A rendez-vous with tea in Paris
Every two years the food industry gathers in Paris for the SIAL food expo, one of the biggest of its kind in Europe. This year was no different, with thousands of professionals attending the event, despite major strikes that had partially paralyzed France and its transport system.
Tea companies had a dedicated tea pavilion in the gourmet food hall, underscoring the growing importance of the sector within the fine food industry. Although traffic during the five-day event was not stellar, the quality of attendees was impressive nonetheless many of the top supermarket buyers (Auchan, Carrefour, Casino) and key distributors showed up to scour the stands for ideas and trends, as did thousands of independent retailers.
Scattered among several suppliers of bottom-of-the-barrel leaves were many exciting brands from France (Palais des Thés, Thés Georges Cannon, Kusmi Tea), the US (Adagio Teas, Boston Tea Company, Harvey & Sons) and from around the world showcasing inspiring produce. This matched the attitudes of many buyers on the floor (including large chain buyers usually conservative when it comes to premium tea), who were nothing short of amazed by the appearance of exotic varieties and aromas of surprising blends, and expressed confidence in introducing premium leaves to a larger audience at the expense of prevalent supermarket brands. Indeed, the local market seems to be following in the footsteps of the US, en route to a refined tea experience. It seems quite paradoxical that a continent so in love with gourmet food has deprived itself of such a wonderful beverage for so long!
Apart from improving quality and variety of teas available, the other major trend was a notable shift in how companies market the product. For decades, if not centuries, tea trade went hand in hand with a deep sense of tradition and heritage, relying on colonial and Asian themes to anchor tea in an ancient, aristocratic setting. Some European companies, Marriage Frères or Taylors of Harrogate to name just a couple, are still attached to this leitmotif today. For them tea remains something old rather than new; serious rather than fun.
It was therefore refreshing to see companies break away from this convention by adopting colorful, modern and ultimately lighthearted themes to cut through the clutter and make tea relevant for modern consumers. One such enterprise was Kusmi Tea, a company more than a century old that seeks to continually infuse its products with a touch of sophistication and modernity, without being weighed down by its considerable heritage. Its sister brand of organic tea Løv (leaf in Norwegian), launched at the expo, was even more disruptive, showcasing a minimalist, eco-friendly and no-fuss interpretation of tea. It seems even in France, attached to its traditional ways of life, slowly but surely, tea is beginning to get rid of its old complexion with its sights on the future ahead.
Adagio's products were also in the spotlight, particularly the Anteadote ready-to-drink iced tea range. Its pure and refreshing taste made a considerable impact on attendees' palates, since this product line remains the only one across Europe that is brewed with real tea leaves and does not contain any added sugar or sweeteners.
Finally, SIAL was a great occasion to meet many customers and colleagues that are dispersed throughout the world. It is often difficult to keep a close link with the tea community on different continents as daily life continues its course, despite the omnipresence of technological tools today. No surprise that this event, during which everyone sacrifices a certain amount of time to rub elbows with its peers and exchange past experiences and future plans, felt more like a friend gathering at times. Next rendez-vous in 2012!
Stepas Parulis is TeaTrend's editor and oversees Adagio's operations in Europe. He analyzes the tea industry through the prism of market and consumer trends.