Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491368
STiR tea & coffee industry international 53 good black and flavored black teas and a few greens." This parallels Euromonitor's view that, "Young consumers are beginning to view these products as something fashionable as they are being exposed to them through new on-trade chains such as Starbucks." Patricia A. Parra, coordinator of the Infusions Chain at the Secretariat of Rural Development and Familiar Agri- culture, Argentine Ministry of Agricul- ture, Livestock and Fisheries, said that more and more people are attracted to tea "because of the traditional ritual and ceremony, because it's comforting when you're sick and in cold weather, and be- cause it's relaxing and soothing and cre- ates memorable shared moments with friends and family." Virginia Genovesi, who has been running her own online tea business, Ummah Blends, since 2013, explained, "In the last year, the upper middle classes, who travel a lot, have found the world of tea. So their new interest has started a wave in Argentina." "Also, people are interested in gourmet products – wine, gourmet food, etc. - and tea is one of those pillars. People who practice yoga, Zen meditation, etc., find tea a path to better balance between body, mind, and soul," she adds. Max Lucia of Timos, Argentina's largest blending/packing/import/export tea company said that, "The tea market here has changed a lot in 10 years. In the past, tea consumers were older adults, but for some time we've been noticing an increas- ing interest among young people. Tea in Argentina is gaining strength day by day and we've noticed that there's more variety available with new blends such as fruit teas and other mixes entering the market. People are drinking more tea, different blends and better quality. There is an awakening interest and there's more information available for anyone who wants to lean more." Who drinks what Parra's research shows that household penetration of tea exceeds 90% but it is esti- mated that the average Argentinian consumes only 0.12 kg of tea per year (compared to 2.3 kg per head in the UK and 1.2 kg per head in Russia) and the vast majority of that is brewed using teabags. Lucia explains that consumers "choose tea bags for convenience and speed. Most people buy their tea in supermarkets but, with an increasing awareness of new varieties, many are now turning to specialty shops for their favorite blends." Tea pods are not available in Argentina although coffee pods are, and Euromonitor suggests that this is because "coffee pods have until now been limited mainly to the upscale Nespresso brand …. And it is rather unlikely that tea pods will be launched in the short term as the focus seems to be on promoting coffee." In general, black teas dominate throughout the country, with approximately 83% of market share, but fruit and herbal infusions are becoming more and more popular. In restaurants, customers are now offered a range of teas presented in bags in a presen- tation box and these include all the popular classics such as English Breakfast and Earl Grey but new, more interesting blends with fruits, herbs, spices and flowers also now feature. The health message connected with green tea is expected to grow that sector of the market and Euromonitor says that, "Fruit/herbals and green tea are expected to be the best performers … as the health and wellness trend drives consumer purchasing decisions and manufacturers increase the number of products available." Local brands selling Argentinian-grown tea blends include La Virginia (which leads the market but has recently seen a drop in sales because of the growth of the specialty brands), Rosamonte, Green Hills, Taragüi (the brand packed by Establecimiento Las Misiones Argentia Buenos Aires Blending classes at El Club del Té