Tea Biz

Mombasa Gains as Colombo Slips | The two auctions moved in different directions as North India paused for holidays and Jakarta traded a smaller offering.

In Colombo, low-grown teas found buyers, but liquoring leafy teas weakened. Mombasa drew active buying from Pakistan and Egypt, with mixed results across grades. In Indonesia, cancellations left a smaller Jakarta offering, mostly secondary and off-grade teas; steady-to-firm transactions did not establish an overall average.

In Colombo, prices averaged 3.73/kg for Sale 41 on 20–21 October, -0.13/kg versus Sale 40 on 13–14 October ($3.86/kg)

In North India, the Week 43 CTC Leaf & All Dust average was unavailable because festival holidays interrupted auctions

In Mombasa, prices averaged 2.30/kg for Sale 42 on 19 October, ↑+0.05/kg versus ($2.25/kg) for Sale 41 on 12 October. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Two Matcha Summits Highlight Diverging Priorities for Japan and China | Republic of Tea and Target Bring Fantasy to the Tea Aisle | Kenya Suspends Controversial Tea Levy

NEWSMAKER – Nadia De La Vega, Founder, Agence DELV

PLUS | Workers are the Center of Sustainability

People hear more sustainability claims than ever, but tea still has a long way to go to overcome low wages, chemical inputs, and who benefits from the retail price. Nadia De La Vega, sustainability adviser and founder of Agence DELV (and a former tea sustainability director at DAVIDsTEA), says sustainability initiatives should focus on the dignity and livelihoods of the people who grow and harvest the tea. She's with us today to talk about the importance of shared industry data, stronger sourcing relationships, and truthful messaging to consumers. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Two Matcha Summits Highlight Diverging Priorities for Japan and China | Republic of Tea and Target Bring Fantasy to the Tea Aisle | Kenya Suspends Controversial Tea Levy | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Workers are the Center of Sustainability

Sustainability is no longer a reassuring word to print on packaging and proclaim on social. Consumers increasingly question low prices for growers, labor’s weak bargaining power, climate stress, and environmental practices. The problem isn't a lack of promises. The problem is turning those promises into tangible improvements in the lives of the people who grow, pick, and make the tea.

Nadia De La Vega has spent more than a decade in tea sustainability and regulatory affairs. We met at the North American Tea Conference, where she asked very direct questions about the gap between good intentions and actual outcomes.

Nadia argues that producer livelihoods must come first, that we need shared tools for measuring tea's footprint that the industry adopts, and that the future of tea will be in the hands of the buyer as much as the grower. We also examine the credibility of sustainability claims and whether the tea industry can persuade consumers to pay a price that enables decent livelihoods at origin.

BIO: Nadia is a Montreal-based sustainability and regulatory affairs specialist with more than 12 years of tea industry experience. Previously, as Director of Tea Sustainability and Content at DAVIDsTEA, she led multi-stakeholder impact programs in Canada and at the origin. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Kagoshima Expands Matcha Processing | PG Tips Puts More Tea in the Bag to Win Back Britain | Kenya Accelerates Specialty Tea Diversification | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Selective Quality Support Meets Uneven Benchmarks | The evidence from ISO Week 41 points to selective support across grades. Colombo’s better Western teas attracted interest despite a lower overall average. North India showed quality selection, but its official aggregate remains lagging. Mombasa combined a steady aggregate with mixed grade movements. Indonesia faced limited main broken availability after cancellations. Colombo’s average fell six cents to $3.82 per kilo.

North India’s latest available average rose about one cent to $2.11 per kilo.

Mombasa’s average stayed the same at $2.22 per kilo. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Tetra Pak’s Global Category Leader discusses how innovation, functionality, and carton packaging are reshaping one of the world's most versatile beverage categories.

Ready-to-drink tea is a category in constant reinvention. Rooted in tradition yet remarkably adaptable, it continues to evolve alongside changing consumer needs. According to Tetra Pak Category Leader Vanessa Neo, growing interest in wellness, hydration, premium experiences, and new flavor exploration is creating opportunities for tea brands to reach new consumers and occasions.

In this SPOTLIGHT conversation, Neo explores why functionality and premiumization are driving growth, how Asian markets continue to influence global innovation, and how formats ranging from milk teas to concentrates are expanding the category's potential. She also discusses the role of aseptic carton packaging in product protection, sustainability, distribution, and brand storytelling. The opportunity for brands is clear: unlock tea's versatility and elevate it into an everyday beverage experience.| BIO: Vanessa Neo is a Global Category Leader at Tetra Pak, leading the ready-to-drink tea and juice categories globally. Based in Singapore, she joined the company in 2019, held regional marketing roles across Asia Pacific, and moved into the global category management team in 2023. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Kagoshima Expands Matcha Processing | PG Tips Puts More Tea in the Bag to Win Back Britain | Kenya Accelerates Specialty Tea Diversification

NEWSMAKER – Vanessa Neo, Global Category Leader, Tetra Pak, Singapore

PLUS | The Next Chapter of Ready-to-Drink Tea |

Tetra Pak Global Category Leader Vanessa Neo discusses how innovation, functionality, and carton packaging are reshaping ready-to-drink tea. Rooted in tradition but highly adaptable, the category is evolving as consumer interest in wellness, hydration, premium experiences, and new flavors creates opportunities to reach new consumers and occasions.

In this SPOTLIGHT conversation, Neo discusses how functionality, premiumization, Asian-inspired innovation, and formats from milk teas to concentrates drive category growth. She also explains how aseptic cartons protect products, advance sustainability and distribution, and tell brand stories—making tea's versatility an everyday experience. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Rebuilding Darjeeling Export Value | Rising Costs Squeeze Kenya Tea Bonuses | India Removes Paraquat from Tea Protection Code

NEWSMAKER – Vale Farms CEO and Founder Luke Larson

PLUS | American Matcha | Can the Pacific Northwest grow exceptional matcha at commercial scale?

Seattle-based Vale is putting that question to the test. Founder and CEO Luke Larson says Vale Farms has planted twelve thousand tea plants on three acres on Whidbey Island, Washington. Plans include a greenhouse and a thirty-thousand-square-foot processing facility in nearby Oak Harbor.

The first harvest is still about five years away. In the meantime, Vale will continue sourcing tea from Japan while developing its growing and processing operations.

But Larson’s ambition extends beyond one farm. Inspired by Napa Valley and Oregon’s Willamette wine region, he hopes other growers will help build a regional tea industry.

Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard explores the plans—and the patience required—in this week’s SPOTLIGHT | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Tea markets closed ISO Week 39 with good demand in Kenya and Sri Lanka, and fair demand in North and South India and Indonesia.

Colombo offered about 4.8 million kilograms, its smallest catalog since April 2024. Reduced availability supported competition for better teas. North India’s latest official CTC average was almost unchanged in rupee terms, showing a stable headline market even as buyers remained selective by quality. Mombasa maintained good general demand, while Indonesia remained fair but thinly documented.

Here are this week’s price benchmarks.

In Colombo, prices averaged approximately $3.80 per kilogram this week, up ↑ $0.04 per kilogram versus the prior indicative benchmark.

In North India, prices averaged approximately $2.20 per kilogram, → broadly unchanged. Tea Board India reported ₹203.84/kg for North India CTC for the week ending 19 September versus ₹203.43/kg previously.

In Mombasa, prices averaged approximately $2.24 per kilogram, up ↑ $0.05 per kilogram versus Week37.

In Indonesia, prices averaged approximately $1.14 per kilogram, up ↑ $0.02 per kilogram versus the Week35 benchmark. The interplay of quality and availability continues. Smaller offerings can strengthen seller resistance, but buyers still won't lift secondary teas indiscriminately. Costs reinforce that discipline. Freight, energy, packaging, and finance remain embedded in delivered values, especially for inexpensive bulk teas.

The Week 39 takeaway is that catalog size, clearance, and quality spreads matter as much as the headline average. Better teas continue to capture competition; secondary descriptions still depend on accurate pricing and buyer need. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Rebuilding Darjeeling Export Value | Rising Costs Squeeze Kenya Tea Bonuses | India Removes Paraquat from Tea Protection Code | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Can the Pacific Northwest grow exceptional matcha at commercial scale?

Seattle-based Vale is putting that question to the test. Founder and CEO Luke Larson says Vale Farms has planted twelve thousand tea plants on what will eventually grow to two hundred acres on Whidbey Island, Washington. Plans include a greenhouse and a thirty-thousand-square-foot processing facility in nearby Oak Harbor.

The first harvest is still about five years away. In the meantime, Vale will continue sourcing tea from Japan while developing its growing and processing operations.

But Larson’s ambition extends beyond one farm. Inspired by Napa Valley and Oregon’s Willamette wine region, he hopes other growers will help build a regional tea industry.

Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard explores the plans—and the patience required—in this week’s SPOTLIGHT. BIO: Our guest is Luke Larson, founder and CEO of Vale, the Seattle-based matcha business developing Vale Farms on Whidbey Island, Washington. Larson grew up on a farm on the Olympic Peninsula. His interest in matcha became a business venture with Chef Jeffrey Hayden, Vale’s head of Craft. Working with agricultural specialists and tea-growing partners, Larson is pursuing commercial tea cultivation, matcha production, and a hospitality experience centered on tea education. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Quality Widens the Price Gap | Tea markets ended ISO Week 37 with prices increasingly determined by quality rather than broad market direction.

Across the major auction centers, buyers remained active but selective. Colombo recorded fair general demand, but stronger teas separated from weaker Western and Orthodox descriptions. North India remained under pressure relative to earlier-season highs, even as production constraints provided some underlying support. Mombasa showed one of the clearest quality signals, with better Kenyan manufacture attracting substantially stronger competition. Indonesia remained broadly stable, although limited public weekly data make it the least transparent of the four benchmarks. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Tea producers seeking higher returns are often advised to add value through improved processing, certification, packaging, or branding. Independent recognition of the finished tea’s quality is another part of that conversation.

AVPA, the Paris-based organization behind the international Teas of the World competition, evaluates entries through blind sensory assessment. For producers moving beyond bulk sales, that recognition can help convey what makes a particular tea distinctive.

In this SPOTLIGHT, we explore how producers can connect quality to the market, what French consumers value, and where recognition fits alongside the commercial work of building a brand.

Our guest today is Ksenia Hleap, Chief Operating Officer of AVPA — Agence pour la Valorization des Produits Agricoles, the Paris-based organization that conducts international competitions recognizing the gastronomic quality of agricultural products.

Ksenia joined AVPA in October 2017 as Director of Communications and Business Development and was named Chief Operating Officer in July 2026. She is closely involved in AVPA’s international Teas of the World competition, which welcomes producers from established and emerging tea origins and evaluates entries through blind sensory assessment. She earned a master's degree in business development from UPEC Université Paris.

Her work at AVPA focuses on producer recognition, product quality, and market development—particularly helping agricultural producers communicate their products' identity, quality, and added value. | Podlink sign-up: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Africa Pushes Value Over Volume | Europe Pays More for Better Tea | ISO Advances Tea Standards | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Africa Pushes Value Over Volume | Europe Pays More for Better Tea | ISO Advances Tea Standards NEWSMAKER – Ksenia Hleap, Chief Operating Officer of AVPA in Paris

PLUS | Certification can tell a buyer how a tea was produced. But does it taste good?

Ksenia Hleap explains how independent sensory recognition can help producers distinguish their teas in the market. Later in the program, we discuss what the French palate rewards, why recognition matters for emerging origins, and how a tea can move from an anonymous commodity to a product with an identity. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Quality-Led Firmness Masks Uneven Auction Liquidity | Tea markets closed ISO Week 35 with headline support intact, but quality mattered more than volume. Buyers remained disciplined, closely tying bids to immediate blending needs.

Colombo was buoyant overall, led by low-grown leafy teas and selected better high- and mid-grown descriptions. Mombasa improved at the headline level, though incomplete clearance revealed uneven demand. North India drew good participation, but plainer Assam teas, orthodox descriptions, and dusts met resistance; South India was fair during a holiday-affected week. Indonesia saw slow demand, with selective firmness for scarce West Java lines.

In Colombo, prices averaged $3.70/kg this week, up $0.07/kg vs the previous sale’s reconstructed $3.63/kg benchmark.

In North India, prices averaged $2.33/kg this week, down $0.06/kg vs the last available official benchmark of $2.39/kg for the week ending 15 August.

In Mombasa, prices averaged $2.21/kg this week, up $0.03/kg vs Sale 33’s $2.18/kg benchmark.

In Indonesia, prices averaged $1.12/kg this week, up $0.01/kg vs the prior indicative Week 34 benchmark of $1.11/kg. | Podlink sign-up: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Behind the Cup: Why Quality Tea Needs a Better Business Model | Social and environmental conditions behind tea production remain far less scrutinized than those of coffee or cocoa.

In this Tea Biz Spotlight, I speak with Ecological Economist Pierre William Johnson, author of the French-language Thé: l’envers de la tasse — Tea: Behind the Cup. Pierre’s central argument is not that the tea trade should be made to feel guilty. Rather, it is that quality, economic viability, social justice, and environmental resilience are interconnected — and that a higher-priced tea is not necessarily more equitable.

His research examines the structures that determine how tea is grown, processed, traded, and valued.

We discuss why quality premiums do not necessarily reach workers or smallholders; what happens inside the processing “black box” between green leaf and finished tea; how plantation systems might evolve without abandoning workers; why monoculture creates both business and environmental risks; and what tea companies should change first to build stronger relationships with producers.

BIO: Pierre William Johnson specializes in ecological economics and the sustainable development of agricultural and artisanal value chains. His research focuses on tea-producing regions in Asia and East Africa. His latest book examines labor relations, trade structures, producer organization, environmental pressures, and value distribution across the tea sector. | Podlink sign-up: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Nepal Tea Enters Recovery Mode | India Puts Tea Under Satellite Surveillance | Vale Bets on US-Grown Matcha | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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Nepal Tea Enters Recovery Mode | India Puts Tea Under Satellite Surveillance | Vale Bets on US-Grown Matcha

NEWSMAKER – Author and Ecological Economist Pierre William Johnson

PLUS |Behind the Cup: Why Quality Tea Needs a Better Business Model

Social and environmental conditions behind tea production remain far less scrutinized than those for coffee or cocoa.

In this Tea Biz Spotlight, Ecological Economist Pierre William Johnson, author of the French-language Thé: l’envers de la tasse — Tea: Behind the Cup — examines the structures that shape how tea is grown, processed, traded, and valued. We discuss why paying more for quality does not necessarily translate into higher income for workers or smallholders; how colonial-era plantation systems continue to shape wages and working conditions; why monoculture poses both economic and environmental risks; and whether producer organization, agroforestry, stronger quality incentives, and shorter value chains can lead to a fairer distribution of value. | Podlink signup: https://pod.link/1549975153

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