Tea News and Biz Insight - February 26, 2021

NEWS HEADLINES – Retail Sales Thawed in January | Restaurant Reticence Persists | Kenya's Tea Export Earnings Surged in 2020 | Assam Increases Daily Wages by 30 Percent for Tea Workers.FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits London for a chat with David Veal about the European Speciality Tea Association’s newly launched training program for tea professionals… and we travel to India for a discussion on the future of handcrafted speciality and indigenous tea.Collaborative Training Program - The tea industry lacks a good, consistent, authoritative, recognized educational program that offers a universally acknowledged certification, writes ESTA's David Veal. Tea Biz asked what makes the association’s new training program unique? "The aspiration of our program is that not only knowledge and skills, but professionalism and passion will be stimulated by those participating in the program, and that the overall results will be an ability and desire to buy, brew, serve and promote better quality tea, and in so doing, educate consumers and encourage them to experiment with new and different teas," says Veal.Speciality and Indigenous Teas - India’s tea industry has for long, been about two types of tea, CTC and Orthodox. But in recent years, we are seeing the emergence of the specialty tea segment, which includes new tea types, and handmade and artisanal teas, and also wild and indigenous teas. Bengaluru-based Aravinda Anantharaman speaks with Parag Hatibarua, a tea consultant who works closely with these teas and their makers.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy