STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 15 Kenya several years ago overtook India and Sri Lanka as the world's larg- est tea exporter by volume. In 2017, tea exports reached an impressive 417 mil- lion kilos, produced by some 650,000 smallholder growers. Marketing staff at the booth highlighted purple tea. While output currently accounts for less than 1% of Kenya's total tea production, the country intends to greatly increase that proportion in the years to come. Kenya is also well-known for its specialty coffees. The country presented its excellent arabi- ca crops in a separate large booth, which showcased 15 different companies. Rather interesting was the marketing approach of Sheka Forest Coffee from Ethiopia, a company that claimed to pay its smallholders 30-40% above fair trade certified prices for highland grown arabica. The marketplace (above, left) was bustling and sponsored presentations (above) were well attended during the show Photo courtesy Hamburg Messe und Congress / Katrin Neuhauser Prodima (Switzerland) demonstrates an industrial mixer used to blend tea Meanwhile the embassy of El Salvador brought together a number of single-estate coffee companies at its booth. Swiss coffee corporation Volcafé, which sponsored several presentations as part of COTECA's support program, was strategically located near the cupping rooms, while the Hamburg outlet of Indonesia's international trade promotion center hosted a variety of tea and coffee firms from the homeland in a large shared booth close to the hall's main entrance. The machinery and equipment segment featured some notable companies, includ- ing Polish roaster manufacturer Coffed, founded in 2008, and long-standing Swiss industrial mixing and blending machine manufacturer, Prodima. Renowned lab in- strument developer Perten put a spotlight on its latest moisture metering and other analyzing tools. UK firm Ikawa introduced the latest version of its ingenious portable sample roaster, the Pro V3. The unit was only rolled out in June this year and due to its compact size is a "must-have" for any roaster, barista, and traveling coffee buyer. Australia's Flavourtech revolutionized the soluble and ready-to-drink coffee industry with its aroma-preserving extraction and condensing technology and – through its sales and marketing director Leon Skaliotis – provided a number of interesting and well-attended presentations at the show. The clear emphasis among the packaging and filter solution providers was envi- ronmentally friendly, biodegradable, and home compostable materials. Of particular note were South Korea's Coreshtech Co. and Japan's OHKI Co., both of which show- cased their respective non-GMO PLA (poly-lactic acid) filters and tea bags, which they claimed met with great interest. The cellulose-derived disposable sealing lids and coffee cups of German producer EarthLid attracted attention not only because they are fully recyclable (and indeed compostable) but also because thanks to their special manufacturing method don't leak even after a prolonged time holding hot beverages. Lithuanian company LitPrint, meanwhile, lured interested visitors in droves with its water-based printing inks and PLA-based packaging foils. Where COTECA was able to bring together mainstream firms of all types, it also welcomed a slew of companies whose products were… well… a bit more unusual. Topping this list were the quirky outfits created by German fashion designer couple Madeleine Möller and Matthias Köhler. Their line of ladies and gentlemen's jackets are tailored from recycled coffee sacks made from 100% jute and (probably to safeguard against potential itchiness) lined with silk or velvet. COTECA Asia (Bangkok, Thailand, November 27-28, 2019) "We are very proud that COTECA will transcend European borders in 2019," says Claudia Johannsen, business unit leader at Hamburg Messe. "The Asian market is very exciting and the industry can look forward to one of the most important business meeting places next year," she said. Steve Diprose, managing director of Quartz Busi- ness Media, said: "We're very excited to be a part of this launch event as having previ- ous expertise with running events in Asia; we feel we're well suited for the challenge. The COTECA brand has such a strong following and we feel this allegiance to the brand will follow into Asia. We're delighted to work alongside Hamburg Messe on this new venture." Photo courtesy Hamburg Messe und Congress / Katrin Neuhauser The marketplace (above, left) was bustling. Matcha tea (left, middle cup) was featured by several vendors, and sponsored presentations (above) were well attended during the show.

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