European Tea Society aims to inspire a new movement in specialty tea
The European Tea Society, initially conceived in 2017 and presented to industry professionals in 2018, has extended its membership offering to the wider European tea community. This places the organisation in a position to link the entire tea value chain, from growers in producing countries through to wholesalers, retailers, hospitality, and tea enthusiasts in consuming countries.
European Tea Society is a not for profit and inclusive membership association whose mission is to create and inspire excellence in the specialty tea community through innovation, research, education and communication. With significant change taking place across the tea industry, both internationally as well as Europe, the European Tea Society is harnessing this movement to drive and motivate the specialty sector for the promotion and development of high quality teas and botanicals across the world.
Its members are a group of dedicated, enthusiastic and focused tea professionals from around the world who recognise the new direction that the tea industry is taking and are harnessing this movement in order to inspire, drive and influence the development of this sector of the tea industry.
European Tea Society’s patron, Jane Pettigrew said: “Just as the specialty coffee industry has impressed the world with its system of training, quality standards, knowledge and education, so the European Tea Society is poised to take Europe – and possibly the world – by storm and help ensure that bad tea becomes a thing of the past and good quality, specialty tea takes over and becomes the norm in tearooms, cafes, restaurants, hotels and at home”.
As a new service for the tea industry, European Tea Society will in the first instance provide a platform for uniting the tea community, allowing different stakeholders in tea to network, engage, teach, learn and become empowered to embrace specialty as a concept. Secondly, it will continuously promote quality at all levels of the tea value chain.
The transfer of knowledge will be at the very heart of its membership, be it through education, research or events. A brand new education and certification program, covering all aspects of tea and botanicals, and set to the highest standards, will be launched in 2020. Alongside this is a webinar education series covering a range of specialist topics.
Inspiring innovation is another key pillar of the association, facilitated by its recent partnership with NoWFOODS, the University of Chester’s food innovation centre. Members will be able to work with food and sensory scientists at the innovation centre under discounted rates, for new product development and nutritional analysis as well as other research opportunities.
At a time when communities across the world are becoming increasingly divided and divisive, European Tea Society President Nigel Melican said: “Geography is of no consequence. We embrace tea’s history and traditions, whilst evolving and championing European ideas and experience. Our aims are to enable sustainable growth of the European tea market, while guiding members through an ever-changing global marketplace.”
Membership is open to both professionals and enthusiasts who are encouraged to become part of this exciting movement by joining now. Find out more via their website europeanteasociety.org/
Am very interested in learning more about the ETS, including membership opportunities/requirements as I joined the tea trade (Lipton) in U.K. in 1960 and am still active in the trade, developing blends for the U.S. market, including a “super-premium” line of leaf teas, infused with nutrition, in biodegradable pyramid teabags (no microplastics!)
From Kenya working in the tea industry and interested in what ETS does. O have been in active in the tea industry for over 15years. I have an interest in setting up a specialty tea processing plant in Kenya but need some information on the market dynamics through tea stakeholders especially in Europe