Exhibitors' Comments

With a business history of 71 years, Tae Tea Group is a leading producer of quality Pu’er tea as well as red and green teas. The majority of our products are sold domestically and our export markets include Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea and Australia. We’ve established a strong distribution network with about 1,600 points of sales in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. This is the third year we’ve participated in the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. The fair is an excellent place to promote our brand internationally. We have met a large number of serious tea traders and exhibitors for fruitful exchanges. We’ve attracted very positive responses this year, with more than RMB200,000 worth of tea products traded shortly after the official opening of the fair.
Zhang Yongfu, Manager, Tae Tea Group, the Chinese mainland

Tea is a great resilient product in the world as everyone would like to have a good cup of tea. Our business is growing at a rate of 9 per cent for the current year. We always come up with new tea products for customers and develop the right products for the right markets. We work with different partners worldwide and the partnership with the Chinese mainland is progressing very well. The Hong Kong International Tea Fair has a fantastic diversity of exhibitors from all over the world. I am here as a key speaker for International Tea Industry Conference to share the story of R. Twinings with the world. I believe Hong Kong is a great place to do business. The fair is a good platform to show off our fine tea and for business development in the region.
Stephen Twining, Director of Corporate Relations, R. Twinings & Company Limited, United Kingdom

We strive to provide a good variety of high quality teas for customers. This is the third year we’ve exhibited in Hong Kong International Tea Fair. We have been very satisfied with the exhibition results. On top of the Founder’s Series and the Herbal Infusion Series released in the last two years, we are introducing the International Collection this time that comprises English breakfast tea, earl grey, Darjeeling green tea, Jasmine pearl white tea and Genmaicha. Buyers have expressed strong interest in our offerings. We’ve met a number of international buyers including those from Sri Lanka, Russia, Italy and USA, and some of them are ready to place orders. This is a well-managed and successful fair, and a great place to raise our profile internationally.
Nicholas Tung, President, World Essense Holdings Ltd, Hong Kong

This is our first exhibition in Hong Kong International Tea Fair. We are here introducing the popular South African herb teas such as Intaba Rooibos and Honeybush to the Asian market. In business since 1996, our company sells teas mainly to Europe, USA and Canada. We are now developing our presence in Asia, and that’s why we’ve come to Hong Kong. This is a lovely fair and the seminars have been wonderful. It’s very exciting to be here and we’ve met many serious buyers from different markets such as Hong Kong, Hungary, Denmark and Sri Lanka. So far, a Hong Kong buyer has already placed an order. We will certainly come back next year to expand our presence.
René Wolfaardt, Marketing and Sales Manager, Cape Natural Tea Products (Pty) Ltd., South Africa

Hankook is one of the top tea companies in Korea, having been in business for 60 years. Our products include green tea and herbal tea, and we are the only player to produce green tea powder in Korea. Hankook also runs 11 tea stores. This is our first exhibition in Hong Kong International Tea Fair to find international buyers. It offers a good channel for our overseas expansion as there are many traders from all over the world. We’ve established contacts with potential customers from USA, Australia and some European countries. I love the fair.
Seo Min Soo, Manager, Hankook Tea Co, Korea

Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth-largest tea producer with a share of about 10 per cent of the global tea production. We’re also the first country to produce ozone friendly Ceylon tea. This is the third year we’ve participated in the Hong Kong International Tea Fair and we’ve come with 12 leading Sri Lankan tea exporters. The Hong Kong market is a very important one for us. We see a continuous growth of tea import from Sri Lanka to Hong Kong. The fair provides a good platform for us to reach out to international buyers. It is professionally run and well organised, and we are happy with the services. Our businesses have met many potential buyers from different places of the world including Russia, Poland and the Chinese mainland.
Premala Srikantha, Assistant Director (Promotion), Sri Lanka Tea Board, Sri Lanka

This is our third-year participation in Hong Kong International Tea Fair. We’ve come with 20 tea enterprises from Guizhou Province to showcase our green tea, red tea and blended tea products. The fair provides an excellent platform to raise our profile and promote Guizhou teas to local and international buyers. It also enables us to reach many end-users in Hong Kong as the fair is open to the public and tea experts in the industry. This is now a must-attend event for our tea producers every year. It is our long-term strategy to exhibit in Hong Kong International Tea Fair.
Wang Yong Xin, Deputy Chief of Agricultural Cooperative Management Office, Agriculture Committee of Guizhou Province , the Chinese mainland

This is our third-year participation in the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. We’ve come with eight tea companies from India this year to promote our great variety of teas from Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiris. There is a great potential of growth for the trade of Indian teas to Hong Kong. This is a wonderful fair to promote tea trade and to interact with buyers from all over the world. At present, Indian teas’ export markets include Russia, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Iran, USA, Germany and UK. We are exploring new markets in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong is really a tea trading hub. The fair is very well organised and our booths are attracting a lot of interest.
Roshni Sen, Deputy Chairman, Tea Board of India, India

We have come with 20 tea companies from Fujian Province to showcase their products at the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. We offer a variety of tea products from organic tea to white tea and health-conscious tea. This is a fair with international appeal and that’s why we’re here to extend our reach to overseas buyers. We really appreciate the scale of exhibition and services provided, and hope to conclude more deals with serious buyers.
Ye Kailin, Deputy Director General, Ningde Bureau of Foregin Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Chinese mainland

Hong Kong International Tea Fair is a great marketing platform for us to raise the profile of Indonesian tea to global customers. This is our third-year participation in the fair. We’re very pleased with the exhibition results over the last two years. Our tea businesses have reaped significant benefits as the fair offers us a good opportunity to acquire new customers and sell tea products at better prices. After last two years’ exhibition, we’ve seen a continuous growth in tea exports. Our businesses are exporting six more containers of tea products a month to new customers in different countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. We will continue to exhibit in the Hong Kong International Tea Fair every year to promote our tea industry.
Dicky D. Soerjanatamihardja, Consul (Economic), The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesia

Founded in 2004, our company is a leading tea producer in Shandong Province. Our organic tea has a particularly strong sales presence in the northeastern part of the Chinese mainland. This is our first-time exhibition in Hong Kong International Tea Fair to promote our tea and our brand of Rizhao Bibo to overseas buyers. The fair has been professionally run with a number of international visitors. We’ve met with potential customers from different markets including France and Hong Kong. We will conduct further discussions with them to explore business development.
Li Huimin, Deputy Manager, Shandong Rizhao Bibo Tea Trade Co., Ltd., the Chinese mainland

A total of 30 companies from the city of Jinhua including over 10 tea producers have participated in Hong Kong International Tea Fair and the Food Expo this year. We take pride in the quality of our green tea and organic tea. At present, our tea products are mainly sold in the domestic market. We are taking advantage of the fair to expand our overseas sales. Last year, our companies secured a number of new customers from different places such as USA, Africa and Hong Kong. We expect to achieve positive sales again in 2011. We will continue to exhibit in Hong Kong International Tea Fair to build our international presence.
Wei Xiaohong, Vice Chairman, People's Government of Wuyi County, the Chinese mainland

Buyers' Comments

SCC is a distributor of natural foods and tea products in Malaysia and Singapore. This is my first visit to Hong Kong International Tea Fair as well as Food Expo. It’s great to be able to attend the two fairs at the same time. I am here looking for natural foods and organic tea products. Further discussions will be conducted with several tea exhibitors from Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. I expect to conclude some deals with them. The experience has been incredible here. I will definitely come again next year.

Joseph Tan, Group Executive Director, SCC Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

In business for 15 years, Euro te is a tea distributor in Mexico. This is the first time we’ve visited the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. We are very impressed with the fair. The scale of exhibition is bigger than our expectation, with so many exhibitors from different parts of the world. We are particularly interested in green tea and white tea, and hope to find some new suppliers at the fair. In Mexico, people don’t like strong tea so subtle tea is more popular. Demand for Chinese tea is growing steadily. We will visit the Hong Kong International Tea Fair again to enrich our merchandise.
Magnus Jönsson, Director, Euro te, Mexico

Misr is a leading government company in Egypt. We import and export a great variety of goods. Since 1958, we’ve been dealing in the trade of tea. We mainly import black tea from India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Indonesia. In Egypt, people like to drink black tea but the popularity of green tea is growing. This year, we are here looking for suppliers of green tea to meet market demand. The Hong Kong International Tea Fair is a good place to meet people and establish trust with them. We’ve found two potential suppliers from the Chinese mainland at the fair. Further discussions will be conducted and we will consider placing up to 100 tonnes of green tea from team later.
Mahmoud El Nahas, Head, Import Sector, Misr Import & Export Co., Egypt

Bell Tea & Coffee Company has a history of over 100 years specialising in tea and coffee businesses. Tea accounts for about 60 per cent of our business and we maintain a 45 per cent share in the New Zealand market. This is the second time we’ve visited the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. I am here looking for black tea, green tea as well as packaging and tea ware. I really enjoy my time here to meet and interact with people in the industry. The fair is well organised and it allows me to learn more about Chinese tea. Through the effective business matching service provided by HKTDC, I’ve identified four potential suppliers from India and the Chinese mainland, and we will consider placing orders for black and green teas with them after the fair.
Lynne Banks, Sales Director, New Zealand & International, Bell Tea & Coffee Company Ltd, New Zealand

Tazo is a tea brand within Starbucks. Our teas are prepared for all the 17,000 Starbucks coffee stores worldwide. We also offer localised-type teas to meet the preferences of individual markets such as Japan, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong International Tea Fair is a good fair. It has a good cross-section of tea traders here. I am visiting the fair to find more Chinese tea suppliers. The fair really provides an opportunity to explore potential business, and I've met some of our existing suppliers from India and the mainland here. I've found a potential supplier of Chinese green tea and it is possible to make some deals between us. It’s been also interesting to have the chance to meet and interact with different international tea players here.
Keith Hutjens, Director, Tea Procurement, Tazo Tea, USA

Our fine teas are sourced from suppliers and wholesalers globally. We have teas blended and packed in our patented and uniquely-designed ‘tea sticks’ for sale to different markets including Canada, Portugal and Brazil. This year, I am here looking for suppliers of Oolong tea and I appreciate very much the business matching service provided by HKTDC. This is a great fair with a good concentration of exhibitors from different parts of the world. It’s well organised with very helpful and friendly staff.
Anurag Gupta, CEO, Sunshine Tea, India

Honest Tea has been in business for 13 years. We are a bottled tea and beverages business owned by the Coca-Cola Company, selling a wide range of products including black tea, green tea, oolong tea, jasmine tea and white tea. Domestic sales account for the majority of our business but we are expanding our export sales. This is our first visit to the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. Everything looks nice here and the fair keeps me abreast of the trends in the world’s tea industry. We always look for new sources and hope to find some new suppliers of organic tea at the fair.
Sue Mounts, Director of Supply Chain, Honest Tea, USA

Uni-President Enterprises Corp. is a leading food conglomerate in Taiwan. This is my first-ever visit to the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. I am deeply impressed with the scale of the exhibition. In particular, the fair features a large number of quality tea producers from different parts of the Chinese mainland such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. I am very interested in the production of organic tea that presents tremendous opportunities for growth in future as consumers are increasingly health-conscious. The fair allows me to learn so much more about the market trends in the tea industry.
Su Kun Lu, Manager, Tea R&D Division, Uni-President Enterprises Corp., Taiwan

Our company specialises in the import and export of Chinese tea, and we buy directly from our Chinese mainland suppliers. This is my first visit to the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. It’s an eye-opening experience for me as the fair features a diversity of exhibitors and teas from all over the world. Besides Chinese teas, I’ve found some Korean teas that may appeal to our customers. I will pursue further discussions with 10 exhibitors from the Chinese mainland and Korea for the supply of teas and tea ware. I will definitely visit the fair again next year.
Yan Donghai, Manager, Yan Import & Export, Germany

Tea for You is a boutique tea importer and shop in Dubai. We offer over 100 different types of tea from around the world. This is the first time we’ve come to Hong Kong International Tea Fair to source merchandise. We are looking for premium tea with special appeal to our customers. Quality is also a key consideration. Customers are very demanding today and they would like to know more about new tea products. We are trying to expanding our variety of tea. We will place orders when we find the right suppliers here.
Alexandra Kalinina, Manager, Tea for You, UAE