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All the tea in China, and abroad, at Beijing Int'l Tea Expo

By Corey Cooper: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, June 19, 2012

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Entrance to the Beijing International Tea Expo 2012 at the Beijing Exhibition Center. [Corey Cooper/china.org.cn]

More than 300 enterprises and tens of thousands of visitors flocked to the Beijing Exhibition Center (BEC) for the Beijing International Tea Expo 2012, the first "grand gathering" of international and domestic tea producers and industry professionals to be held in China's capital.

The 4-day expo, which opened on June 16, hosted the 3rd International Forum on Sustainable Development in the Tea Industry on June 17 at the BEC. Forum attendees gained an overview of the tea industry in countries such as Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Indonesia, as well as key domestic regions such as Yunnan's Pu'er City. Panel discussions addressed the top problems related to sustainable tea farming and production, including certification, standardization, ethics, and meeting market demands. Keynote speakers at the high-level discussion included Chang Kaisong, Secretary General of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Intergovernmental Group on Tea and Wang Qing, Standing Vice President of the Chinese Tea Marketing Association.

In addition to the convention, expo organizers held a tea tasting competition, a selection ceremony for China's national top ten tea brands, lectures on Chinese porcelain teaware, a tea art contest, and a national tea packaging decoration contest at various venues around the city including the famous Maliandao Tea Street in Xicheng District and the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

At the BEC's main hall, hundreds of domestic tea brands showcased China's best known tea varieties including Xihu Longjing, Anxi Tieguanyin, Wuyi Da Hong Pao and Yunnan Pu'er as well as lesser-known teas. The expo was also attended by more than 20 governmental delegations from China's famous tea-producing regions, along with international representatives from more than a dozen countries including India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Japan who also showcased their tea products, foods, tea utensils and wares.

Sponsored jointly by the China Tea Marketing Association, Beijing's Xicheng District government and the Pu'er City, Yunnan government, the expo not only gave visitors a chance to taste teas from domestic and international stars in the business but also see how tea producers are exploring new sustainable farming methods.

Wu Meifen, a representative for Zhejiang Shexiang Shengtai Agricultural Products Ltd., said her company has been in business for four years growing tea from soil fertilized with organic pig waste. The company produces approximately 2 metric tons of black and oolong tea per year and its top grade "Mu Dan Hong" black tea can sell for 3,800 yuan (US$598.13) per kilo. The company's tea plantation near Longquan City, Zhejiang Province employs nearly 600 workers.

"Our owner was in the pig farming business for 12 years; he was able to utilize his experience to produce a totally organic, sustainable farming method," Wu said.

A trip to the international wing of the expo provided insight into why the Chinese tea market is so attractive to international producers.

Dr. Alice K. Kithika, managing director of One Touch Ltd., a producer of black teas from Mombasa, Kenya, said she applied through Kenya's Tea Board trade association to promote her teas at the Beijing expo. Kenya is the world's largest exporter of tea by volume, with 90 percent of its teas sold overseas, more than half of which is considered high grade. Eyeing strong demand for alternative products in the Chinese market, the tea board began promoting Kenyan tea in China about five years ago.

Kithika said she hopes Chinese consumers will be attracted by the unique taste of Kenyan teas, a large portion of which are grown from volcanic soil in the country's Great Rift Valley. She added that One Touch's promotion strategy will include finding local Chinese partners to market her products.

The expo will be open to the public until June 19. For more information, visit http://expo.ctma.com.cn/ .

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