Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491359
26 STiR tea & coffee industry international HONG KONG Lotus Brand Tea Launch Lotus Brand Tea was founded in the 1940s by Brook Bernacchi on the Ngong Ping Plateau of Lantau Island, as the only tea farm in Hong Kong. The plantation ceased production in 1994 but now, 20 years later, Brook's grandson Stefan Oechsner is refurbishing the garden and has revived the company. A small section of the tea field has been recovered and successful trial runs have been carried out to manufacture open leafed and balled oolongs. The revived Lotus Brand tea company will launch in summer 2014 with a mission to combine traditional Chinese values with a chic and contem- porary image and to promote the art of Chinese tea around the world. The list of teas will feature ten of China's premium teas from the country's most famous regions - Longjing, Dongding, Tie Guan Yin, Maofeng, Da Hong Pao, Jun Mountain Silver Needle, Keemun black tea, Liuan Leaf, Yunnan Puer and White Tip Silver Needle. In addition Lotus also aims to sell Jasmine and Chrysanthemum teas. Learn more by contacting Stefan Oechsner stefan.oechsner@gmail.com KENYA New Ajiri Tea Flavors Ajiri Tea, whose goal is to create employment for women in western Kenya and to educate orphans in their communities, has increased its range of Kenya tea blends. The company has added three new flavored black teas - Ginger, Lemon, Mango - and a rooibos blend to the loose and bagged black teas already offered. Ajiri aims to form a sustainable cycle of community employment and education. All profits from the sale of Ajiri Tea and Ajiri Coffee are donated to the Ajiri Foundation to pay school fees for orphans. Currently all 29 Ajiri students are performing in the top half of their class—with the first four students recently graduating from high school. Ajiri Tea Company employs 63 women in western Kenya to hand make the packaging for the tea and coffee boxes. And each unique label is hand- made using dried banana leaves. From buying cows, to renting land, the women continue to make sustainable invest- ments with the money they earn. Learn more: www.ajiritea.com These beautiful organic black orthodox teas from Sorwathé, with their many golden tips, are now on the market in France and in Germany. They give a delicate cup for consumers to discover and enjoy with or without milk. Learn more at www.livinginkigali. com/rwanda-tourism/tourism-in-rwan- da/sorwathe-tea-plantation/ or contact sorwathe@gmail.com SOUTH AFRICA The Toni Glass Iced Tea The Toni Glass Collection is a gourmet leaf tea company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is an infusion of tradition and new age tea drinking that sources its teas from the best plantations and suppliers worldwide and adds a contemporary twist. The range includes single origin, blended and flavored teas (Mutan White, Japanese Sencha, Ginger Oolong, Chinese greens, various African black teas) and herbal infusions, offered in packaging that is Afrocentric in style. The latest edition to the Collection is a range of Ice teas in these flavors flavors: Berry & Baobab, Kiwi Cucum- ber & Mint, Melon Goji Green and Lemongrass Coconut & Ginger. Each contains quality tea - three are green teas and one contains Ceylon black tea. The teas come in 250 ml glass bottles, are non-carbonated and delicately infused, and are very popular throughout South Africa. Learn more: www.toniglasscollection.co.za RWANDA New organic teas for Europe New organic teas from Rwanda are now on the market in Germany and France. A lot of progress has been made in Rwanda during the past 10 years with the planting of more high quality cultivars, new factories and a completely privatized tea industry since 2004. The first private investment was with Sorwathé-Société Rwandaise du Thé. The Sorwathé factory opened in 1978 and processes leaf from the company's own 260 ha of land, together with the leaf from 940 ha owned by smallholders. These 1,200 ha of tea are located at 5,400 ft (1,800m) above sea level in a huge swamp area, which was drained in the late 1960s as an EU development aid project. Total tea production in 2012 was 24,700 tons. All tea production in Rwanda is Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade certified but Sorwathé has also obtained organic certification for teas from 116ha of its acreage, has set up its own organic composting station and sunflower manure production, a separate collecting system from the organic plots, and its own nursery which holds about 15,000 cuttings. With this deliberate move to better quality and higher added value, the Sorwathé team has received good marks from the government, who strongly encourages such initiatives.