Tea News and Biz Insight - August 13, 2021

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Top Tea Producer McLeod Russell India Faces Bankruptcy | A Tea Authentication Protocol to Chemically Verify Origins | Soggy Soil Keeps Kulhads in Short Supply

| NEWSMAKER – Rona Tison executive vice president of ITO EN North America

| GUEST – World Tea Academy Online Education Director Lisa Boalt Richardson

| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to New York where Rona Tison executive vice president of ITO EN North America explains the appeal of functional tea and introduces a new matcha LOVE ENERGY + line of ready-to-drink teas… and then to Boulder, Colo., headquarters of the World Tea Academy, where online education director Lisa Boalt Richardson describes the newest of six certification programs.

Natural Tea Energy
In the US the RTD segment is a battle of titans dominated by Lipton-PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Snapple, and AriZona -- but it is tea-focused brands like ITO EN that are innovating. Instead of concentrates and solubles, line extensions are brewed from whole leaves from tea that is sustainably grown and offered in recyclable packaging. Rona Tison, executive vice president at ITO EN North America joins Tea Biz for a discussion of what makes tea the ideal base for function-enhancing blends that appeal to health-conscious consumers.

World Tea Academy Online
Tea industry certifications are becoming sought after in the industry. There are certifications for tea specialist, sommelier, blender, health expert, and now a tea aroma specialist, a new offering from the World Tea Academy. Joining Jessica Woollard on the podcast today is Lisa Boalt Richardson, online education director of the World Tea Academy, and Kathleen Hippeli – Lisa’s assistant and a former tearoom owner.

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