Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491368
22 STiR tea & coffee industry international Karel Capek Tea Specialty tea company Karel Capek was founded in 1987 by Utako Yamada and offers a range of fun blends. The teas are carefully selected by Yamada with the help of an award-winning estate manager in Sri Lanka. They are are stored at a low temperature and the teabags surrounded by nitrogen to maintain freshness – the packing method used by many success- ful green tea manufacturers for their high quality teas. Karel Capek also holds many events through the year including tea seminars given by the tea estate manager and other guest speakers. The fun style of packaging is particularly popular and is designed and illustrated by Utako, a renowned illustrator and children's book author. forward contract basis through local Nepalese partners and some Indian investors have purchased and taken over the management of a number of tea factories in Nepal's Ilam region. Balaji Agro, Jayshree Tea, and Accord International are just three of the Indian companies that have taken over ownership of tea factories that were running at a loss. Chandra Bhushan Subba, managing director, Sandakphu Tea and Tea Direct, explained that none of the tea factories now being managed by Indian owners are high-end gardens. However, local producers and farmers are concerned that all the Ilam factories may eventually be taken over by Indian companies and are worried about the long-term impacts this may have on Nepal's tea industry and economy. NEW ZEALAND Zealong Oolongs The oolongs produced at the Zealmg Tea Estate near Hamilton, North Island are reaching growing numbers of connoisseurs. In November, the Spring harvest will see a new addition to the range, which already includes Pure, Aromatic, and Dark oolongs as well as a very special Black tea. To increase the profile of New Zealand tea, Zealmgis building a state-of-the-art factory and Visitor Centre. Once finished visitors from within New Zealand will learn the history of tea, and see how Zealmg grows tea organically. They will also be able to sample the carefully crafted Zealmg teas in the new tasting rooms, which include a luxury VIP area for special guests and dignitaries. Visitors so far this year include Shaikh Saleh bin Mohammed Al-Talib, Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, who was received at Zealong Tea Estate by Dr. Anwar Ghani, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand. A delegation from the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia also visited. The new ZEALONG Visitor Centre in Hamilton, will be completed by August 2015. Learn more at http://zealong.com/ SWITZERLAND Swiss Tea Club The Swiss Tea Club (STC) is an associa- tion of tea lovers in Switzerland and the only one of its kind in German speaking countries. It currently gathers more than 80 members across the country and neighboring regions in Germany and Austria. In its endeavor to improve the knowledge of tea provenances among its members, the STC scheduled a tea trip to China last spring during which 10 members visited growing regions in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian provinces. The group watched production of such highly reputable green teas as Long Jing, Pi Lo Chun, and An Ji Bai Cha and famous oolongs such as Da Hong Pao from the Wuyi Mountains. Participants gained great insights into the tea manufacturing processes and China's "tea life". The next trip, to Japan and Korea, is planned in 2016. The Club is also proud to welcome Pu'Er tea master You from Taiwan who will visit Zurich Sept. 25 to reveal the secrets of these traditional and complex teas from Yunnan province and explain how to buy them. And for those interested in Western tea culture, on Nov. 8 the Club will welcome the UK's Jane Pettigrew, one of Great Britain's foremost authori- ties on tea. She will talk in downtown Zurich on the past and future of tea in the UK as well as in mainland Europe. The event will, of course, be followed by a splendid English Afternoon Tea. NEPAL Indians Buy Nepal Factories Since the beginning of Nepal's Hill Industry, Indian manufacturers and buyers have been buying fresh green tea leaves and finished tea products from Nepal. In the past the green leaf was processed in Darjeeling factories and the finished teas were blended with Darjeel- ing teas. Recently, teas from Nepal have been sold under that name into the Indian domestic market to meet an increasing demand. Some Indian companies have also started buying low to medium quality Nepal teas on a ZEALONG will build new visitor center.