What’s Brewing? – REDAVIA and Menengai Farmers Ltd, Guinness World Record for ZAIN TEA, philanthroTEA, Bubble Tea

“What’s Brewing?” is a World Tea News round-up of recent happenings, news and factoids from the global tea industry.

Here’s what’s notable:

REDAVIA Helps Kenyan Tea Farm Become Solar

REDAVIA, a leader of cost-effective and clean solar power for businesses, deployed its first solar farm in Kenya for Menengai Farmers Ltd tea farm in Tigoni.

For the first 20 years of its operations, Menengai Farmers Ltd successfully grew tea without any large electrical demands. However, in the mid-‘80s, weather patterns in Tigoni changed and required the installation of an irrigation system. As the tea farm and irrigation system have grown, so have Menengai Farmer Ltd’s energy needs, putting a strain on their operational budget.

Menengai Farmers Ltd turned to REDAVIA for a cost-efficient solution. REDAVIA provides solar energy under a flexible lease contract, enabling Menengai Farmers Ltd to reduce costs and increase their operational flexibility.

Designed for maximum ease, REDAVIA’s contract also includes installation, maintenance and 24/7 technical monitoring. REDAVIA’s onsite engineers deployed the solar ground mount unit at the Menengai Farmers Ltd site. After a smooth deployment and early operation period, both parties are already planning to scale up the solar farm with a second phase of energy storage, allowing for independence from the national grid.

“We are happy to have found a company to manage the electrical costs of our irrigation system,” said Gideon Katiku, farm manager of Menengai Farmers Ltd. “The savings we make with REDAVIA will allow us to continue to grow our farm.”

Erwin Spolders, CEO and founder of REDAVIA, noted, “Solar power reduces costs, generating savings that can be reinvested into the business, while also reducing the carbon footprint of the business. It’s a win-win scenario.”

Menengai Farmers Ltd was incorporated in 1964 and lies on 320 acres of land. The company specializes in the mass farming of tea leaves, which are then delivered to Maramba Tea Factory (a subsidiary of Menengai Farmers Ltd) for processing and packaging and sold to both local and export markets.

To learn more about REDAVIA solar power, visit RedaviaSolar.com.

Guinness World Record for Zain Tea

On July 17, 2020, Zain Tea – a beverage shop in Shanghai – achieved a Guinness World Record Title by selling 10,942 cups of cheese tea in 12 hours. According to source familiar with the industry, Zain Tea’s new sales record led Heytea’s top record by 6,000 cups, setting a new world record of beverage sales by a Chinese brand. The person who made this happen was 23-year-old Li Shuxuan, founder of Zain Tea. In early 2019, Li developed an intelligent tea abstracting system, which reduced the labor cost of a single beverage shop from 30 percent to 8 to 10 percent. Li said the invention has drawn interest from investors and she is now filing for national patent certification. While Zain Tea has experienced some challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has witnessed a big bump in its daily sales recently. At the end of June, its average daily sales hit more than 5,000 cups.

Visit ZainTea.com to learn more.

Global Bubble Tea Industry Outlook 2020-2027

The "Bubble Tea Market by Base Ingredient, Flavor and Component: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027" report was released by ResearchAndMarkets.com. According to the report, the bubble tea market size was valued at $2.4 billion in 2019 and is estimated to reach $4.3 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 7.8 percent from 2020 to 2027. In 2019, the black tea segment accounted for more than half of the share in the total bubble tea market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5 percent throughout the forecast period. North America is one of the prominent regions in the market that accounted for a sizeable share of the total market in 2019.

According to the research firm, “The global bubble tea market has witnessed significant growth over the years and is expected to grow at a steady pace and helps to grow the bubble tea market size during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the growing health awareness and rise in adoption of bubble tea, owing to its health benefits and popularity among health-conscious consumers and young generation.”

For more information about this report, visit ResearchandMarkets.com.

Insights on the Global Tea Market

Technavio, a leading global technology research and advisory company, predicts the global tea market to grow steadily at a CAGR of almost 5 percent by 2024.

One of the primary drivers of the market, according to the firm, is the health benefits associated with consuming tea and the increased consumption of tea worldwide. Also, vendors in the market are expanding their product lines by launching new and innovative products. In addition, the company says that changing demographics, expanding middle-class population and rising urbanization are providing significant growth opportunities for market players. All these factors are propelling the growth of the global tea market.

To learn more, visit Technavio.com. You can also download a free sample of the report here.

philanthroTEA Donates 20 Percent of Profits

Chicago-based tea company, philanthroTEA, is donating 20 percent of profits from the sale of each blend to organizations who are dedicated to making our world a better place for generations to come. All loose-leaf tea blends are certified USDA organic, kosher and non-GMO. Blends include:

  • anxieTEA:organic peppermint lavender, supports mental health awareness organizations
  • ecoTEA:organic caffeine-free chai spice, supports environmental organizations
  • kinderTEA:organic chamomile spice, supports pediatric cancer organizations
  • pawsativiTEA:organic peach mango black tea, supports animal welfare organizations

In addition to eco-friendly, loose-leaf blends, philanthroTEA provides consumers with eco-friendly steeping accessories as well.

Learn more at Philanthrotea.com.

- Aaron Kiel, World Tea News