Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/716988
70 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2016 (August/September) plantations occupy 137 hectares," said agronomist Voronin. The company could harvest as much as 700 MT. With an increase in production, the next challenge is to modernize processing and reopen tea factories. It is very important that the processing capacities be located near the plantations, because fast delivery and processing preserves the most useful properties of tea leaves. "During the season growers begin their work day at 5.30 a.m. By 8 a.m. the first tea harvested is already at the factory, where it is immediately processed using Japanese equipment. That eve- ning we give the finished tea to the packing shop. The night shift packs the tea and by morning it is already on its way to the grocery shelves," said Voronin. Only 20% of the lands used to grow tea during the Soviet remains in agricultural use. Reclaim- ing this land is impossible in some instances, and prohibitively expensive. "During the past two decades the cost of land here has risen nearly seven times. We do not actually own it," explain representatives from Adler Chai. Tea companies are leasing for the most part from officials who are tempted to take our land for other more lucrative projects," according to representatives of Adler Chai. "Tea company directors have to bow down at the feet of officials regularly asking them to not take our land and keep it for the growing of tea," confirms Konstantin Turshu, adding that this has resulted in legal threats, trials and thousands of fines, but so far tea companies manage to keep their land." A new niche Turshu maintains that the secret for success at his facility is organic tea production. In the years to come he hopes to steer the company toward a new niche — tea export. "For the past five years, we have not used any fertilizer except organic (typically cow and bird droppings) which we add to the soil," he explained. "Our experience proves that organic fertilizers can be as efficient as mineral [fertilizers]," he said. He is optimistic. Matsesta Chai increased its production by 30% and introduced new advanced technologies. Several companies joined together to form the Association of Tea Manufacturers of Krasnodar Krai and named Konstantin Turshu to head the new organization. "We are united to a larger-scale in order to better represent all our companies, as Krasnodar tea. We try to make a delicious product, save jobs and land for agricultural use too," says Julia Konkova, deputy director general at Dagomys Cha. One of the key tasks of the new organization is to promote export opportunities. At the moment, Krasnodar tea is only available in several cities in southern and central Russia. However, Turshu expects to change this situation by declaring the association's intention of export ing Russian tea to England and China. "Our tea won at the Shanghai Expo last year, and Matsesta Chai has entered The Guild of Fine Food in Britain. Recently we began receiving first offers. We believe that we are ready, since winning in China - that is worth something!" he exclaimed. Kirillova, spokesperson of Agriculture Ministry of Krasnodar Krai said that at the moment there are still relatively few manufacturers in the world producing organic tea. "We have studied the world market and with an advertising campaign and the combined efforts of our producers, we believe Krasnodar tea could really be successful in the international market," she said. "The unique taste will be a welcome surprise for the foreign tea-lovers," she said. Sochi produces 300 to 350 metric tons of tea per year Gurchumelia said his company has already invested $500,000 to ramp up production, and will pour in another $300,000 next year. Bio Universal's teas are already available in boutique tea shops in Tbilisi as well as in Los Angeles and Chicago; they'll be sold in New York as well later this year. I asked Gurchumelia if tea can really come back stronger than ever. "Maybe one day," he said, "especially if the govern- ment continues giving additional grants." To that end, Davitashvili — the deputy agriculture minister — said some farmers now grow hazelnuts, kiwis and other profitable crops where tea bushes once flourished. In the Samegrelo region, he said, most tea plantations were substi- tuted with hazelnuts. "But we still have places where plan- tations can be restored easily without waiting six or seven years and we see in- ternational potential in terms of market- ing," said the agriculture minister, adding that "there's a lot of interest from Chi- nese producers, because they see we have an excellent climate for tea production. This is the northernmost subtropical area where we don't have plant diseases, so there's no need for pesticides. And as there has been no intensive cultivation for years, we have the potential to pro- duce organic tea — a product demanded by the Chinese market." In the beginning, he said Georgia will focus on domestic sales as well as exports to fellow ex-Soviet republics like Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Later, it will move on to other markets like Mongo- lia and China, with generous technical assistance from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture — a rather fitting tribute to China's Lao Junzhou, who helped get Georgia's tea industry got off the ground more than 120 years ago. Larry Luxner, news editor of The Wash- ington Diplomat, is a regular contributor to STiR. A field worker displays freshly plucked tea leaves at the Nagomari plantation east of Batumi.