Blogs
Covid-19’s effect on tea origins and production
Last week, the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada (THAC) held a two-day virtual North American Tea Conference under the theme, “The Present Reimagined.” The event offered a strong mix of presentations covering the impact of Covid-19 on Canadian consumption trends, consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns, as well as the pandemic’s effect on the global tea industry.
Spicing up autumn
In the United States, today – 1 October – is National Pumpkin Spice Day, and a new survey shows just how popular the flavour is among Americans.
Best cities in the US for coffee drinkers
Just in time for National Coffee Day on 29 September, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its 2020 Best Coffee Cities in America report.
Blue Bottle Coffee launches first vending machine
Blue Bottle Coffee installed its first vending machine, Blue Bottle Coffee Quick Stand, in the Shibuya area of Tokyo, Japan on 7 August.
USDA proposes strengthening organic regulations
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing comprehensive changes to its Organic Certification Program — regulations that may profoundly affect the coffee and tea industries.
Tips for hosting virtual events
What makes a virtual event a worthy substitution for the real thing? Between myself and T&CTJ editor Vanessa Facenda, we’ve attended a significant amount of virtual events this year alone and have compiled some ‘dos and don’ts below — that is, sort of a ‘what works well’ based on our experiences.
Pandemic delays Darjeeling first flush roll out in Japan
Established in Tokyo in 1985, Teej Co Ltd was one of the first companies to introduce the non-blended, garden-fresh teas to Japan. Teej started sell Darjeeling First Flush teas in early July, about two months later than usual, because of Covid-19-related delays.
Analysing Colombia’s internal coffee market price and the new Stabilization Fund
Colombia made history back in February when it officially launched the Coffee Price Stabilization Fund. The fund will aid the country’s smallholders who had been severely impacted by the commodity price collapse over the last few years, but the fund has a broader ambition than just propping up prices when commodity markets are low.
Can the USA be a true tea-growing country?
Tea enthusiasts, can you ever imagine walking into your favourite tea shop and purchasing a “Single Origin Tea from Oregon” or a “Single Estate Tea from California?” At one time, this may have been an utterly nonsensical thought, but apparently, a viable tea-growing industry in the United States is in fact possible.
Global drinks trends in 2020
A recent Euromonitor International webinar discussed global drinks trends amid Covid-19, particularly the collapse of on trade, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and new ways to reach consumers in the home. The webinar focused on three key trends: the collapse of on trade, home as an entertainment hub and premiumisation reimagined.
A virtual reality
Many of the spring and early summer events that were postponed until fall 2020 are being cancelled. As a result, we are seeing an unprecedented number of virtual “summits,” “forums” and “conferences” or “digital events” — the same idea, just different names…
And then there were…
When I think of 2020 conferences, conventions and trade shows, I am reminded of the Agatha Christie novel, And Then There Were None, as so many, well, almost all this year, have fallen victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Robotic baristas: job killers or industry drivers?
In this week’s guest blog from Anna Kidron at Rozum Robotics Inc, we will have a look at the idea of robotic baristas, and about the perspectives of this technology in the future.
With coffee, e-commerce is the way to go
While Covid-19 has decimated many industries, one that is flourishing because of the pandemic is e-commerce. And within e-commerce, coffee is among the top sellers, boasting a +38.6% CAGR.