• Evolution of coffee labelling
• Profile: Mariage Freres
• Who’s accountable when loss occurs?
• Shedding light on dark teas
• Special report: Colombia part II

The post September 2014 appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Spotlight: The Netherlands
• Decaf Coffee • Labelling • RTD Tea • Single Serve • Tea
as a Commodity
• Tea & Coffee World Cup: Pre-Show Report
• Origin Highlight: South Korea (Tea)
Bonus Show Distribution: SCA World of Coffee
• World Tea Expo

The post June 2018 appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Spotlight: Sustainability
• Decaf Coffee • Food & Beverage Licensing • Global Tea
Market Report • Logistics & Warehousing
• Roasting/Grinding/Processing Technology
Bonus Show Distribution: ECRM Coffee, Tea &
Cocoa EPPS

The post February 2018 appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Independent coffee roaster Martin Carwardine has redesigned its labelling as part of the launch of its newly refurbished retail website. The redesign is the latest development in a history of coffee retailing stretching back to the 18^th century, when Bristol was a flourishing commercial port with elegant clippers regularly to be seen returning from plantations in India, Ceylon and the Far East.

“We’re immensely proud of our heritage in the local area,” says roastmaster and proprietor of the Somerset, England based company, Martin Carwardine. “My father taught me how to roast coffee and his father taught him and his before him, all the way back to Edmund Carwardine in 1861. Those traditional flame-roasting techniques are still used today. I really wanted this legacy of expertise to be captured in our branding.”

Designer Bonnie Jacobs, who created the new look, explains, “We chose illustrations created using traditional techniques, such as woodcut printing and etching, to evoke the brand’s proud history. The individual illustrations make it easy to differentiate between the different coffees, while as a collective they establish consistency across the range.”

“It was a real jaunt through history to create the new designs,” adds Carwardine. “Our single origin coffee icons each feature imagery from a genuine 18^th century shipping map that we have hanging at the Roast House. It’s nice to think that the map’s still bringing coffee and customers together today.”

Martin Carwardine’s range of traditionally hand roasted coffees will be available at www.lovecoffee.co.uk beginning 1 December.

The post Martin Carwardine redesigns its labelling appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

• Spotlight: Food & Beverage Labelling
• ITC annual Tea Report; Private Label; Packaging
• Logistics & Warehousing

The post February 2017 appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

With tea growing in popularity as a meal accompaniment, should foodservice establishments create tea house brands? Linda R. Villano, co-founder of SerendipiTea, explores the benefits and challenges of developing private label tea programmes in foodservice.

By Linda R. Villano

The vast majority of foodservice establishments, regardless of the cuisine, theme, format or monetary value of average sale, have two items in common — coffee and tea. In most locales, despite geography, coffee has always taken precedence over tea but the gap has been rapidly closing the past few years. Consumers’ awareness of and increasing knowledge about tea is fueling the dramatic rise in tea consumption and in response, foodservice operators are focusing more closely on their tea menus and are looking to their suppliers for more education and guidance when making selections. In addition to offering a well-rounded, well-represented tea menu, private labelling or branding the tea being served as their own might be a consideration.

How does one go about private labelling or branding a tea line for foodservice? First determine whether loose-leaf tea (served in teapots or by cup using filters, infusers or strainers) or tea bags will be used. Loose-leaf tea can easily be branded or re-branded. If satisfied with your current tea supplier start there. If private labelling is not an option then branch out and seek reputable suppliers who are flexible, reliable and are open to private labelling. Some suppliers might provide permission to re-brand their tea as your own. Others might even apply your customized labels or white labels (void of the supplier company’s name and information) to all packaging. There will likely be additional cost for these services, be sure to inquire.

Many known companies are firm about their own brand identity being maintained and even identified but there are suppliers with strong brand recognition who are willing to share the credit through co-branding. For example, labelling on packaging or printed menus might read: XYZ Tea by XYZ Tea Company packed for ABC Café/Coffeehouse/Eatery. Some suppliers may hand over the reins entirely so that you are able to re-brand and rename all the tea selections as your own. This process should be simple and straightforward: tea is ordered as per usual then presented on a printed menu, ideally, as the exclusive line of said food establishment. This is the best scenario as there is no extra monetary investment, no extra labour, nor is there need for extra materials such as printed labels.

PL Challenges with Tea Bags

Private labelling tea bags, on the other hand, presents numerous challenges. But with the increase in tea consumption it has become an easily realized project as many manufacturers now offer this option. Unless operating a multi-unit establishment with high tea sales, branded tea bags might not be cost-effective. Such an undertaking is a commitment, and the feasibility and logistics should be weighed seriously.

1. COST: There will be high minimums, especially when printing custom tags. Instead, you might explore white tag (generic) and tag-less quotes, but do know that minimums will still be high for the average sized restaurant/café/eatery. Also consider that in many cases there may be hefty down-payments then balances due upon receipt. Even if terms are extended these costs could be prohibitive.
2. STORAGE: Should private label tea bags fit your model, be sure to inquire about minimum runs per tea type and storage options. It is quite common for co-packers to require that entire runs be shipped upon completion. Restaurants, cafés, teahouses and all other foodservice locales often order supplies weekly if not daily. This practice is not only to ensure that fresh ingredients are being used but also because in the foodservice industry space is often an issue. Is your physical location able to accommodate the inventory?
3. VOLUME: Sure, purchasing supplies in bulk is great but margins in most foodservice operations are slim. Do your tea sales justify the high upfront expenditures? How long will it take to move through stored inventory? How long before any profit is realized?
4. BENEFITS: Determine whether private labelling is a vanity project or a sound business decision. How will branding tea bags benefit the operation? Do these benefits justify the costs?

Is there truly any benefit to branding this one item on the working menu? Perhaps there is for a high-volume café, coffeehouse or tea shop but probably not for a free-standing restaurant or eatery. However, if there is a retail component to the business, either bricks and mortar or website, and other menu items are branded and being sold, then adding privately labelled tea (loose leaf or tea bags) to the mix makes good sense.

Having such options encourages customers to return to your location, either physically or online, for repeat sales. And in tourist areas, especially where gifts are purchased for “back home,” it behooves you to brand all saleable items – gift recipients should find you, not your tea provider, for repeat purchases.

If there is no clear added value, then private labelling the tea might not be a good idea. Instead, it may very well benefit both you and a supplier with a brand name and a prominent or even a growing reputation to be featured on the tea menu. Your supplier might provide a discount in exchange for the menu recognition. An example would be as follows:

ABC Eatery’s Tea Menu

By “XYZ Tea Company”

Black Tea Name

Green Tea Name

Oolong Tea Name

White Tea Name

Tisane Name

Finally, keep in mind that without a brand identified or if the tea line is promoted as your own, it is likely that guests who enjoyed the tea served will inquire about the supplier and where to purchase. Do let staff know if you are willing to divulge the supplier if your establishment doesn’t resell. With a known tea company identified on the menu, your guests are able to easily find the selection they so enjoyed by contacting that company directly or by visiting that company’s website – a  win-win for both you (happy guest) and your tea supplier (potential for additional sales).

To brand or not to brand? In the end, as with all business decisions, the “bottom line” will most likely be the “bottom line.”

Linda R. Villano co-founded SerendipiTea in 1995 with Tomislav Podreka. With a passion for all things tea, she oversees all aspects of the business including client consulting, concept and design, staff training, sourcing and product development (recipe creations). Linda is also a published illustrator and writer. Her illustrations appear in Tomislav Podreka’s book, SerendipiTea: A Guide to the Varieties, Origins and Rituals of Tea, and in addition to her blog she writes regularly about tea for trade publications.

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The more single serve coffee manufacturers improve their knowledge of product customization, the more single serve coffee can be tailored for client needs and optimized for businesses and consumers.

By Rachel Northrop (All graphs courtesy of Modern Process Equipment)

Single serve products today encompass a variety of coffees consumed in various settings, from breakfast blend pods brewed using home countertop equipment to flavoured cups brewed in the office break room to be enjoyed with milk. Properly grinding different coffees to suit each of these single serve packing methods and their ultimate brewing technologies requires a close analysis of how grind size, distribution and density interacts with other factors influencing the final product.

Grind Size – Measuring Particles

Daniel Ephraim, president of Modern Process Equipment in Chicago, Illinois, explained that the production of manufacturing capsules and pods demands extreme accuracy, and that the correct grind optimizes extraction for different single serve packing. “First, the packages/pods are filled on high-speed packaging lines and, at the same time, each capsule must be filled with a specific amount of coffee.  Adding to this is the need to produce a grind capable of extracting 20 percent soluble solids from the coffee within 12 to 20 seconds,” he said. “Looking at these requirements, one can quickly decipher that grinding is the most critical element in capsule and pod manufacturing.

Brew time is greatly accelerated in single serve versus filter batch brewing, and the grind must account for the increase in pressure that is required to properly extract coffee given the compression of brewing time.

David Silverstein, founder of Pro-line Coffee in Wood Dale, Illinois, noted, “More coffee does not necessarily mean better extraction. We look at the roast level and other factors when determining how to grind coffee for single serve products. Finding the perfect grind for each product is a process of trial and error. We evaluate every product post-production so we are constantly adjusting.”

Ephraim described these adjustments in terms of granulometries, or size distribution of particles. “The drip filter grind (800 micron) reflects each coffee bean ground to around 500 to 800 particles, while the K-Cup grind is 1,000 to 3,000 particles. The espresso-style capsule grind (250 microns) is about 3,500 particles per coffee bean.” He said that if one observes the corresponding effect of grind size on the exposed surface area to water, it is apparent that the resultant exposed surface area of the ground particles is 200 – 500 percent greater with the finer, engineered grinds. “The grinds shown are generic, and specific grind designs are optimized for precise pod and capsule configurations.”

Silverstein identified flavouring as another factor that impacts how single serve products must be ground. “Grinding varies depending on roast level and presence or absence of flavouring across single serve products,” he observed. “We flavour post-grind, and for flavoured products choose a coarser grind because the flavouring adds another obstacle for the water to pass through during the brewing process.”

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are one way of measuring coffee extraction to compare the results of different grinds. HM Digital, maker of water testing equipment, defines TDS as “the total amount of mobile charged ions, including minerals, salts or metals dissolved in a given volume of water, expressed in units of mg per unit volume of water (mg/L), also referred to as parts per million (ppm).”

Silverstein said, “We work to get the highest TDS – 1.1 to 2 percent. The challenge is to create a great cup in an imperfect system.” The system is imperfect because beans are not identical. This lack of uniformity creates a challenge in grinding coffees desired to taste the same in each serving of a single serve product.

Densification and Particle Distribution

Particle size of ground coffee is crucial to developing single serve products, and equally as important is the density of how those particles are packed in the portioned container. Modern Process Equipment uses both bimodal grinding and Vortex densification.

“Bimodal grind distribution for espresso grinding, which is illustrated in Figure 2, has a double effect,” explained Ephraim. “First, the ‘bricks’ (250 micron particles) provide the correct flow through the cake. Second, the ‘mortar’ (20-40 micron particles) provides the extraction of a large amount of soluble and emulsified material.”

This combination of ‘bricks and mortar’ gives the distinctive taste profile associated with a great espresso. The fine “mortar” grinds of a single serve espresso product produce the effect of foamy crema that occurs with shots pulled on a manual or automatic espresso machine.

Pro-line Coffee makes use of bimodal grinding technologies for their range of products. “We primarily use a two-stage roller grinder,” said Silverstein. “At Pro-line we consider ourselves roasters, but with single serve we have to do the work a barista would do.” While a barista can control the rate of water flow and pressure with each shot, the roaster, grinder and barista are all contained in the packaged single serve unit. The grind distribution must anticipate the brew method, almost like a pre-dosed and pre-packed portafilter ready for a barista, but in this case the barista is a pre-programmed machine. Therefore, single serve products must calculate grind size and final density in their packaging more carefully than any other product, since there is no opportunity to make any final tweaks once the product is sealed.

Vortex densification allows for modulation of packing density. “Vortex densification,” said Ephraim, “is the ability for coffee to be more or less ‘fluffy’. This is the technique related to packing a desired quantity of coffee into a given amount of space, which is in this case a pod or capsule, as shown in Figure 4. While ‘fluffy’ is not a technical term, it provides the concept of coffee taking up more or less space in order to fit into a package.”

According to Ephraim, grinding for speed of packing lines is another important consideration for single serve products. “Coffee density is critical in single serve manufacturing because packing requirements can be as high as 1,200 individual capsules per minute with near 100 percent fill accuracy required.”

Keeping pace with the flow of the manufacturing process is what makes single serve products tricky, Ephraim reports. “This densification challenge is two-fold. The first challenge is consistency. The coffee must maintain a particular density level, consistently, without change throughout a production run. The second is density. The density should be at a significant (high) level as to allow it to fill into the prescribed space of the packaging container (capsule) on a high-speed basis. For instance, if the coffee barely makes it into the cup or capsule, there will be “leakers,” as well as inconsistent brewing performance. This is critical when trying to fit 6-8 grams into an espresso capsule or 10-14 grams into a K-Cup at the rate of 1,200 pods/capsules per minute.”

Customized Design

Single serve products are attractive to many clients for their private labelling possibilities and the chance to customize products.

Pro-line’s Silverstein shared that the more products the company experiments with by trying combinations of blends, roast levels, flavourings, and packing modes, the more experience they develop in which combinations yield the best results. “We see what’s successful so that we can confidently make recommendations for private label clients, as each client has different consulting needs.” Grinding allows for further customization, differentiating between a single serve product that delivers an espresso beverage versus a filter beverage, just by adjusting particle size, count, and the densification of final packing.

Single serve’s popularity fluctuates in different settings, but the more that experts in single serve coffee product manufacturing hone their knowledge of product customization, the more single serve can be tailored for client needs and deliver optimized products to businesses and consumers.

Rachel Northrop has been covering coffee for T&CTJ since 2012, while she lived in Latin America’s coffee lands writing When Coffee Speaks. She is based in Brooklyn, NY. She may be reached at northrop.rachel@gmail.com.

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On 29 March, a judge in California issued a proposed ruling against the coffee industry in a long-standing case involving the state’s Proposition 65, potentially leading to coffee carrying “cancer warning” labels. The case has been widely reported in the press over the last few weeks – most often with the headline “Coffee May Cause Cancer” – which has led to misinformation resulting in confusion among consumers, thus, elevating unnecessary anxiety and fear. To help clarify any ambiguity or uncertainty regarding Prop 65 and the recent ruling, I’m going to state the facts as I know them.

It’s my understanding that the court case was for the named defendants to defend themselves for not labelling the coffee with the argument that since coffee is more helpful than harmful, and the amount of acrylamide is miniscule, coffee should be exempt. The judge’s decision is not new – the decision was made in 1986 by the voters in California – the judge is affirming or enforcing the law not changing it.

California’s Proposition 65 – “Prop 65” as it is known – originated as a 1986 ballot initiative. It is formally known as the “Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.” Among other items, Prop 65 prohibits businesses (1) from releasing certain substances into the environment, and (2) from exposing individuals to “listed substances” without providing a warning. Essentially, the law requires warning labels that advise consumers about any chemical that may be cancer causing.

Acrylamide, a chemical that exists in many foods, is on the Prop 65 list. Acrylamide is formed by reacting a reducing sugar (glucose, fructose) and free amino acid asparagine (in proteins). It is not added to coffee — acrylamide forms naturally when coffee is roasted, similar to the way it forms naturally in a variety of plant-based foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins when baked, fried, or roasted (like French fries, potato chips, crackers, even cereal). The amount of acrylamide in coffee – again, produced naturally as a byproduct of roasting – is minute. But those trace amounts of acrylamide made it possible to target coffee under Prop 65, even though coffee has never been shown to increase cancer risk. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

The National Coffee Association (NCA) and Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) have been trying to clarify concerns and miscommunication about Prop 65, coffee and acrylamide, noting that the preponderance of scientific research finds coffee consumption part of a healthy lifestyle, and that there is no evidence that coffee is carcinogenic. Conversely, a slew of recent independent studies suggest that coffee may help to prevent certain cancers.

In a statement following the 29 March ruling, William (“Bill”) Murray, president and CEO of the New York-based NCA said, “Coffee has been shown, over and over again, to be a healthy beverage. This lawsuit has made a mockery of Prop 65, has confused consumers, and does nothing to improve public health.”

The SCA, which is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, issued a release to its members expressing disappointment in the ruling, noting that the “decision will have a negative effect on consumers who will be confused by cancer labels on a beverage that is known to be part of a healthy diet and on small coffee businesses who will need to navigate the legal complexities of this decision.”

Under Prop 65, businesses are required to show the burden of proof that they should not be subject to the law. Furthermore, the law empowers what are known as “bounty hunter lawsuits” brought by private (non-government) parties — basically a goldmine for lawyers.

The NCA has been actively fighting against coffee’s inclusion in Prop 65. In the same statement (following the 29 March ruling), the NCA emphasised that cancer warning labels on coffee would be misleading, “The US government’s own Dietary Guidelines state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that coffee does not cause cancer. Study after study has provided evidence of the health benefits of drinking coffee, including longevity – coffee drinkers live longer.”

The NCA was not a party to the legal action but has been working tirelessly to support the defendants and provide research, facts and context about Prop 65. Per the NCA, the coffee industry is currently considering all its options, including potential appeals and further legal actions.

To learn more information on Proposition 65, coffee and cancer, visit the NCA blog: Prop. 65 Percolates: What You Need to Know or see the original NCA Statement on CERT Lawsuit. If you have any lingering questions, please feel free to contact me and I will try to ascertain them for you.

Photo courtesy of Press Coffee

The post Prop 65 Ruling Causes Confusion and Fear appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

• Spotlight: Netherlands;
• Market Consolidation Decaf Coffee; Labelling;
• Single Serve: Tea as a Commodity.
• Tea & Coffee World Cup: Pre-Show Report Profile: Mother Parker’s
• Bonus Show Distribution: SCA World of Coffee; Fancy Food Show.

The post June 2018 appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Valpak, the UK’s largest packaging compliance scheme and OPRL, the industry standard for packaging recycling labelling, are forming a close alliance to support their overlapping memberships.

OPRL Ltd operates the UK-wide On-Pack Recycling Label scheme used by over 600 brands. The new partnership will help to ensure that packaging is easily recyclable and clearly labelled to engage consumers in recycling. OPRL will use Valpak data to strengthen its services for packaging producers, and to encourage consumer participation in recycling.

“We are constantly looking for ways to add value to our membership and this new alliance with Valpak is the latest drive to achieve this,” says Jane Bevis, chair of OPRL Ltd. “By ensuring that packaging reviews are underpinned by accurate data and analysis, our two organisations can give the best – and consistent – advice on improving recyclability across a member’s packaging range, and on engaging consumers in actually recycling.”

OPRL’s rapidly growing membership includes packaging supply chain businesses seeking to support their clients in achieving full recyclability of packaging wherever possible. The label provides a clear call to action to consumers. The new alliance also means that Valpak’s members will be able to access a fully aligned service on the recyclability and labelling of their packaging within Valpak’s Data Management Portal.

Bevis adds, “We’re very excited that our new consumer recycling app, to be launched shortly as part of the #LeedsByExample project led by the recycling charity Hubbub, will engage consumers – particularly millennials – in recycling on-the-go drinks packaging by giving accurate and location-specific recycling advice. Underpinning that with up-to-date bring site data will be vital to building consumer confidence, so we’re delighted Valpak are joining OPRL and working so closely with us. Together we’ll add more joint services over time.”

Commenting on the announcement, Steve Gough, chief executive of Valpak, says, “We are delighted to be working closely with OPRL in order to support both the increased recyclability and recycling of packaging. Through this alliance, we will be able to offer our members a detailed assessment of the recyclability of their packaging, supporting them to identify those areas for targeted improvement and monitoring the changes made. Valpak is also pleased that it can support OPRL’s new recycling app initiative through the inclusion of our bring site location database www.recyclemore.co.uk, therefore contributing to boosting consumer engagement in recycling.”

OPRL Ltd operates the UK-wide On-Pack Recycling Label scheme used by over 600 brands. OPRL is an independent not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with the support of ACE UK, CPI, LARAC and RECOUP as guarantors.

Valpak is the largest environmental compliance scheme in the UK and the official data partner for the
UK’s voluntary Plastic Pact agreement. It works with major names, such as Tesco, M&S and Unilever,
and manages compliance for more than 3,000 businesses. In 2017, it celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Further information at: www.oprl.org.uk.

The post Valpak and OPRL Partner for Mutual Member Benefit appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

The trend towards using healthier ingredients and natural products in ready-to-drink teas presents challenges from a packaging and labelling perspective.
By Sean Riley

The premium and ultra-premium beverage segments have experienced robust growth in recent years with none more so than in the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink (RTD) area. Because of increasing consumer demand, packaging for RTD beverages is expected to grow at about 40 percent or more over the 2018 to 2028 period, according to the 2018 Beverage Trends in Packaging and Processing Operations Report from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

Demand is exceptionally high for teas made from actual tea leaves, with consumers believing this type of tea is more desirable than concentrate. From a processing and packaging standpoint, actual tea-leaf teas require new equipment and processes that some large beverage companies can’t accommodate due to space constraints. As a result, co-packers receive much of the new beverage tea production and are building not only new lines but entire new facilities to handle this volume. Smaller beverage companies face challenges in getting the materials and the production time they require at co-packers due to a lack of capacity or availability at North American companies. These companies seek overseas co-packers to fulfill their needs.

The growth of tea from tea leaves also mirrors the trend towards clean labelling seen in many other food and beverage segments. Consumers want healthy ingredients that they recognize on a label, versus additives and preservatives they can’t pronounce. This causes some difficulty for packagers, however, as many additives are specifically used to make beverage processing and packaging easier.

Removing these ingredients leaves production lines in need of adjustment with new equipment or different processes. For example, anti-foaming agents are often used to reduce foaming during the filling process or to help keep beverages homogeneous. Removing these agents may mean that filling machinery must be adapted to slow down filling time for each bottle, and new agitation equipment must be installed to minimize separation.

The increasing desire for natural and organic products has driven the increased use of glass bottles and cartons — two containers with a healthier and environmentally friendly image among most consumers. Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of beverage packaging, especially in secondary plastic ring packaging, which is traditionally used to hold six- or twelve-packs of cans or bottles together. Currently, paperboard cartons often replace plastic ring packaging. Many respondents in PMMI’s report believe traditional plastic ring packaging will be phased out entirely in five to seven years and replaced with new photodegradable packaging.

Photodegradable HDPE plastic ring packaging is available and degrades in direct sunlight over a one- to two-month period. Smaller beverage makers of premium teas with beneficial ingredients, such as turmeric and ginger, and fermented products, like kombucha, are expected to be the early adopters of this new material. Large beverage manufacturers, on the other hand, are not expected to adopt this new material until the marketplace proves it will accept it and will likely wait two to three years before utilizing this technology.

Pack Expo International, which takes place 14-17 October in Chicago, Illinois, will offer RTD beverage packaging innovation, technology and education. To learn more or register, visit packexpointernational.com.

Sean Riley is senior director, media and industry communications at PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

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Tea is the world’s number one hot cup; with a highly integrated value chain and multinational companies dominating the Western markets. A large volume share of tea is traded as commodity.
By Barbara Dufrêne

Tea, coffee and cocoa are all on the commodities markets. During the latter part of the past century, with many newly independent countries joining the supplier side within a continued development of global trade patterns, the United Nations established several International Commodity Agreements (ICAs) and International Commodity Bodies (ICBs) to monitor appropriate supply for the consumer/importing markets whilst ensuring appropriate revenue to the producers. They include: the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) set up in 1957, the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) in 1963, the International Sugar Organization (ISO), and more on cotton and other commodities.

Another set of International Commodity Bodies (ICBs) are the Intergovernmental Groups (IGG) created within the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), such as IGG Tea, set up in 1975. Other IGGs monitor rice, citrus fruit, meat, etc.

Tea, coffee and cocoa are all classified as international agricultural commodities. Given their importance as revenue crop for the producing countries and their respective international trade flow, the UN intergovernmental structures oversee providing useful tools for a global monitoring of supply and demand and appropriate governance of the value chain.

In order to compile production, consumption and trade statistics for coffee and cocoa, the ICO and the ICCO operate with a specific crop year that runs from 1 October to 30 September of the following year. The data are expressed in green beans for coffee and raw beans for cocoa, hence the need for conversion factors for roasting and processing, in order to account for the number of cups of espresso or of chocolate bars.

Tea statistics are established in line with the calendar year and always refer to the finished product, the processed dry tea leaf, referred to by stakeholders as “made tea.” This is the tea that is traded and shipped, hence, no need for conversion factors.

In the context of agricultural production, the green leaf, as harvested, is an important reference element that pertains to the yield of the tea gardens, which can vary greatly, according to plant variety, geographical location, agricultural practice and harvesting methods, and age of the bushes, etc. Tea may therefore be considered as a crop and as a food and beverage product that offers good transparency and easy comprehension for overall market assessments.

The term commodity comprises tangible products that are wholly or for a major part interchangeable, ie fungible and standardized, traded in bulk and sold freely at prices that fluctuate according to supply and demand. This implies that there are the commodity teas for the mainstream markets on one side, and the teas that are neither interchangeable nor standardized, but quality-specific and even special on the other side.

The key data issued by FAO-IGG Tea and the International Tea Committee (ITC) show that the tea market has some important specificities. Preliminary data published by the ITC for 2017 reveals that total production amounts to 5.7 million tonnes, of which only 1.8 million tonnes are exported, hence subject to international trade, ie 31.3 percent. This is a rather small proportion, and which is decreasing year after year. In comparison, and based on estimates by Euromonitor International and ICO data for coffee, more than 74 percent of coffee production is exported, of which 52 percent is to North America and Europe.

Tea’s global production is shared out according to the process, with black tea dominating with 58 percent, green tea accounting for 32 percent, other teas around 10 percent. Another dividing line shows that black teas are shared between CTC teas at 62.6 percent and orthodox leaf teas at 37.4 percent.

Commodity Tea Producing Countries

Tea, coffee and cocoa are all three highly labour-intensive crops and grown predominantly by smallholders for a huge share of the output, which is estimated to stand at over 60 percent for tea and at over 80 percent for coffee and cocoa.

In 2017, tea exports represented less than one-third of the global output, amounting to 1.78 million tonnes. Although the two big producers, China and India, consume most of their own cups, they have exported 355,300 tonnes (t) and 240,700t respectively. The balance of the export trade volume comes from other tea exporters, the most important ones being Kenya, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and Argentina, which together represent 959,500t, whilst the remaining 25 other tea exporters sell 222,900t in the market. China and Vietnam export mainly green teas, while Kenya, Sri Lanka, India and Argentina export mostly black teas, and Indonesia both. Furthermore, most of the black tea exports are CTC, except those from Sri Lanka.

In this complex scenario, there is a red thread leading straight to the commodity teas, and that is the set of 11 big Tea Auction Centres, which handle the large part of commodity teas in India (Kolkata, Guwahati, Siliguri, Kochi, Coimbatore, Coonoor), in Bangladesh (Chittagong), in Sri Lanka (Colombo), in Indonesia (Jakarta), in East Africa (Mombasa), and in Central Africa (Limbe). According to ITC 2016 data, these 11 tea auction centres have handled 1.29 million tonnes of tea, mostly black CTC teas, with the exception of Sri Lanka, which produces only orthodox leaf teas. Commodity black teas, the bulk of which go directly to the various domestic markets, may be estimated to represent around two million tonnes, plus an additional estimated 250,000t of green teas, exported in bulk as gunpowder from China, and as green filler teas, mainly from Indonesia and Vietnam.

Commodity teas can most likely be traced back to the British Rule, which introduced industrial tea processing, with the CTC method, in India and East Africa. In the 1950s, Britain controlled 85 percent of the world’s tea trade, stated Mike Bunston OBE, past president of the ITC and chairman of the London Tea Auction, which closed in 1998 after 300 years of operations. The past glory of British involvement in tea is also being recorded by the London Tea History Association, with the intent to safeguard the memories of an important activity that has fashioned tradition and lifestyle, centred around the supply chain with the London Tea Auction a vital part of it.

The system of the tea auctions is closely linked to former British Rule, with trade platforms set up in newly independent producing countries and providing efficient tools for the sale of commodity teas into mainstream markets, be they basic packed bulk teas or tea blends for tea bags.

There are also multinational tea packers that source big volumes directly from their own estates and blend their commodity teas for the mass market, packed or in tea bags. Many of these teas are mechanically harvested. With Unilever’s Lipton brand as number one, the 10 biggest operators concentrate 27 percent of the global retail value, according to Euromonitor International.

Finally, there are the instant tea manufacturers, which supply the ever-growing RTD market, and such leaf will be purchased as commodity teas. ITC data finds the biggest instant tea producers today are China, India, Kenya, Chile and Argentina.

China: The Cradle of Tea

China is where the tea bush has prospered for nearly 5,000 years, has been cultivated for over 3,000 years, and where hundreds of different tea varieties have developed according to climate, soil and specific environments. Most people will drink their local teas. “In China, we do not blend teas,” said Yun Jing Zhong, aka Vivien Messavant, who runs the oldest Chinese tea house in Paris. “All our many different teas have a specific taste, cup colour and leaf shape, blending does not make sense.”

China does not have tea auction centres. “It does not appeal either to the producers or to the wholesale agents to negotiate on a public platform,” said Kelly Ye from the Guangzhou International Tea Trading Centre (GTTC), which launched in 2010 to replace the traditional Fang Cun tea market with its hundreds of small family-run tea shops. “But we are aware of the need to have an international trade platform, so we offer good visibility to the well-established regional brands and suggest that they go for more transparency, namely by labelling product details and prices in our GTTC showrooms,” she said. “We hope that it will work out, but it is the opposite of a privately negotiated contract.”

French tea expert, Katrin Rougeventre, said with China having become the biggest player as the world’s number one tea producer and consuming 86 percent of its output, they are living by their own rules. There are no Chinese commodity teas on the market in China, but there are some big volume bulk green teas, which are custom-made for export. Even the black CTC teas, sourced by Unilever Lipton China from the Dianhong Company in Yunnan to make British-style tea bags for Western consumers in China are origin teas, as they come from one specific area. There are no commodity teas in Japan or Korea.

With a growing awareness in the West of the fine qualities of origin teas, there is a strong trend towards introducing high-end and value-added teas. Many producing countries have begun investing in specialty teas, and now consumers can buy white teas from Kenya, Sri Lanka and from Indonesia, and green teas and wulong teas from India. More options, new products, innovative processing will make tea even more attractive, thereby increasing consumption and higher retail value. However, the market will continue to rely on the bulk of commodity teas, in order to offer an affordable cup to the millions of consumers who will not go without their favourite beverage.

Barbara Dufrêne is the former Secretary General of the European Tea Committee and editor of La Nouvelle Presse du Thé. She may be reached at: b-dufrêne@orange.fr.

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When communicating the virtues of coffee, descriptions must be accurate, lacking in ambiguity and hyperbole, to be easily understood. The first of a two-part series on coffee descriptors, explores creating TRUE coffee descriptions.
By Spencer Turer

How do we encourage or persuade customers to try our coffee? Communicating the virtues of the coffee will attract the attention of buyers, for both green coffee and roasted coffee. The success of any beverage program starts with quality: how does it taste? Branding, promotion and merchandising will capture the first sale, but only quality will keep your customers returning time after time. Together we will explore how to create TRUE coffee descriptions: Trustworthy, Realistic, Understandable, Enticing.

Describing coffee’s characteristics and writing menu descriptions are similar. There are generally tacit rules when writing menus: concise statements for quick recognition, using descriptive words that entice the senses and encourage purchase, and getting this information to your audience in a manner that is easily understood. Coffee descriptions, especially value-added attributes, are used to identify a point of differentiation from competitors. Descriptions also catalog differences in quality within an offering list or menu and should provide enough information to substantiate the price of coffee.

Good descriptions, specifically about the coffee’s provenance and flavour profile are proactive and answer the customer’s questions before being asked. Coffee professionals are enthusiastic, passionate and place a high priority on product education, but we often create jargon and use insider’s vernacular not easily understood by consumers. The comprehensive educational programs within the coffee industry seek to provide us with understanding of geography, botany, terroir, processing, and supply chain terminology; terms that are perplexing and obscure to most consumers.

Creating coffee description is relatively easy; begin by writing obvious details. Sales and marketing professionals have a reputation for creating poetic descriptions lacking connection to the product and include hyperbole or inaccuracies do not accurately portray the coffee and are not TRUE. The challenge is to create TRUE coffee descriptions that are quickly and easily understood, that differentiate one coffee from another, and that encourage purchase.

TRUE coffee descriptions are:

• Trustworthy – Coffee descriptions should have credibility to validate the quality expectations of a business. Any claims made in a product description must be confirmed by the operation of the business. For example, coffee certifications must be substantiated by identifying the certification organization, and include an explanation of the program details. Evidence within the business or supply chain must support the claims and description made for each coffee.

Direct Trade or relationship sourcing is disingenuous when presented by the company that does not source the coffee. This is dangerous for private label brands that do not source their own coffee and then appropriate the term from their coffee roaster. Also troubling is a roasting company that misrepresents its sourcing by promoting the actions of its green coffee supplier as its own.

Trust is developed over time through positive interaction and honesty. Trust is quickly destroyed and will cause a customer to look for another provider.

• Realistic – Avoid exaggeration and embellishment. Coffee descriptions should be accurate to the individual product and based on the reality of the supply chain, not an ideal, what is hoped for, or a generalization. Descriptions should be revised when the details of a product or supply chain change. Realistic descriptions are believable and help increase the trust customers have for the product and business supplying the coffee. For example, once a long-standing national brand coffee had two contradicting statements on their roasted coffee package at the same time, both “Same Great Taste Since 18XX” and “New & Improved Flavour.” This is an example of an overzealous graphic designer or marketer not living up to realistic descriptions. Widely used terms like “mountain grown,” “hand-picked,” “craft roasted,” “hand-crafted,” and “specialty” are easily understood by consumers. However, each has an expectation to actual reality and must be avoided if not true.

Fresh is a term that is used throughout the coffee industry and has become ubiquitous. However, it is unclear what is meant by the term when it is printed on packaged roasted coffee. Is it realistic to describe coffee as fresh within a modified atmospheric package that has a shelf-life of four months or longer?

Misinformation or inaccuracies that are not realistic contribute to a customer’s lack of confidence in the product or the brand. For example, coffees are most often itemized by country of origin, but often Kona, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, Galapagos and Yunnan are listed as origins, yet these are not countries.

• Understandable – The attributes of the coffee should be presented in a straightforward manner, using terminology that can be recognized and comprehended by the intended audience. Providing context or defining coffee nomenclature may be required when presenting information to consumers. For example, simply listing the name of the farm and varietal is commonplace, Panama Esmeralda Geisha. Labelling the words to indicate farm and varietal, then also presenting the significance of the information to help the consumer understand the value, quality implications and meaning is commonly overlooked.

Coffee’s global supply chain often forces us to utilize words that are not found in every language and may be hard for many to pronounce. Words that are common to specialty coffee professionals may create a barrier between professionals and consumers. Think of Huehuetenango, Yirgacheffe, Xinabajul, Kayanza Gahahe, Nyamasheke, Kawa Maber, Abakundakawa Hingakawa, Cerrado, Oaxaca and Catuai.

Using abbreviations can create confusion even among professionals who may not understand the meaning or significance of the letters, eg, AP, EP, MCM, PW, HB, PC, Gr1, Sc18, MTGB, PFMC etc.

• Enticing – Word choice will help the buyer understand the expected flavour attributes and assist in their purchase decision. This is an opportunity for the seller to extol the features, characteristics and benefits of the coffee to attract interest. An enticing flavour description may intrigue a consumer to make a purchase or confirm that it may be the wrong product for them – accuracy will contribute to creating happy consumers and preventing unpleasant experiences.

Presenting the coffee’s provenance, quality and flavour descriptions in a captivating way, while explaining why this information is important as a point of differentiation from other products or from your competitors, may compel the customer to make a purchase. Creativity is the key when writing enticing descriptions, however, the information must remain trustworthy, realistic and understandable.

Taste Descriptions

Writing taste profiles for coffee has become competitive gamesmanship to present the most creative and esoteric descriptions. Alluring words and inventive phrases are used to entice but can be almost inexplicable. As we progress from the old Coffee Tasters flavour wheel to the new one, coffee professionals are challenged to upgrade their vocabulary and expand their list of possible descriptors. It is important, when the flavour wheel is used as a descriptor guide, to keep coffee descriptions TRUE.

Aroma and taste descriptors are most easily understood when primary flavours are referenced for the perceived attribute. When attributes are categorized into groups, it becomes difficult to understand their meaning without additional training or explanations. Simply put, state what you taste. Word choice is critical to prevent confusion. In my judgment, primary flavours are ones that can be found in nature and purchased directly from a grocer for calibrations. These are the flavours that can be standardized for training by creating calibration standards for aroma and taste, and naming each to the particular primary flavour. For example, grassy is fresh cut green grass, papery is the taste of paper coffee filters, woody is the taste of Popsicle sticks.

TRUE descriptions are best created in collaboration between sales and marketing professionals and product storytellers from supply chain to product development who have expertise in sensory attributes, physical characteristics and the coffee’s origin.

TRUE coffee descriptions match the right coffee with the buyer to increase satisfaction, create distinctive coffee experiences, and to encourage repeat purchases.

Please see Part II: TRUE Green & Roasted Coffee Taste Descriptions in the next issue.

Spencer Turer is vice president of Coffee Enterprises in Hinesburg, Vermont. He is a founding member of the Roasters Guild, a licensed Q grader, and received the SCAA Outstanding Contribution to the Association Award. Turer is an active volunteer for the Specialty Coffee Association and the National Coffee Association of the USA.

The post Describing Descriptions Part I appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Coffee and tea companies can learn from their counterparts in the water, carbonated soft drink and spirits categories as beverage package designs in these industries aim to move, motivate and resonate with consumers on deeper levels.
By Tom Egan

Thirst may be the first reason a consumer reaches for a beverage, but it’s the packaging that may seal the deal at the point of purchase. Increasingly, beverage manufacturers are looking to captivate customers with packaging that offers some form of personal resonance.

Whether referencing a lifestyle choice, a fond memory or an important goal, a beverage label that can connect with consumers on a deeper level has the power to stick. Consider packaging that aims to motivate workouts, sparks memories of a favourite vacation or reinforces the value of a healthy lifestyle — prompting engagement in the product experience before the consumer even twists off a cap, pulls a tab or pops a lid.

Given the growth of the market, it’s no wonder manufacturers are in a race to capture the hearts, minds and loyalty of consumers. Currently worth USD $30.1 billion, the beverage packaging industry in the United States is expected to experience 4.5 percent growth in the next decade, according to the 2018 Beverage Trends in Packaging and Processing Operations by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. In today’s competitive landscape for beverage products, more brands may take bolder steps to amplify the essence of what’s inside on the outside — particularly utilizing the power of print effects. Today’s consumers will likely not reach for a drink when they simply feel thirsty, but instead when they feel understood.

Tugging at the Heartstrings

Choosing a career path, moving to a new city or buying a home — these are all decisions highly dictated by emotion. But what about beverages? Can a person have an emotional reaction to a drink on a store shelf, and can this connection really influence their decision to purchase the product?

The answer may be “yes” as consumers continue to choose beverage products that feel familiar or strike a certain chord of nostalgia. Consider the “Share a Coke” campaign from the Coca-Cola Company, which created a way to literally attract consumers by calling their names. For Coca-Cola, which had long established its foothold in the carbonated beverage sector, this campaign strengthened customer loyalty and created buzz around the brand.

Creating this kind of label variety was no small feat, even for such a major brand, but advancements in printing technologies made the campaign possible. According to an article on Label & Narrow Web’s website, to run labels that pulled from a list of about 250 names, Coca-Cola tapped a domestic label and packaging converter company, which coordinated with printers equipped with HP Indigo digital printing technology to get the job done. With this technology, the varied labels could be done on short runs and still reflect high-quality printing.

On an international scale, South Africa-based magazine Packaging & Print Media reported that Coca-Cola repeated this collaboration with converters and partner printers to create thousands of names in multiple languages. Some international printers utilized flexographic printing as opposed to digital printing, so careful colour matching was done in order to achieve the same “Coke Red” shade across different types of printers.

Some brands have found a way to speak to customers less directly, but still with intimacy or a level of personalization that can be hard to beat. Whiskey brands Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker are actively pursuing different segments of the market and looking to expand their reach with a range of tailored products. Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack whiskey aims to reach a segment of the market that associates fine whiskey with a premium sipping experience.

According to PMMI’s report, unique packaging is what premium brands use to differentiate themselves from value brands, so mid-tier brands are now using packaging to emulate the look of top-shelf brands. With its Gentleman Jack edition that features a metalized label resembling a stamped silver plate, Jack Daniels is attempting to appeal to consumers who value finer, more original details over a traditional paper label. Some craft spirits are taking premium package printing a step further by turning to technologies that use tinted glass and other tactile labels, allowing for a more sophisticated, expensive look.

Johnnie Walker recently created “Jane Walker,” a special-edition iteration of their Black Label product, to appeal to the female demographic typically not considered a whiskey-drinking group. To substantiate the message, Johnnie Walker is donating proceeds of each bottle of the Jane Walker Edition sold to organizations supporting women’s progress.

Packaging for the Health- and Eco-Conscious

Personalization may not be the only key to sales. With an equally large demand for products that support healthy, active and clean lifestyles, more beverage manufacturers are producing drinks that come in smaller cans or bottles with fewer calories. The dainty servings not only meet demands for lower-calorie, lower-sugar products, but also reinforce the idea of portion control in a departure from decades of oversized servings.

In this era of clean labelling, consumers are also looking for natural and additive-free drinks, however, this type of beverage comes with its share of challenges for manufacturers and processers. Many of the more organic or natural beverages, like juices, are non-homogenous and become separated when standing still on the shelf. To avoid possible negative reactions from customers, brands are using shrink wraps to hide the inner contents of a bottle.

The push for clean labelling has also spurred some changes along the production line, with manufacturers having to add agitation equipment or adapt filling machinery to handle the different behaviours of more natural beverages.

For the athletes shopping in the beverage aisle, the extra aid that sports drinks promise can offer a massive appeal. Some brands have introduced a way to target different types of athletes, taking customization to a new level. Gatorade, for example, developed a product line that provides multiple drinks to be consumed at specific stages in a workout. If this product line speaks to a particular athlete’s established routine, Gatorade may have just increased a customer’s purchase from only one drink to three — right at the point of sale.

On top of nutrition, brands can also gain selling power in sustainability. By offering an eco-friendly product that can claim it creates less waste, a brand is able to connect with growing consumer concern for the environment. One way that manufacturers are addressing this shift is by using digital printing, which in general is considered more cost-effective and environmentally friendly for the short runs that occur with label variation. Digital printers, like the HP Indigo technology used for the “Share a Coke” campaign, have been recognized for their eco-friendly benefits of reducing energy and supplies in each round of printing.

Some beverage manufacturers are also going green by utilizing eco-friendly materials like vegetable oil-based inks or water-based inks, which can be used in conjunction with digital printing technologies. These inks not only dry quickly and deliver a high-quality print, but also minimize the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are usually heavily present in traditional solvent-based inks. UV inks offer similar benefits in that they “cure” at rapid rates and release minimal VOCs, and they also allow for high-quality digital direct printing on glass or PET bottles.

Advances in Printing Propel Brands

The beverage variety that we see on the shelves today can be tied to the growth of technologies that enhance the flexibility of lines, speeding and simplifying changeover between different product runs. With increasing consumer demand for a wide selection of beverages, manufacturers require the ability to swap labels out and change production over many more times than they likely had to in the past. Changeovers that used to happen only once a day or week now may happen three times in one shift in order to generate the masses of personalized or targeted products customers crave.

To achieve this rapid changeover, many manufacturers have turned to digital printing, which allows for labels to be diverse and to be prepared and quickly applied. With this technology, generating a graphic for a label is a more efficient process and can be done in a more immediate timeframe, reducing costly downtime. The speed of this equipment also coincides with the need for products to be delivered to the store in as fresh of a state as possible. Packagers can generate digitally printed labels closer to the time of production; ensuring consumers receive beverages that did not spend months in storage before shipment.

The prevalence of digital printing systems is a result of the technology becoming more accessible every day. At a price point that doesn’t break the bank, the adoption of digital printing is an easier choice to swallow. Now that the technology can be used for shorter runs of products like 30,000 units, it is arguably becoming a more difficult decision to stick with traditional printing technology.

Beyond digital printing, technologies that create larger and bolder imagery are taking hold. Shrink sleeve technology is being used more on cans and bottles, according to PMMI’s report. For example, a craft brewer might place a shrink sleeve over an entire six-pack. This style of package printing facilitates easier packaging line changeover and is helpful for companies that produce a variety of beverage types or flavours in the same can shape.

Yet, some brands prefer paperboard over shrink sleeves, because paperboard can retain its imagery and shape after being opened, whereas shrink sleeves become ripped, distorted and likely discarded at the first use. In many cases, the brand may choose paperboard as the outer packaging in the hopes that a consumer will keep the container in the refrigerator or on the counter. Regardless of the choice in material, either option provides a brand the added benefit of more images, more information and the chance to tell a greater story about the product.

‘Niche’ is the Key to Market Growth

The importance of differentiation in the beverage industry is perhaps best witnessed in the bottled water market, where, arguably, the same liquid is being portrayed as an entirely different product depending on the customer toward whom it is being marketed. Brands design packaging and labelling elements to match their target demographic, and these elements become differentiators that can justify a product’s shelf space.

For example, Evian and Fiji waters present themselves as clean, natural waters that are sourced from exotic locales around the globe. Their use of clear bottles that reveal an inside label showing striking landscapes along with declarations of purity help communicate this message. Meanwhile, waters like Core, Essentia and Smartwater sell themselves as waters that boost physical and cognitive health and ‘go the extra mile.’ Then there are brands like Vitaminwater and La Croix, which are still considered ‘waters’ despite adding flavours and/or carbonation to their products to appeal to those seeking something just a little different from regular water.

Convenience and Innovation

But the trend for finding a niche falls across all beverage sectors, where companies clamor to be different and stand out during selection. Sometimes that niche can be found by offering reliable convenience, such as a Capri-Sun pouch with a straw, or sports drinks with flip-top caps. Other times, it can stem from an original packaging innovation, such as beer giant Coors’ Coors Light label featuring thermo inks that react to temperature changes. This label conveys information that the beer has reached the perfect chilled temperature and is ready to drink, and it also offers an interactive feature that is simply fun for the customer.

This type of ‘cool’ can graphic is a more recent development, as metal packaging graphics have traditionally improved at slower rates than paper labels. Improvements like thermo inks, light-responsive, glossy, matte and tactile inks are all a result of better coating technologies, PMMI’s report states. Overhauls in can printing quality and capabilities have also occurred over the last five years, with dots per inch (DPI) increasing from 120 to 130 and high-definition separation work, platemaking and printmaking all improving.

Still, while utilizing emerging technologies and finding the right niche is crucial to operations, manufacturers must also focus on staying relevant. Claiming ownership over a unique space in the market is only sustainable for as long as the brand is willing to adapt and adjust to consumer concerns and lifestyles. Beverage brands that hone in on their product’s differentiator but can continuously transform its appearance are likely to quench customer demands for decades to come.

Tom Egan is vice president, industry services, PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies). PMMI represents more than 800 North American manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, components and materials as well as providers of related equipment and services to the packaging and processing industry.

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