Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491368
54 STiR tea & coffee industry international Marias, tea growers in Misiones in the north of the country), Urrutia, and Mate Rojo (both of whom also grow tea). The most important foreign brands are Lipton and Twinings, which are found in supermarkets, specialized stores and some tearooms, but their share of the market is very small, mainly because their prices are four times higher than local brands. The growth of specialty brands At the moment, loose leaf teas appeal only to a very small niche market but that small niche is expanding. In her research, Patricia Parra has found that, "The niche market is being consolidated by new tea lovers who are interested in high quality loose tea with defined origins and types and who are also interested in tea history, culture, and rituals. Others are coming to tea because of the health benefits. As a result, the market is beginning to show diversification and although most people drink black tea, small numbers are now consuming green, oolong, and white teas." Genovesi is attracting new customers with clever packaging and her online pres- ence: "My customers don't need a lot of encouragement to try something new but I do use attractive pictures and text on the website, and the colors and style of the packaging are also very important. My products have a very natural feel and I relate the teas to Zen, peace, and the fact that tea is good for the soul, mind, and body. Customers love my 'Mind and Soul' blend of Japanese sencha, lemon grass, jasmine petals, and tilo flowers" and Moroccan Souk, a mix of Chinese green tea, citrus perfumes, orange peel, juniper berries, and marigold petals." When Bisogno set up her company, Charming Blends, she had to "do a lot of promotion and education to let people know about leaf teas. At the beginning it was a challenge selling loose teas because many people were satisfied with their experi- ence enjoying teabags." "The introduction of spices, flowers and fruits in my tea blends allowed me to catch the attention of foodies and when people started discovering the subtleties and diversity to be found in leaf teas it was like a new trend: everybody would ask for leaf teas and sales started growing," she recalls. "Now there is a big demand for loose teas, and stores, teashops, and supermarkets sell quite a nice variety. Now, still some people come and say they only know teabags, but they have heard or read about leaf teas and they are open to try it. They usually fall in love with loose tea right away!" Other local brands selling imported specialty teas include Tealosophy, owned by Ines Berton who has two shops in Buenos Aires; Mary Kramer's Teeson which has one shop in Buenos Aires but is mainly a wholesaler of bulk teas imported from Germany; and Pablo Lorenzo's Tea Connection which owns several teahouses in Buenos Aires. There are also a number of small new companies (Govesi's Ummah Bends, An- drea Brenner's Tea Soul, Agustina Ramirez Bustos's Chai Hebra, etc.) recently set up by people who have trained with Victoria Bisogno at her Tea Sommelier course held in Buenos Aires and online. Challenges for the specialty market Despite the growing interest in specialty teas, it has not all been smooth sailing for tea companies in Argentina. According to Bisogno, "It is very difficult to import the teas and other ingredients I need for my blends. The authorities decide who is allowed a permit to import. I have a permit but I have to pay very high taxes and sometimes I have problems getting the teas in through customs. I need licenses and authorizations and it can sometimes take 6 months to get clearance and the teas just sit in customs. I have to fight all the time to get what I need into the country. A number of new small businesses have closed because it is so difficult to import tea. I'm sure that if it was easier to get imports into the country, the tea market would be 10 times bigger than it is today!" Genovesi's company "grew very fast for 7 months until I had to stop because imports of tea were blocked in Argentina. Luckily I had enough stock to last me until October 2013 and then I started again with stock I received in May this year." For Timos, Max Lucian explains: "Nowadays, due to new regulations, it is becom- Several specialty brands featuring locally processed teas have gained favor with Argentinian tea drinkers. Ummah Blends by specialty tea sommelier Virginia Genovesi in Buenos Aires.