World Tea Expo 2025

You will taste the six types of tea and learn evaluation and preparation techniques drawn from Kyle Stewart's creative collaborations with renowned chefs, sommeliers, sensory evaluation scientists, and worldwide tea experts.

You'll learn:

• What Is and Isn’t Tea
• A Brief History of Tea
• How are Tasting Tea and Tasting Wine Similar and Different 
• What are the factors that make each tea type look and taste different
• Using Sensory Memory to Taste Tea

Plus sample six types of teas:

• White Category
• Green Category
• Yellow Category
• Oolong Category
• Black Category
• Pu’er Category

Unlock the secrets to successful tea marketing with an exclusive workshop hosted by the Boulder Tea Company. Join Sara Stewart Martinelli, owner and master tea blender, and Nathan Pulley, Director of Operations, as they share their expertise in both print and digital marketing. This hands-on workshop will cover everything you need to know to elevate your tea business.
Learn how to craft compelling stories and engaging content that highlight the unique qualities of your teas. Sara and Nathan will guide you through the nuances of traditional print marketing as well as effective strategies for digital platforms. Discover the art of tea photography, from lighting and composition to styling and editing, ensuring you capture the beauty of your tea products in every shot. Additionally, build a strong, recognizable brand that resonates with your target audience through branding techniques that create a cohesive and appealing brand identity across all marketing channels.
This workshop is ideal for tea business owners and entrepreneurs, marketing professionals in the tea industry, aspiring tea brand creators, and anyone passionate about tea and eager to learn more about marketing.

Years of inflation at the grocery store has made it harder that ever to convince consumers to pay extra for value-added attributes. How can premium tea navigate such a challenging environment and convince consumers to spend on high-quality tea when they are watching every dollar? In this session, we will look at what the rise in grocery prices has done to consumer mindsets and shopping patterns in the last few years and then describe the strategies that are working in the premium space: Leading with wellness, embracing “Little Treat Culture”, and targeting the luxury segment. Description: The attendees at the expo tend to be selling tea that is higher-quality and they all face a real challenge from consumers very frustrated with inflation and turning to mass brands, private labels, etc. This is true even if the Federal Reserve does bring inflation back down to 2% by the Expo because what consumers are reacting to is not inflation but price levels (it’s not that things are getting more expensive, it is that they have gotten more expensive and the reference point for what things “should cost” remains that of 2019). Of course, it is still possible for value-added categories to succeed and tea basically has three options. The first is wellness, because data indicates where consumers are willing to spend extra their top choice is wellness because it is “investing in themselves” and so makes financial sense even in tough times. The second is “Little Treat Culture” or what in traditional economic terminology is known as the “Lipstick Effect” or the idea that if budgets are stretched, people turn to small, affordable splurges to make themselves feel better. The third is to appeal to consumers whose incomes are high enough they do not really feel the sting of inflation, who are not numerous but who do have high spending power. The idea of this presentation is to lay out the consumer mindset as it currently stands and then take them through the routes where premium tea can succeed, with the idea the attendees will figure out which path makes the most sense for their own brand given its positioning.

You will better understand how consumers:

• currently shop for food and beverage products
• under what circumstances they will pay more for higher-quality teas  
• what strategies might work for them specifically to appeal to consumers in this environment

This session aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to understand tea supply contracts. Participants will gain practical insights into key contract components, risk mitigation strategies, and negotiation techniques, all of which are essential for ensuring successful and sustainable tea business operations.

 When it comes to starting an online tea business there is much to consider as you get started such as: 

• How much do I have to invest in this business? 
• Who will my target customers be? 
• How do I find reputable suppliers who can work with me to scale my business? 
• Where will I sell my products? 
• What prices will I charge for the products I sell? 
• Who are my competitors? 
• When can I expect to become profitable? 
• Why should I consider selling on Amazon? 
• Should I sell loose leaf tea or tea bags? 
• What packaging options work best? 
• How do I secure the best shipping costs? 

It is important to get answers to these questions and many other questions that arise as you move through the process of starting an online tea business. 
In my presentation I will provide answers to the above questions and share with you my Top 10 Ways to Build a High Profit Online Tea Business. 

Statements on your label can (and should) showcase how amazing your product is. However, certain claims can run afoul of labeling laws and regulations (which are enforced by government agencies such as the FDA), or can expose your company to the risk of being sued by competitors or class action lawyers who claim that your label is inaccurate or otherwise misleading.
Session Take-Aways
 

• The various types of claims (nutrient content, health, structure-function claims) and the importance of making permissible labeling claims.
• “High Risk” claims - Labelling claims to avoid and claims that should be made with caution (for example: “all natural,” “Manufactured in the USA,” “Antioxidant-rich,” and “No added sugar”).
• The increased focus on environmental factors – heavy metals, PFAS, etc. – and federal and state laws on claims like biodegradable, compostable, and “free of”
• Strategies for proactively protecting your business against unnecessary legal distractions relating to labelling claims that can hurt your bottom line and brand reputation.