @Jackie, we really enjoyed connecting with fellow tea lovers away from all the commotion of the expo floor and plan on doing it again next year where all are welcome.
As far as the original question goes, I agree with @sirwilliamoftheleaf that the Tea Farmers Alliance shows promise. The tea master Matsumoto was really nice and approachable and I love seeing organizations that empower farmers. That’s also where we met Jeff of the Cornell Tea Club who we could tell immediately would be a life long tea friend.Have fun to all that are going to the Philly Tea Expo… so jealous. -
@I’d love to hear what you would LIKE to see/hear/learn at the Expo that might be missing? I’ve been a speaker and on the Education Committee and Advisory Board for the World Tea Expo for the past four years and would love to hear your feedback.
As an aside, RTDs are no longer a US phenomenon… there were over 1,000 RTD lines launched INTERNATIONALLY in the past 24 months.
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I have to agree with Jackie, I’ve been largely disappointed with RTDs. Of course, that comes as part of the the whole Amercian Flavor Experience, which often translates to add more sugar, Bob. I have marginally enjoyed RTDs from Honest Tea (which uses less sugar/sweetener than typical RTD beverages) and ITO’s offering from Japan. The latter ones area available without any sweetener at all, which I think is wonderful. When it says green tea on the bottle, that is what you are getting, just green tea. Of course, a $4+ a bottle ITO’s American offerings are prohibitively expensive for tea.
I would love to attend the Expo. Once we get our new Marketplace 2.0 launched here and it starts to fill up with products, we may be well positioned to setup a booth at WTE next year. As part of our advances here, we are planning to offer more services to attract small business and startup tea vendors, which in turn may allow us to present ourselves a factor at WTE instead of a wanderer!Unfortunately, I don’t think we will be ready to present at the show in Philly in the fall this year. We could, and we probably would be able to drum up some good business, but I think it would be too soon for us to be worth the investment (of course, attending as a wanderer there would be fun and fascinating!) -
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