| Unprecedented boost for Ceylon Tea in China |
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| Tuesday,August 23,2005 Posted: 13:16 BJT(0516 GMT) lk |
The Regional Tea Promotion Unit Attached to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing under whose purview the neighboring Far Eastern tea markets such as South Korea and China are classified, undertook a promotional exercise recently to penetrate the large Chinese consumer market with Ceylon orthodox Black Tea.
It was a success and achieved positive results. Usually, the Chinese are famous for drinking Green Tea, Oolong Tea and Jasmine Tea.
Ceylon Tea exports to China which stood at 170,000 KGs in 2003 increased more than tow fold to 473,000 KGs in 2004.
The highlights of the promotional drive just completed includes a historic Sri Lanka/China joint venture company by the name of Blue Pearl International was established in Shanghai to market Mabroc Teas. The new Company immediately placed an order for a container load of Ceylon Tea.
Perhaps the first ever “Pure Ceylon Tea House/Shop” was opened in the heart of Beijing city in Yabaolu area where thousands congregate everyday.
Two large open forums were arranged under the auspices of the China Chamber of Commerce in Beijing and Shanghai respectively where power point presentations were done to explain the unique characters of Ceylon Tea and the achievements of the tea industry in Sri Lanka.
The famous China Tea Street in Beijing was visited where 160odd tea merchants are selling Chinese Tea. After an address to the Chinese traders, they showed a keen interest to try out Ceylon Black Tea.
Since China has the fastest growing, largest middle class in the world, the demand for imported products and new items is amazingly huge. Therefore, the trend for the Chinese consumers, particularly the younger generation to favour Ceylon Black Tea which is a new product to them in the not too distant future, appears bright.
(Shan Yue from "Daily News") |
Bilateral Visits