Sri Lanka Tea Board, International Tea Importers, QTrade Teas & Herbs Are Among Leading Tea Organizations at World Tea Expo This June

NEW YORK, May 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- World Tea Expo (#WorldTeaExpo or #WTE17), the leading tradeshow focused on advancing the business of tea, will feature the Sri Lanka Tea Board as the official Country of Origin Sponsor, International Tea Importers as the Lead Registration Sponsor, and QTrade Teas & Herbs as the Platinum Sponsor, in addition to more than 200 other leading tea organizations. An estimated 3,500 professionals from more than 20 countries will attend the conference and expo to see the latest tea products and gain knowledge on how to profit from tea. The B2B event takes place June 13 – 15, 2017 (with a pre-conference program on June 12) in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall. Registration and conference details are available at WorldTeaExpo.com.

"We're delighted to be the Country of Origin Sponsor of World Tea Expo 2017 in this, the 150th year of Ceylon Tea," said Rohan Pethiyagoda, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board. "World Tea Expo gives us an opportunity to share not just with the United States but the whole of the tea-drinking world, the variety, diversity and purity of Ceylon Tea, lovingly grown only in our 'Tea Island' of Sri Lanka. We encourage attendees of World Tea Expo to visit the Sri Lanka pavilion to discover the world of Ceylon Tea. And prepare to be uplifted."

The Sri Lanka Tea Board will exhibit, present an educational session, and be featured in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the World Tea Expo exhibit hall. The expo hours are: Tuesday, June 13 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Wednesday, June 14 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and Thursday, June 15 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Ambassador of Ceylon Tea for the United States and Canada, David DeCandia, also senior director of tea, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Los Angeles, Calif., said, "I'm very excited about representing Sri Lanka as their tea ambassador for the upcoming celebration of Ceylon Tea at World Tea Expo 2017. In addition, it's always great to see old friends at the event, who share the same passions as I do for tea."

Bhavin Shah, a World Tea Expo Advisory Council member who also leads new business development at Commerce, Calif.-based International Tea Importers, this year's Lead Registration Sponsor, said, "World Tea Expo is a must-attend event for tea professionals as well as buyers in vertical markets, such as retail and foodservice. The event brings together a vibrant community of industry leaders and trade professionals that are steering massive growth and sales in the North American marketplace and beyond. We're thrilled to once again be a top sponsor for this event, and we look forward to exploring the latest tea trends and hot topics with our colleagues from around the globe."

World Tea Expo Advisory Board Member Manjiv Jayakumar, president of Cerritos, Calif.-based QTrade Teas & Herbs, the event's Platinum Sponsor, said, "Innovation, education and the opportunity to network with passionate professionals across the supply chain makes World Tea Expo a critical event for the specialty tea industry. I expect 2017 to continue this tradition with an additional focus on sustainability."

Some of the other leading companies sponsoring World Tea Expo include: Bitaco Unique Colombian Tea, Dethlefsen & Balk, DMH Ingredients, Dobashien Co., Ltd., East Indies Coffee & Tea, Haelssen & Lyon, ITO EN, Kakegawa City Agricultural Coop, ME, Roobios Limited, Curtis, Finum, JETRO – Japan External Trade Organization, Tea's Etc., T-Sac, The Tea Spot, TQY Trading Company, Walters Bay, BUNN, Harney & Sons and Owl's Brew.

'The Most Consumed Packaged Beverage on the Planet'
Howard Telford, senior beverages analyst at market research provider Euromonitor International, who will present a World Tea Expo session titled, "Tea in 2021: Growth Markets, Key Drivers and Opportunities in the Global Beverage," noted, "Tea remains the most consumed packaged beverage on the planet and also the most versatile, with high value growth opportunities across regions, occasions, channels and styles of tea. Hot tea and iced tea are both categories responding to big changes in how we consume beverages – and consequently benefiting from an increasingly experimental global consumer that seeks natural ingredients, less sugar, bold flavors and new functional benefits. At World Tea Expo in June, I'm looking forward to trying some of the new, on-trend products on the show floor, as well as learning about some of the creative ways that tea is being sold.

Telford's "Tea in 2021" session, Wednesday, June 14 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., will utilize Euromonitor's unique global insights into the  total market size and growth of retail and foodservice tea sales, including hot and ready-to-drink iced tea, in 80 different markets. "We'll give a data-rich overview of the state of the tea industry," said Telford, whose session is just one of more than 70 Core Conference Sessions, Workshops and Focused Tastings at World Tea Expo.

Additional highlights of the educational topics at World Tea Expo include:

• Sri Lanka Presents: Pure Ceylon Tea / True Sustainability
• Sustainable Branding: What Aspects of Selling Tea Can Defy Generational Stereotypes?
• A Deep Dive into the Teas of India
• Taming Chinese Tea Names
• Rooibos, A Uniquely South African Story
• Hawaii a New Frontier for Tea Farmers
• Uncovering the Jewel of Korean Tea & the Dedication of Tea Masters
• Expanding Orthodox Tea with Purple Tea from Kenya
• The Future of Teas in the Himalayas
• Taiwan Oolong Cupping and Grading – Taking Your Knowledge to the Next Level
• Why Don't You Choose Japanese Organic Green Tea?
• An Exploration of Yerba Mate: South America's Energizing Botanical Wonder
• A Social History of Tea in The United Kingdom and The United States

World Tea Expo activities include: the World Tea Awards program (Wednesday, June 14), which celebrates the best and the brightest in the tea industry; the Best New Product Awards, which recognize the best new tea and related products from among the many exhibitors; the Global Tea Championship (formerly the North American Tea Championship) Winners Tasting Circle, where attendees taste and vote on award-winning teas; the World Origin Tasting Tour, an interactive and educational "tour" of some of the most important tea growing regions; the new World Tea Expo Networking Reception (Tuesday, June 13) and the Tea Business Boot Camp, an intensive, hands-on program that covers critical topics facing the tea entrepreneur.

Participants at World Tea Expo 2017 will represent: China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Paraguay, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, The United Kingdom, The United States and more.

To register for World Tea Expo today, or for additional information, visit WorldTeaExpo.com. And be sure to follow World Tea Expo on Twitter: @worldteamedia (#WorldTeaExpo or #WTE17).

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SOURCE World Tea Expo

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