Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491350
STiR tea & coffee industry international 17 more origin and branded teas now marketed as well as the CTC bulk teas that are sold in the Mombasa Tea Auction. In addition, Rwanda's Sor- wathe Tea Company participated in this years' North American Tea Champion- ship for the first time with an orthodox Rwanda Mountain black tea which was also the first to be exhibited at a gourmet food fair in Paris in September. Because of an increasing global demand for green tea, African tea companies have also started to market green teas. Learn more at: www.m.gov.rw SOUTH KOREA First Korea World Tea Forum The first Korea World Tea Forum took place in Boseong County on 26th and 27th October 2013. With over 60 booths displaying products from regional tea farmers and foreign tea producers as well as teas imported from Europe, there was much to discover for the interna- tional delegates from 12 foreign countries, representing both consumer and producer markets. Several tea tasting sessions and a competition amongst the Boseong county tea producers allowed participants to sample some very fine teas and assess the premium quality of the traditional local producers. A brand new, state-of-the-art Tea Museum provided further information about the local tea gardens, which are several hundred years old and have recently been awarded a national PGI status registration. UK Melican Named Borbora Chair Nigel Melican, Managing Director of Teacraft, has been awarded the D. N. Borbora Chair for Tea Quality and Manufacturing at the Tea Research Association of India. D. N. Borbora was a progressive and innovative tea engineer and the objective of the Chair named for him is to identify and lay foundations for tea processing research to guide the TRA's second centenary. Melican has been granted a three-year tenure working in the Chair position. Based at the Tocklai Experimental Station in Jorhat, Assam, as well as the station in Nagrakata, North Bengal, Melican plans to make two or three trips each year and will spend a total of six to eight weeks with his fellow tea researchers. Initial visits will be to outline research pro- grams and future visits to mentor researchers and guide the progress of the research. After working for Unilever for 27 years, Melican developed an extensive background in crop research and development. He was specifically sought out by the Tea Research Association of India because of his prac- tical knowledge of the tea industry. Learn more at: www.teacraft.com Social History of Tea In collaboration with Bruce Richardson of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and Benjamin Press, Jane Pettigrew has republished A Social History of Tea, her 2001 publication that tells the story of tea's 365-year journey through British social life. Richardson has added the American tea story to Pettigrew's original and updated text. The book now follows tea's amazing journey from Canton to London and New York, Glasgow and Boston, and details how the leaves of a simple Asian plant provoked wars, changed laws, affected architecture and interior design, inspired fashion, literature and music, helped women in their fight for the vote, and generally shaped the culture and politics of both the United Kingdom and the United States. Available from Benjamin Press and Amazon. Learn more at: www. janepettigrew.com or www.elmwood- inn.com/books/index.html US Teas Etc. Honored In late 2013, Teas Etc. of West Palm Beach, was selected as one of 50 "Florida Companies to Watch". In its third year, Florida Companies to Watch is presented by GrowFL in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation. GrowFL is the program of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida and is a critical component to the state's economic development strategy and Florida's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Businesses are selected for exhibiting entrepreneurial leadership, product innovation, social/community responsi- bility and competitive business practices. In addition "Companies to Watch" recipients are chosen due to impressive employment rates and revenue growth. "I was honored to be nominated by Kelly Smallridge President & CEO of the Palm Beach County Business Development Board," said Beth Johnston, Founder & CEO of Teas Etc. "I am extremely proud that Teas Etc was selected to receive this prestigious award among such a diverse group of great Florida based companies." Learn more at: www.teasetc.com or contact: newman.johnston@gmail.com Samovar Partners with Hawaii In the spirit of fostering positive human connection through tea, Samovar Tea is partnering with Hawaii tea farmers Eva Lee and Chiu Leong in creating unique matcha bowls. Hand crafted and fired by Chiu himself on the Big Island of Hawaii, these exclusive works of art will embody the essence of tea: beauty, transience, and connection to the earth and to each other. Lee, a dancer and choreographer, and Leong, a photogra- pher and potter, came into tea from a cultural viewpoint and created a tea estate within the temperate rainforest on the summit of Hawaii's Kilauea Vol- cano. They are both involved daily in every aspect of the production of Hawaii grown fine tea. Samovar also sells Hawaii-grown black tea at its three locations in San Francisco. Learn more at: www.samovartea.com and www. teahawaii.com/about/