World Tea Expo
It’s true that (after water) tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. Unfortunately, the World Tea Expo is primarily for those in the business of tea. Thousands of retailers, tea room owners, food and beverage directors, spa managers, specialty grocers, mass merchants and other business professionals attend the Expo to see more than 300 specialty tea wholesale suppliers and related vendors. (It’s a $10 billion/year industry!)
Set for June 11-13, 2010, in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, it includes a Tea Infusion Challenge (“the first-ever tea brewing competition on U.S. soil”), an oolong rolling and pouchong wrapping demonstration by tea masters from Taiwan, and — who knew? — a session on how to use tea as an art medium (yes, the art of painting with tea!).
If you’re thinking about opening a tea shop, consider attending the two-day preconference June 9 and 10, 2010. The New Business Boot Camp is designed specifically for new business owners entering the tea industry.
Here’s another factoid (especially appropriate for summer): the U.S. is the birthplace of iced tea. Today more than 80% of tea consumed in the U.S. is sold as an iced drink.
