About me
I Joined the Tea Industry in 1991 as a Trainee Tea Taster at Lyons Tetley in London to begin a 5-year apprenticeship toward a career in tea procurement. We would regularly cup up to 1,000 teas per day. Spent 14 months living and working in countries of origin including Malawi, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and India to develop further expertise as a tea taster and buyer.
I subsequently held senior positions at Tetley covering tea/fruit and herbal buying, blending, and product development.
In 1999 I moved to New Jersey to take up the position of Director of Tea Trading for James Finlay. I had responsibility for the sale of bulk tea from producers in all major tea growing origins into International brands, national/regional brands, and private label tea packers in North America.
In 2003 I joined Martin Bauer USA as President and CEO with responsibility for the sale of Martin Bauer Group ingredients in North America covering fruit and herbal ingredients, tea, decaffeinated tea, flavored tea, and tea/botanical extracts for the food and beverage industries, as well as standardized botanical powders and extracts for the dietary supplement and pharmaceutical industries.
In 2015 I acquired Meridian Trading Company and relocated with the family to Boulder CO. Since 1984 Meridian has been involved in the supply of botanical ingredients from origin countries to International brands, national/regional brands, and private label packers across North America in both the tea and brewery markets.
