Brian R. Keating, who made countless contributions to the tea industry and passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 2, will be honored with a memorial at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. The Celebration of Oolong honoring Brian, will take place at the teahouse on October 7, 2018 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Several types of Oolong, which was Keating’s favorite tea, will be served along with a light afternoon tea. The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is located at 1770 13th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302.
Everyone is welcome, but please RSVP with Faith Bailes at faith.bailes@informa.com if you are not on the shared drive and plan to attend. Faith sent out announcements on Monday, September 17 via Evite, Facebook and LinkedIn. Those who did not receive one should email her directly.
Keating also was a longtime listener of KEXP, a public radio station in Seattle, Washington. Attendees will have the option of donating to the radio station, which will hold an annual remembrance on his birthday each year and honor his love of music.
Additionally, donations to a legacy fund can be made at GoFundMe. Funds will finance memorials and assist his family with the closure of his estate, if needed. The remainder will go towards KEXP.
Keating was a lifelong tea lover and his professional contributions were diverse and impactful. Initially, he was a specialty tea purveyor as owner of the TeaCup tea shop in Seattle. He then provided valuable industry insights in his Specialty Tea is “Hot” reports, and later formulated tea blends for Whole Foods Market at its subsidiary, Allegro Coffee Co. Most recently, as the founder of Sage Group, he provided forecasting and trend analysis pertaining to developments in the tea industry and tea products.