World Tea Expo 2025

Tea Business Incubator is for anyone interested in starting a tea business or wanting more business insight about the tea industry.  We cover the business of tea, it is strongly suggested that for the basics of tea, you attend our Tea Primer on Sunday, March 24, 2025.
8:00am - 8:15am - Daniel Lewis - Introduction

8:15am - 9:15am - Stijn Van Schoonlandt - 
Unlocking the Future of Tea Storytelling with Generative AI
Are you ready to revolutionize the way you create video content about your passion and story around tea? Join us for an enlightening talk where we dive into the cutting-edge world of generative AI together with Stijn Van Schoonlandt who is supporting a large part of his business with different AI tools.
In this talk, you'll discover:

• Scriptwriting with AI: Learn how to utilize generative AI tools to craft engaging and dynamic video scripts that captivate your audience.
• Automated Video Generation: Explore the process of transforming your AI-generated script into a high-quality video with just a few clicks.
• Voice Over Mastery: Experience the seamless integration of AI text-to-speech technology to add professional voiceovers to your videos.
• Insights in creating your digital twin : curious to find out how you could possibly clone yourself? Let’s discover together what are the limits.

But that's not all—this is an interactive session! You'll receive a hands-on assignment to create your own video about the expo, applying the techniques you've learned. Showcase your creativity and technical prowess, and the most outstanding video will be awarded an incredible prize at the end of the conference.
Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your tea storytelling skills and be at the forefront of digital innovation. Join us and embark on a journey to mastering generative AI in video creation!

9:30am - 10:15am - Mark Arathoon -  Building Your Brand: 6 Reasons to Work with a Contract Manufacturer
Building your brand and partner with a contract manufacturer or fundamentals of contract manufacturing: contract manufacturing helps tea companies optimize resources, enhance product quality, and stay competitive in a dynamic market. A few of the pillars of why brands look to outsource their manufacturing to a third party.

1. Cost Efficiency: By outsourcing production, companies can avoid the high costs of establishing and maintaining manufacturing facilities. This allows them to leverage the expertise and infrastructure of contract manufacturers.
2. Expertise and Quality: Contract manufacturers often specialize in tea processing and have established expertise, which can enhance product quality and consistency.
3. Scalability: Businesses can easily scale production up or down based on demand without the need for significant investment in additional resources or equipment.
4. Focus on Core Competencies: Companies can concentrate on other critical areas such as marketing, branding, and distribution while leaving the production to specialized experts.
5. Innovation and Flexibility: Contract manufacturers can offer advanced processing techniques and flexibility in production schedules, enabling companies to quickly adapt to market trends and introduce new products.
6. Risk Management: Outsourcing production can reduce the risks associated with operational disruptions, such as equipment failures or supply chain issues, as these responsibilities are managed by the contract manufacturer.

10:30am - 11:15am -Dean Jablon - Pricing Your Products For Success
Understanding your product pricing is one of the most important facets of your business.
You will learn how to:

• Position your products to command the highest price possible.
• Target specific high profit customer groups.
• Upsell multiple products with each order to increase revenue.
• Offer tiered pricing discounts and other incentives.
• Capture customer feedback and offer value propositions.

11:15an - 12:15pm: Lunch

12:15pm - 1:00pm - Dale Willerton -  13 Costly Mistakes Tea Shop Tenants Make Negotiating New Leases & Renewals
The Lease Coach presents this session for both start-up tea shop entrepreneurs and existing tenants. Learn the 13 costly mistakes tenants make in the leasing process and what never to say or do in the leasing process. Find out how to negotiate for free rent, tenant allowance money, no deposits or personal guaranty’s, including site selection tips and must hear lease renewal do’s and don’ts.  How to effectively manage landlord and broker relationships so you stay in control and pay the lowest possible rental rate.  All session attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the book Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES authored by the presenter Dale Willerton, The Lease Coach.

1:15pm - 2:00pm - Luke Cahill - Winning on the Shelf
How do you win in increasingly crowded, ever changing categories? What are the core keys to success to make sure your brand and package stands out? - How can you leverage and/or overcome category realities in a crowded space? - How do shoppers make decisions in the First Moment of Truth? What can you do to make sure your brand is chosen over competition? How do you become the go-to non-conscious choice for shoppers?

2:15pm - 3:00pm - CJ Sugita-Jackson - Creating Immersive Tea Experiences: From Ceremony to Themed
CJ will guide attendees through designing & executing captivating tea ceremonies and immersive themed events. By integrating entertainment and immersive opportunities, businesses can offer unique experiences that address growing consumer interest in the immersive food & beverage industries.

3:15pm - 4:00pm - Billy Dietz - Mastering Supplier Relations in the Tea Industry: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started.
This session provides essential guidance on establishing and maintaining successful relationships with your tea supplier, wholesaler, or blender. Learn how to effectively engage with suppliers as a new customer, including the key questions to ask and the inquiries you should be prepared to answer. Gain insights into fostering long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships that will support your business growth and ensure a consistent supply of high-quality tea.

4:15pm - 5:00pm - Q &A

As the trend for non-alcoholic beverages grows, café and tea business owners have a golden
opportunity to enhance their offerings and appeal to a more educated and health-conscious clientele. Join Dr. CJ Sugita-Jackson, a Certified Nutritionist, Master Herbalist, and expert tea blender, for an engaging workshop designed to elevate your drink menu and boost your business.
"Mastering the Art of Mocktails: Boost Your Business with Innovative Drink Menus" is tailored for businesses without a liquor license but eager to tap into the lucrative mocktail market. This session will provide you with the knowledge and inspiration to create a premium, high-priced mocktail menu that draws in discerning customers seeking sophisticated, non-alcoholic options.
Key highlights include:

• Understanding Your Audience: Learn how to identify and cater to the preferences of health-conscious and sophisticated consumers.
• Menu Design Principles: Discover the secrets to creating a balanced and appealing mocktail menu, incorporating seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients to elevate your offerings.
• Live Mocktail Demonstrations: Watch Dr. Sugita-Jackson demonstrate several innovative mocktail recipes, and enjoy tasting these unique creations to inspire your menu development.
• Marketing Strategies: Gain insights into effective marketing techniques, including social media tips and influencer collaborations, to attract a high-value customer base.
• Physical Takeaways: Leave with recipe cards, ingredient lists, and other takeaways to kickstart your mocktail offerings.

Whether you’re a café owner or tea shop manager, this workshop will provide actionable strategies to enhance your business and delight your customers with premium non-alcoholic beverages.

a Crémant: Redefining Luxury in Non-Alcoholic Gastronomy
Tea-based RTDs are redefining the non-alcoholic wine category, offering a sophisticated alternative that preserves the complexity and indulgence of fine wines while seamlessly integrating into the refined atmosphere of high-end dining and hospitality. With their carefully crafted complexity, layered flavors, and elegant textures, tea crémants provide a premium experience that appeals to discerning guests. Their wellness-driven appeal, rich in antioxidants and low in sugar, aligns with the growing demand for health-conscious indulgence. Perfectly suited for food pairings, curated menus, and elevated beverage programs, tea crémants bring innovation to the forefront of luxury dining and hospitality, offering a unique way to enhance the guest experience and set establishments apart.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Beyond Dealcoholization: A New Approach
   
2. Elevating Non-Alcoholic Beverages Without Imitation
   
3. Meeting the Growing Demand for Sophisticated Options
   
4. Tea as a Terroir-Driven Beverage
   
5. A New Chapter for Tea in the Culinary World
   

Since the late 90s tea taster Kevin Gascoyne of Camellia Sinensis has been selling teas, consulting start-ups, creating tea-menus and developing training programs for the hospitality industry.   From the Ma and Pa corner café to the elaborate curated collections of Michelin star restaurants and everything in between.  He explores the romance and realities, the complexities and logistics of serving good tea in a spectrum of hospitality settings.

Takeaways:

1. Realistic Tea Service Plans
2. How to Up Your Service Game
3. Essential Elements of a Good Tea Menu

China, the cradle and “motherland” of tea, boasts a long history and profound culture of tea planting, processing, and drinking. Throughout this development, our diligent and wise ancestors continuously invented new techniques for tea planting, processing, and brewing.
The most authentic and traditional Chinese teas are categorized into six basic types, known as the “Six Major Tea Categories” by tea professionals. As market demand continues to grow, it is essential to educate tea merchants, professionals, and our expanding community of tea drinkers about these categories. Through this forum at the tea expo, we aim to clarify misconceptions and correct misunderstandings regarding tea types, business practices, and consumption.
In the West, consumers are generally familiar with green tea, black tea, and Pu-erh tea. However, following recent trends in Chinese tea culture, more people are becoming aware of white tea and oolong tea. Each of these major categories includes representative and renowned subcategories, which will be a key topic of our discussions.
Additionally, different types of tea are produced through various processing methods, each requiring specific brewing techniques.

Three Takeaways: 
1. Brief History of Tea Drinking.
2. China’s authentic and traditional basic categories of teas—six major tea categories: Green tea, White tea, Yellow tea, Oolong tea, Black tea, Dark tea.
3. Brewing methods for different teas—water temperature, tea amount, brewing/steeping time.

Alcoholic Tea Beverages
In the evolving landscape of the beverage industry, understanding consumer preferences is key to staying ahead. This presentation dives deep into the intricate world of consumer drivers that shape beverage choices by exploring three main drivers: health, psychological drivers, and flavor trends.
Health drivers are increasingly influencing consumer choices, with a growing demand for beverages that offer functional benefits, such as low-calorie options, fortified drinks, and alcohol alternatives. We will analyze how health-conscious trends are reshaping the market and driving innovation in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic segments.
Psychological drivers, including the role of emotional connections and social influences, play a significant role in beverage preferences. This section will examine how brand perception, marketing strategies, and consumer experiences shape purchasing decisions and loyalty. Flavor drivers remain a cornerstone of consumer satisfaction. By exploring emerging flavor trends, their origins, and consumer drivers, this presentation will highlight how unique and diverse flavor profiles can captivate consumers and create lasting impressions. Attendees will gain actionable insights into leveraging these consumer drivers to develop strategies that cater to evolving preferences, ensuring success in both retail and food service settings.
 
Objectives:  
• Investigate emerging flavor trends, showcasing how innovative and diverse flavor profiles can captivate and retain customers
• Explore the psychological drivers, including emotional connections and social influences to understand how they shape consumer behavior
• Analyze how health-conscious trends are influencing consumer preferences for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages