Tea and Herbal Association of Canada and Tea Association of the USA, Inc. wrap up Ninth Annual North American Tea Conference

Toronto, Ontario, Canada The Tea and Herbal Association of Canada and the Tea Association of the USA, Inc., held their annual North American Tea Conference the last week of September in Niagara Falls, Canada. The conference ran from Sept. 25-27 with 150 attendees representing 10 different countries. This was the first event hosted by THAC’s new President, Shabnam Weber, and by all accounts was a huge success. The agenda covered a wide range of speakers and, as always, provided attendees with an excellent opportunity to network, brainstorm and promote the North American tea industry. Two important competitions are held annually at NATC, the Gold Medal Tea Competition and the Sustainability Awards.

The Gold Medal Tea Competition judges original teas submitted for tasting and evaluation. The number of teas vary from year to year, with this year having brought in more than 40 samples representing nine countries. Judges represent all parts of the industry – importers, packers & specialty, and evaluate teas based on leaf dry, leaf wet, appearance, flavor and overall impact. The Sustainability Awards are in its third year and saw some changes in judging and structure as entrants were asked to make submissions within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The industry celebrated all submissions, noting exceptional work being done in various areas.

• Gold Medal Winner
• Sustainability Awards finalists and description of initiatives

For more information about tea and the Canadian tea industry, please visit www.tea.ca. About the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada The Tea and Herbal Association of Canada is the leading authority and industry voice on all things tea in Canada and represents members from bush to cup. We provide proactive leadership in the areas of advocacy, generic promotion, education and information in order to ensure the long-term viability of the tea industry. We serve as the number one source of information, research about tea and offer the only TEA SOMMELIER® Certification program in Canada (delivered through colleges and online). We are passionate about tea and dedicated to increasing awareness of quality tea and its health benefits to Canadians. Visit www.tea.ca for more information, Like our page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. For more information, please contact: Shabnam Weber President Tea and Herbal Association of Canada [email protected] 416-510-8647 About the Tea Association of the USA, Inc. The Tea Association of the USA, Inc. was founded in 1899 as a trade association, formed to protect the interests of the tea trade in the United States. It has functioned in this capacity for over 100 years using the same system of management: paid staff people working at the direction of a volunteer board of directors. Presently, the Tea Association consists of approximately 100 members representing about 85 - 90% of all the tea that is imported and traded within the United States. The primary goal of the Tea Association is to represent the interests of its members on all matters of potential concern. The Tea Association also disseminates information and assists members in answering questions about the industry and in resolving any problems that they may encounter. Membership affords the opportunity to keep abreast of the latest tea trends and keep up-to-date on important governmental matters. Visit www.teausa.org or www.stitea.org for further information Contact: Peter F. Goggi President [email protected] 212-986-9415