Friday, June 11
8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

Tea 101

This core class will teach the basics of specialty tea. Understand how the different types of tea – black, oolong, green and white – are all manufactured from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Get a global perspective on where tea is grown and the journey it takes to your cup. Learn the importance of brewing times and temperatures in steeping the perfect cup. This catch-all class will get you up to speed on one of the most profitable and fastest-growing beverage categories in North America.  Speaker:  Bruce Richardson, Owner, Elmood Inn Fine Teas and Benjamin Press

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Identify the basic tea families.
2. Speak confidently about basic tea manufacturing processes.
3. Identify the leading tea growing regions of the world.
4. Identify basic tea grades.
5. Speak confidently about how tea is grown and harvested. 

A Road Map to Organic Certification

Why reinvent the wheel? This seminar will map out the steps involved in obtaining USDA organic certification specific to the tea industry, including extensive resources and useful documents. Review best practices in organics. Understand certification exemptions, what’s necessary for NOP compliance regardless of your status. Determine what, if anything, may be necessary to bring your business into compliance.  Speaker:  Beth Johnston, President, Teas Etc.

By the end of this seminar you will able to:

1. Understand the fundamentals of creating an organic system plan.
2. Understand organic and FDA labeling requirements.
3. Identify what documentation and certifications you need from suppliers here and abroad.
4. Comprehend what you need to do to package and sell certified organic product, even if you are exempt.
5. Realize why organic is important to your business and to the industry. 

Legal Requirements for Labeling Tea

The colors are chosen and the logo looks great, but what can one say on the label without getting sued?  This course will explain how to design your principle display label, when to use an informational or nutritional label, required formatting, and permissible wording and symbols, such as the USDA Certified Organic seal or a Fair Trade seal.  Speaker:  Kristen Schneider, Esq., President and Founder, Keria Teas, LLC

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Know when a label is required on tea and when it is not.
2. Identify the types of FDA-required labels.
3. Design a basic label meeting FDA placement and formatting requirements.
4. Understand when the USDA Certified Organic and Fair Trade seals may be used.
5. Understand the current regulations regarding health claims on tea. 

Rediscovering Pure Indigenous Tea in Taiwan

Riding on the natural and organic tea trend and inspired by the terroir of Taiwan Oolongs, a new direction of study is to take the Taiwan indigenous tea plants and their potential development for hybridizing even better cultivars suited for Taiwan’s organic tea plantation. Speaker: Lynn Y.S. Lin, Ph.D., President, Lynn Y.S. Lin Consulting, Inc.

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand the indigenous tea trees of a wild Taiwanese tea forest and why it’s flourished without human intervention.
2. Learn the history of Taiwan tea cultivars and how these indigenous trees will affect Taiwan tea moving forward.
3. Understand the research and development from Tea Research and Extension Stations in Taiwan.
4. Learn why utilizing indigenous tea plants to hybridize new and better cultivars suited for organic tea plantation is a new direction for Taiwan.
5. Encourage other countries to develop the most suitable and best natural and organic tea on their own land.

Focused Tasting: Discovering the Treasure of Yunnan China known as Pu’erh Cha

From the region acclaimed by China to be the birthplace of tea come the some of the most fascinating varietals and processing techniques used anywhere to produce the unique teas we know as Pu’erh Cha. While experiencing a wide range of Pu’erh types and forms, learn about the features of these wonderful teas that make them a “Natural Treasure” in China.  Speaker: Philip Parda, President,WorldSource International LLC (Zhong Guo Cha brands)

By the end of this tasting you will be able to:

1. Identify growing regions and conditions for producing Pu’erh.
2. Identify plant varietals used for Pu’erh production.
3. Understand processing techniques that are unique to different Pu’erh types.
4. Understand the categories of Pu’erh types, shapes, and their differences.
5. Understand the effect Natural and Scientific Aging has on the leaf, how it is done, and why. 

Friday, June 11
9:45 - 10:45 a.m.

Tea in Personal Care Products: What is Truly Natural?

Tea has great topical antioxidant benefits for the skin and is increasingly being used in body care. However, customers are becoming aware of green washing in products claiming to be natural. This seminar will teach retailers and formulators how to source truly natural body and skin care ingredients and products that contain tea as its active ingredient, to benefit from the growing demand for these products. We will also cover how a product needs to be formulated in order for the tea to be effective and the ingredient differences between conventional, natural and/or organic.  Speaker:  Norma Manty, Owner, Tea Naturals Skin Care

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:      

1. Understand the formulation requirements for tea to be beneficial in personal care products.
2. Identify the three antioxidant benefits tea has for skin care.
3. Understand where toxins usually exist in products so you can avoid them.
4. Identify the alternative preservatives used in natural products.
5. Understand trends in the new body and skin care ingredients coming up. 

How to Use Social Media to Grow Your Tea Business

In this seminar, Kevin will talk about using next generation web technologies to promote and grow your tea business. The importance of transparency and openness in the new economy will be discussed. Kevin will describe how he has taken several companies from zero to millions of users and the challenges companies face online.  Speaker:  Kevin Rose, Founder, @GoodTea

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Have an overview of the Web.
2. Understand social media.
3. Learn the importance of transparency.
4. Building brand awareness.
5. Promote your business on the Web. 

Hosting a Successful Tea Tasting Event

Learn how to organize and present an informative, profitable tea tasting. Set in a variety of environments; store front, tea shop, restaurant or in a home setting, educational tastings are increasingly popular events that generate customers and revenue. This session will teach you what tools are needed, how to select teas and how to determine the best tea topics and points to convey to your audience to receive rave reviews.  Speaker:  Beth Johnston, President, Teas Etc.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Learn what to consider when selecting the type of tasting that will work best for your skill level and environment.
2. Know how many teas and which teas work best for a tasting. 
3. Determine what tea information is important and how to connect it to the teas to educate participants.  
4. Understand how to be prepared for the details of hosting a professional tasting.
5. Learn the many ways your business can benefit from these fun, profitable events.   

Tea Sourcing in the Himalayas

This session will take you on a guided picture tour through the tea areas of East Nepal and Darjeeling to initiate and secure quality and organic production.  Speaker:  Thomas Holtz, Master Tea Taster, TeaGschwendner 

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Get impressions of two fantastic tea orgins.
2. Learn about sourcing in connection with Corporate Social Responsibility. 
3. Understand the complexity of tea sourcing.  
4. Understand the importance of organic growing for the future.
5. Understand the different conditions in Nepal and Darjeeling.   

Friday, June 11
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Can I Say That?  Legality of Health Claims

This course introduces the FDA regulations that affect a tea importer’s or seller’s ability to advertise the health effects of tea. Participants will learn the various categories of health claims allowed by the FDA. The course will also cover the basics of the approval process for new health claims and the consequences of not complying with FDA regulations.  Speaker:  Asa Markel, Esq., Attorney, Shorall McGoldrick Brinkmann

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Identify the main regulators of health claims and advertising in the United States.
2. Understand the major types of health claims recognized and regulated by the FDA.
3. Understand the penalties and consequences of not complying with FDA and FTC regulations on health claims and advertising.
4. Understand how to apply to the FDA to obtain recognition for health claims relating to tea.
5. Understand the current status of approved tea-related health claims. 

Making Websites that Make Money

As premium tea becomes an accepted part of our country’s food options, more and more people are looking for great sources for tea. At the same time many people are more comfortable ordering everything they need online.  Tea websites have shown they are able to make and keep a customer following, but are only going to be profitable if you can offer them an experience that keeps them coming back.  Becoming their trusted tea expert is part of the battle, but a battle that you can only win if they can find you.  This course will help you understand all the ways that you can create a modern website, and help you decide how to take your website to the next level when the time comes.  Speaker:  Elisabeth Knottingham, Owner, The Teacup

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Identify the most important ways your website can create income.
2. Understand the web development process.
3. Know questions to ask when you are hiring someone to assist you.
4. Create your own system for keeping your website updated.
5. Use website resources like search engines and blogs to draw traffic. 

Capture the Media’s Attention (Panel Discussion)

In this seminar, you will learn how journalists think, what they look for when developing news stories and how to communicate with the right media for your news in the most effective way.  Moderator:  Heidi Kyser, Editor, World Tea News

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Consider happenings at your company from the point of view of a journalist.
2. Better decide which of your happenings are newsworthy.
3. Draft press releases about your news.
4. Identify media outlets that might be interested in your news.
5. Talk to journalists about your news. 

Executive and Technical Series:  Tea and Health

Description coming soon- Latest Research

Speaker:  Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director, American Botanical Council 

Focused Tasting: Africa

Tea growing conditions in Africa are truly excellent – tropical sun, high altitude, deep volcanic soils, plentiful rain and few traditional tea pests. Nineteen countries in Africa grow tea, generating 13% of world production and 29% global tea exports – twice as much as China – yet only 5% of U.S. tea imports come from Africa. We shall look at historical, social and cultural reasons for this imbalance and ask, “Are you losing out on a good thing?” It’s time perhaps to learn and taste what Africa can offer to your specialty tea customers – and to your reputation.  Speaker:  Nigel Melican, Managing Director, Teacraft Ltd.

By the end of this focused tasting you will be able to:

1. See how African tea fits into global export and market statistics.
2. Understand why Africa is under-represented in the U.S. market.
3. Discover the exciting new specialty teas being made across Africa.
4. Learn about a brand new specialty tea origin in Rwanda.
5. Benefit sales by intriguing your customers with tales of new teas from the “Dark Continent”. 

Friday, June 11
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Skill Building: Comparative Origin Cupping

This hands-on workshop will examine green, oolong and black teas. Rather than simply focusing on these three tea categories, we will cup, compare and perform full sensory evaluation of these teas from four different origins. You will examine teas from Darjeeling, Sri Lanka, China and Kenya. During this evaluation process, you will learn basic through advanced cupping techniques. Necessary tools, including a full list of tea tasting terminology, will be provided to help you navigate through future cupping seminars.  Speaker:  David DeCandia, Senior Manager Tea/Master Tea Blender, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Set up your own cupping seminar from start to finish.
2. Open up your palate and mind by comparing types of teas from different origins.
3. Understand how origin plays a big part in tea, regardless of the type.
4. Identify the manufacturing end-result in teas produced from origins not know for certain types of tea.
5. Understand key tea tasting terminology and how to use it during your future cuppings. 

Skill Building: Brewing and Serving Hot and Iced Tea

In this hands-on workshop, attendees will learn the best practices for brewing and serving fresh brewed iced and hot tea. This workshop will address profitability, portion costs and choosing the right equipment mix for foodservice applications. Attendees will learn about the impact ice and storage have on tea, as well as water quality as it relates to steeping hot tea. Beyond brewing and serving, this workshop will address marketing, staff training and ready to drink and brew-in-the-bag applications.  Speaker:  Scott Svihula, Teasmith, China Mist Brands

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand the ins and outs of brewing and serving a quality iced tea beverage.
2. Understand the importance of ice and storage to iced tea.
3. Understand many different ways of serving and presenting hot tea.
4. Understand the importance of water quality.
5. Understand industry statistics, benchmarks, and profitability and portion costs related to iced and hot teas. 

Friday, June 11
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Creative Finger Sandwiches – Artistry on a Plate

Every aspect of a tea meal needs to be special and unique, but finger sandwiches are often overlooked in favor of sweets. Are your savories ho-hum? Do they look as good as they taste? Customers expect and demand more sophisticated fare than they can produce at home. This lecture and demonstration will present a short history of the sandwich then focus on the techniques, tools, tips and tricks to making and plating a wide assortment of delectable, unusual and beautifully shaped tea sandwiches.  Speaker:  Kim Hendrickson, Cookbook Author,Salvia Press (Division of Atlantic Publishing)

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Learn a wide variety of sandwich shapes to improve the savory portion of your tea menu.
2. Taste a variety of sandwich fillings.
3. Understand plating techniques and ideas for your sandwich assortment.
4. Identify what tools to use for garnishing techniques.
5. Balance your time without sacrificing your creativity. 

Friday, June 11
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Tea and Chocolate Pairing

Fine chocolates and fine teas are some of the world’s favorite culinary delights. Both are hot trends on the gourmet scene. In this workshop, you will learn about the different types of chocolate and gain hands-on experience in pairing them properly with fine teas to make you look like an expert.  Learn how to conduct a tasting that will help you sell more of your high-end teas. Your foodie customers will love learning how to pair tea and chocolate together to enhance their epicurean experience, and you will love what it does to your bottom line.  Speaker:  Lisa Boalt Richardson, President, Lisa Knows Tea

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand pairing techniques.
2. Identify how to properly taste teas and chocolates, and appreciate their different components.
3. Understand how to pair different teas with various chocolates and why some pair better than others.
4. Show your customers how to taste higher-end teas by offering a pairing class – the more they try, the more they buy.
5. Take this information and turn it into profits for your business by offering pairings to your customers. 

Basket-ology – Creating Professional Gift Baskets

Tom and Pam share their hands-on techniques, top secrets of their success, structuring, bow-making, wrapping-to-stay designs and much more! Come share two hours of fun, designing, wrapping, learning to pick out your inventory and much more. Come join them and take your business to a new level of profit. If you are already doing gift baskets, why not attend and learn a different style of designing or refresh your techniques?  Speakers:  Pamela and Tom Newell, Owners, Gift Basket School, Inc. and Gift Basket Professional

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand Tom and Pam's secrets on how to structure your design.
2. Be able to set a realistic goal for their inventory needs.
3. Identify top secrets for making your design pop with style.
4. Understand why you should add gift baskets to what you are doing now!
5. Understand hands-on techniques and learn how to enhance your designs on a shoestring budget. 

Saturday, June 12
8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

Reality Check – Finding Happiness and Profitability in Tea

Whether you’re considering a foray into the tea business or already have a retail, wholesale or internet operation, this class will help you take off the rose colored glasses and develop a detailed understanding of how to find profits AND avoid the pitfalls ahead. This presentation will cover tea retailers, tea cafes, tea restaurants, online retailers and wholesalers.  Speaker:  Charles Cain, Adagio Teas

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand the competitive environment.
2. Identify growth trends.
3. Align your strategies to deliver both personal fulfillment and profitability.
4. Know the most common mistakes tea businesses make.
5. See the most-often overlooked opportunities for profit.  

The Language of Tea - Basic Mandarin for Tea Terms

This seminar is designed for non-native Mandarin speakers to learn and replicate Mandarin tea and place names. We will discuss basic introduction to Mandarin pronunciation and Hanyu Pinyin (Romanized Chinese characters), as well as an overview of main tea classifications and common tea names in each category. Each attendee will receive a reference packet with a Pinyin pronunciation table.  Speaker:  Lambert Ninteman, Sourcing Director, The Whole Leaf Tea Co.

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand basic Mandarin pronunciation.
2. Identify names of tea families and common (famous) teas.
3. Understand basic Chinese tea geography.
4. Understand basic Mandarin tea vocabulary (tea ware, culture, etc.).
5. Understand common Mandarin tea phrases.

Fearless Marketing – Owning Your Retail Marketplace

In this market environment of tight competition, ad clutter and price pressures, how does a company navigate toward success? In this workshop, you will not be given the answers but the tools and tips of world-class brand management to give you a foundation to grow.  Speaker:  Bryan Stafford, Business and Marketing Leader, Fava Tea Company LLC

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand what marketing is and how to be a ‘fearless marketer'.
2. Understand why ‘fearless marketing’ is critical in today’s environment.
3. Begin to establish your brand and position to own and thrive in your marketplace.
4. Start to layout the execution of your brand & marketing to own your marketplace.
5. Be able to lay out a plan to compete and dominate in own your marketplace.

Focused Tasting: Teaching Tea – Mentor Your Staff into Becoming True Tea Professionals

So, you're passionate about the tea you sell, but is your staff? Once you've found that perfect person to join your team, how do you mentor them into becoming a true tea professional? It's become evident that cultivating meaningful knowledge doesn't happen through memorizing a menu of descriptions or choosing the cup that happens to sound good that day. Gain confidence in your own tea cupping and brewing skills, and learn how to channel that momentum into developing the next generation of passionate, educated tea professionals. Speaker:  Suzette Hammond, Trainer, Peet’s Coffee & Tea

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Hone your own tea-tasting skills and sensory development.
2. Understand how to use basic cupping procedures to develop true tea expertise with your staff.
3. Understand quality control: inspire respect for the product and improve serving standards.
4. Understand that you must taste everything and be confident to drink your own product, served by your own staff.
5. Understand how to teach without words: enlightenment through tasting with customers.

Focused Tasting:  Global Tisanes: New Tastes and Increased Sales

Beyond the already popular chamomile, rooibos, mint or yerba mate teas, there exists still a world of uncharted journeys with herbal infusions and tisanes from the various regions of the globe. Understand how increased knowledge of the wide variety of pure tisanes available from around the world can translate to increased sales and help position you as a leader in the virtually untapped market of global tisanes.  Speaker: Yoon Hee Kim, President,Tea Classics/Hankook Tea

By the end of this focused tasting you will be able to:

1. Understand the differences between straight tisanes and flavored or scented teas.
2. Identify the major categories of tisanes and how to steep them for service.
3. Recognize and differentiate the taste profiles of rare tisanes and herbal infusions not yet widely known in the States.
4. Learn the various reported health benefits of Herbals.
5. Understand how increased knowledge of global tisanes can increase your sales and position you ahead of the competition.

Executive and Technical Series:  Global Trends in Tea

Euromonitor International will offer attendees a complete picture of the global environment for the tea industry. We will review key regions including emerging markets and developed markets still offering opportunities, what the tea consumer looks like worldwide and locally, key trends driving change, new opportunities through 2013 and how the tea industry can expand in the U.S. market.  Speaker:  Brian Morgan, Senior Research Analyst, Euromonitor International

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand the status of the global and regional tea market.
2. Understand major industry rankings including key growing markets.
3. Identify new opportunities and consumers.
4. Understand the future of the industry.
5. Identify markets with the most potential for growth.

Saturday, June 12
9:45-10:45 a.m.

Being Provocative – The Art of Merchandising

Effective merchandising is provoking a desired response through your store, products, atmosphere, or brand. Exceptional merchandising doesn’t just happen. It is the result of thoughtful and creative strategies executed with discipline and flexibility. It is the path to profitability. This seminar will start you down that path.  Speaker:  Bill Waddington, Owner, TeaSource

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Apply the basics of merchandising immediately upon return to your business (you should already be doing most of this).
2. Design and implement merchandising efforts that directly link desired responses to the stimulus you provide.
3. Develop and habitually apply new techniques for borrowing ideas from others.
4. Design and execute merchandising programs that appeal to all six senses (yes, I said six senses).
5. Track and determine the impact of various merchandising strategies, and learn how to make smart adjustments as you go.

Hawaii Grown Tea - Why is it so Important?

This seminar will talk about the overall scope of the Hawaii tea industry. You will hear an update on the tea marketed and ongoing research with plant propagation, growing techniques at single tea estates and fresh leaf distribution market. This seminar will teach attendees the uses and virtues of Hawaii's fresh leaf, propagation program & processed tea as well as an update on America's largest tea growing community.  Speaker:  Eva Lee, President, Tea Hawaii & Co.

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand Hawaii's position in world tea industry as America's largest tea plant producer.
2. Determine how America's tea industry can profit with Hawaii grown tea.
3. Learn how fresh leaf tea can serve the culinary industry and the health benefits of fresh leaf tea.
4. Create business opportunities with Hawaii tea growers and propagators.
5. Understand how additional Hawaii value added tea products can compliment your tea business.

Executive and Technical Series: Rooibos and the Body's Own Master Antioxidant – Glutathione

Over the last decade, the Cancer Association of South Africa has invested substantially to support research on Rooibos extract as a possible, natural cancer-preventive product. In this seminar, you will learn about recent studies conducted under the leadership of Prof Wentzel Gelderblom at South Africa's Medical Research Council in Cape Town and by Professor Jeanine Marnewick of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.  Speaker: Carl Albrecht, Researcher, Cancer Association of South Africa     

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand the results of Rooibos studies performed on rats and in human volunteers.
2. Understand how these results translate into potential health benefits.
3. Have a basic grasp of glutathione and its role in cancer prevention.
4. Understand the role of glutathione in Rooibos tea.
5. Understand the potential of Rooibos in preventing cancer.

Saturday, June 12
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

From Selection to Description – Developing Tea Menus that Tease Taste buds

Developing a tea menu that is well-rounded and able to reflect the ideals of your brand is a daunting challenge for any tea business owner. Translating the appealing stories and flavors of your teas into a menu can be even harder. This seminar will cover how to develop or refine your tea menu into a repertoire that appeals to your client base, sets you apart from the competition and defines your brand.  Speaker: Lindsey Goodwin, Owner, Vee Teas

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Tell which teas nearly all tea businesses need to offer for financial success.
2. Tell which teas on your menu will set you apart and keep customers coming back.
3. Create a balanced tea list with an appropriate number of teas.
4. Name and write about your teas in a way that appeals to your customer base.
5. Design a menu that is clear, easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing. 

Tea – There May Be Trouble Ahead

Every attendee at WTE 2010 is in some way dependent on tea, so what looms ahead for the tea industry? Geopolitics, social issues, child labor, climate change, health scares, genetic engineering, water shortage. What’s on the horizon and lurking just over the horizon?  This seminar will review current world production of specialty teas in regard to upcoming global trends affecting supply and demand and price and quality.  Speaker:  Nigel Melican, Managing Director, Teacraft Ltd

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Become aware of some potential tea industry drivers on the horizon.
2. Understand how distant events affect the tea in your cup.
3. Distinguish between short-term and long-term influences.
4. Understand the relationship between conditions and tea quality.
5. Explain tea supply, quality and price fluctuations to your customers.

Making the Transition from a Mom-and-Pop Business

When you achieve success running your business yourself, eventually, the time to evolve arrives. As you hire new employees and grow the business, either a team is born, or the "do-it-yourself" model gets more complicated and more difficult to manage. This seminar will teach strategies to build a team cohesive and supportive of the vision that sparked the birth of the business to begin with.  Speaker:  Thomas Wagner, Vice President, Queen Mary Tea    

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand natural business birth and evolution.
2. Identify pivotal times in every business and choices to be made.
3. Avoid becoming simply an owner with a bunch of people working for you.
4. Design and implement the framework of a functional team.
5. Identify the supporting structures required to maintain a team.

Focused Tasting:  Blended/Flavored Teas

Blending and flavoring teas is an art. Finding the balance and flavoring is the art of tasting and smelling. This class provides attendees with the opportunity to taste the blender’s art, evaluate and capture the essence of the process. One will walk away from this class with a clear view of how our olfactory and taste senses interface.  Speaker:  Mim Enck, President/Blender, The East Indies Coffee and Tea Company

By the end of this focused tasting you will be able to:

1. Understand that blending and flavoring teas is an art form.
2. Evaluate different blends and flavorings through taste.
3. Understand how the olfactory and taste senses work together.
4. Identify leaf styles in blends.
5. Understand why elements add value to blends and flavored teas.

Executive and Technical Series:  Transforming the Tea Industry

The presentation will discuss a successful model for transforming the mainstream tea industry through collaboration with a mission-driven NGO. After an introduction of the Rainforest Alliance program, the presentation will showcase impacts of certification on the ground. The collaboration between the Rainforest Alliance and Ethical Tea Partnership will be discussed and case studies of leading tea brands using Rainforest Alliance Certified products will be given.  Speaker:  Sabrina Vigilante, Director, Markets and Sustainable Value Chains, Rainforest Alliance

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand benefits of certification to tea producers worldwide through specific examples of sustainable practices on the farm level.
2. Identify ways that industry collaborates with NGOs.
3. Understand strategies for marketing sustainability to consumers.
4. Understand how companies can transform supply chains.
5. Understand how sustainability is possible for large scale, mainstream supply chains.

Saturday, June 12
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Skill Building: Blending a Classic Breakfast Tea

In this hands-on workshop, attendees will learn the theory and practice of creating their own breakfast tea. We will cover methodology and organization for creating a proprietary blend using classic black teas. Discover, through tasting, how various types of tea combine in the cup, both positively and negatively.  Speaker:  Eliot Jordan, Director of Tea, Peet’s Coffee and Tea

By the end of this three-hour workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand how proprietary blends can help your business.
2. Identify likely blender teas.
3. Utilize a methodology for creating blends on the cupping table.
4. Taste the results of various blend combinations.
5. Avoid common blending pitfalls.

Saturday, June 12
3:30-5:30 p.m.

Tea and Cocktails – Flavor Fusion

This interactive seminar will teach tea room owners, retailers and hospitality providers how to marry the diverse and interesting flavors of tea with the world of cocktails. The seminar will focus on tea types and flavor pairings, health benefits of tea, and cocktail mixing and tasting.  Speaker:  Chris Cason, Co-Founder, Tea Sommelier & Editor-in-Chief, Tavalon Tea

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Provide another form of tea drinking for your menu.
2. Have hands-on experience with tea cocktails.
3. Create pairings of tea flavors and cocktails.
4. Discover the health benefits of tea while enjoying your favorite cocktail.
5. Mix and serve creative, healthy and tasty cocktail beverages.

Saturday, June 12
4:00-6:00 p.m.

Tea and Cheese Pairing

In this seminar we will taste a variety of Tea and Cheese pairings, and discuss why these pairings are so successful. We will discuss pairing tea and cheese by flavor, aroma and/or texture, working toward a balanced experience, while extrapolating a more general approach to food and beverage pairings.  Speaker:  Cynthia Gold, Chef and Tea Sommelier, The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Taste tea with an eye towards pairing with food.
2. Taste food with an eye towards pairing with tea.
3. Pair using taste or aroma.
4. Pair using texture.
5. Create a tea and cheese event of your own.

Sunday, June 13
8:00-9:30 a.m.

How to Photograph Tea and Tea Ware

Photographing tea is not brain surgery, and you can save a lot of money by photographing your products for your Web site, brochures and other proprietary products. Bring your camera and learn from a professional photographer the easiest and best way to do both environmental portraits and staged product shots of your tea and tea ware. Save money, have fun and create beautiful and useful images of your products.  Speaker:  Jennifer Sauer, Freelance Photographer, The Way to Tea

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand light and how it affects your images.
2. Understand point-and-shoot camera functions to benefit your photos.
3. Identify tools you will need to make the photos you require for your website and brochures.
4. Understand how to think of your "subjects.”
5. Understand how to edit your images and the software tools that can help you. 

Social Responsibility and Certifications (Panel Discussion) 

In this seminar, you will learn the meaning of certifications and labels related to corporate responsibility that are commonly used in the specialty tea industry. Panelists will outline and discuss the standards and processes used to deem a tea “Fair Trade,” “Organic,” Rainforest Alliance Certified,” etc.  Moderator:  Heidi Kyser, Editor, World Tea News Panelists Include: Catherine Sinclair of TransFair USA, Ann Maria Hourigan of QAI, Graham Mitchell of UTZ CERTIFIED North America, and Sabrina Vigilante of Rainforest Alliance.

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand socially responsible certifications commonly used on specialty tea.
2. Get answers to frequently asked questions about labels.
3. Understand which certifications align with your own goals for social responsibility.
4. Identify certified products that fit with your company’s mission.
5. Answer customers’ basic questions about certifications.

Fifty Special Event Ideas to Build Business and Drive Traffic

Did you know that special events and classes on a regular basis are the way to build your business, drive traffic and bring in revenue – especially during slower times? If you already do events, are you tired of doing the same old things? This seminar will inspire you to get moving on your special events calendar, motivate your staff and bring in more customers and revenue!  Speaker:  Amy Lawrence, Owner, Afternoon to Remember Fine Tea and Gifts and ATR Publishing, International Tea Sippers Society

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand why special events are critical to your business.
2. Utilize key strategies to boost attendance to your special events.
3. Design and implement new events for different segments of your customer population.
4. Create your own calendar of special events for the year.
5. Motivate your staff and get them involved with special events. 

Focused Tasting:  Unusual Whites and Oolongs

This focused tasting seminar will offer attendees the chance to learn a little about some of the unusual white and oolong teas being made around the world today. Jane has chosen six specialty teas that reflect our growing eagerness to enjoy the visual beauty, aroma and taste of teas from unusual origins.  Speaker:  Jane Pettigrew, International Tea Consultant and Writer

By the end of this focused tasting you will be able to:

1. Understand what makes a great white tea.
2. Appreciate how the character of white teas varies according to provenance and varietal of the tea bush used.
3. Understand how these rare white tea are made in Hawaii, Malawi, Ceylon and China’s Yunnan province.
4. Understand what makes a great oolong and the manufacturing process involved .
5. Understand how oolong teas are made in Hawaii and Vietnam and experience their individual characters. 

Executive and Technical Series: Tea Science – From Lab to Application

Tea is one of the most extensively studied plants in the world. Every new research study holds within it the potential for new products, new claims and new marketing approaches. Learn what's new in the science of tea and how it can lead you to new marketing opportunities.  Speaker:  Rob McCaleb, President, Herb Research Foundation

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand what is new in tea research.
2. Understand what uses have new support.
3. Understand how science plus regulation yields claims.
4. Understand what health benefit claims can be made by teas.
5. Understand what health benefit claims are reserved for supplements.

Sunday, June 13
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Skill Building: Creating Blends out of the Box with Teas and Botanicals

Join us for a hands-on workshop exploring the inspiring world of blending teas and herbal infusions with master blender Steve Schwartz, CEO and Founder of Art of Tea.  Our 3-hour program is designed to expose you to basic formulas and techniques of the art of blending.  Speaker:  Steve Schwartz, CEO/Founder, Art of Tea

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Create masterful recipes based on time-tested formulations, and learn new ways to create custom blends.
2. Understand the art of complimentary teas and botanicals by matching proper grades.
3. Identify proper mixing times, tools and techniques.
4. Uncover natural and artificial flavor applications.
5. Understand blending with organic and non-organic applications.

Skill Building: Becoming a Better Cupper

In this workshop we will uncover the type of cupper you are by establishing a baseline for taste, nerve and smell responses. Through hands-on tasting experiments we will help improve your ability to identify and recall this information. Beginners will having a better understanding on what to look for when making their tea selections. Intermediate professionals will learn how to improve their current cupping procedures and will be able to improve their employees' ability. Advanced experts will be amazed with the recent advancements in this science and will be able to greatly improve their understanding of why certain teas work better than others.  Speaker:  Scott Svihula, Teasmith, China Mist Brands

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Establish a baseline for your specific response to taste, nerve and smell.
2. Learn how to improve your ability to explain what you taste.
3. Learn how to improve your ability to recall past tasting experiences.
4. Teach your current and future employees this skill to increase productivity and sales.
5. Be one of the first to be involved in tea industry specific research that will lead to advancements in cupping.

Sunday, June 13
9:45 - 10:45 a.m.

Looking Deeply into Tea – The Gardens and Workers

The Western world has enjoyed tea for nearly four centuries, often with little or no regard for the families who pick the leaves for our daily cups of tea. Shelley Richardson believes that taking tea should be a mindful event. This multi-sensory program is filled with Bruce Richardson’s photographs of tea gardens in India and Sri Lanka and accompanied by original music and poetry composed by Shelley Richardson in honor of tea workers around the world.  Speaker:  Shelley Richardson, Co-Owner, Elmwood Inn Fine Teas & Benjamin Press

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Be more aware of the lives of tea workers and their families.
2. Be more aware of the natural beauty of tea gardens.
3. Be more contemplative when drinking tea.
4. Realize how tea may be used in meditation.
5. Pass along a mindful awareness of tea’s origins to your customers.

Ready-to-Drink Tea 101 – From Concepts to Consumers

The popularity of ready-to-drink tea beverages has been soaring in the U.S. Attendees will learn how to interpret consumer trend information,  identify product opportunities, find sources of product development support and assistance, create product concepts, understand the role and function of beverage ingredient components ( with an actual tasting exercise), develop prototypes, understand the importance of a business plan, and find and work with a co-packer.  Speakers: Anton Angelich, Vice President – Marketing, Virginia Dare and Joseph Minella, Application Manager – Beverages, Virginia Dare

By the end of this seminar you will able to:

1. Understand how each flavor component contributes taste in ready-to-drink teas.
2. Understand the function of each beverage ingredient in ready-to-drink teas.
3. Know what it takes to get started in the ready-to-drink tea business.
4. See the latest trends in ready-to-drink teas.
5. Identify product opportunities and test them with consumers.

Financing Options and Raising Capital for Your Business

Business owners investigating financing options and raising capital to expand will learn about current and projected state of the food industry markets. The seminar will offer methodologies used to evaluate businesses for capital raises and creative options for raising funds to expand in current and new markets with new and existing products.  Speaker: Robert Billow, Managing Director, Billow Butler & Company, LLC

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand the state of the good industry market.
2. Project availability of funding.
3. Evaluate business worth.
4. Identify creative funding options (private equity, financial institutions and angel funds).
5. Identify necessary steps and key advisors for funding.

Executive and Technical Series:  Fact or Fiction - The Science Behind Emerging Beverage Ingredients

This seminar will explore the science and analytical testing behind a number of emerging beverage ingredients, including white tea, pu’erh, stevia, kombucha, and yerba mate.  Product innovations in the last decade have spawn entirely new beverage categories from energy drinks to functional beverage shots.  Learn the difference between which emerging ingredients will be here to stay and which will be a flash in the pan.  Speaker:  Frank Jaksch, President & CEO, ChromaDex

Focused Tasting:  Unusual Blacks

This focused tasting seminar will offer attendees the chance to learn a little about some of the unusual black teas being made in less well-known origins. Jane has chosen six teas that increase our understanding and experience of different black teas from some of the world’s unusual origins.  Speaker:  Jane Pettigrew, International Tea Consultant and Writer

By the end of this focused tasting you will be able to:

1. Know Hawaii’s teas and appreciate the character of the black tea made at the summit of Kilauea Volcano.
2. Understand the different types of tea made by the Hand Made Tea-Makers Association in Georgia and appreciate the character of one of them.
3. Learn about the tea estate at Los Andes in Guatemala and experience the taste and aroma of the black tea made there.
4. Be familiar with the project at ChaiMate in the Bolivian Andes and experience the taste and aroma of the organic large leaf black.
5. Understand the recently established tea garden in Britain’s southwestern county of Cornwall and enjoy and appreciate the aroma and taste of two of the teas produced there.

Sunday, June 13
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Tea Room Survivor (Panel Discussion) 

All business owners face unique challenges, and tea room owners are no exception. This panel of diverse tea room owners from across the U.S. will share their stories of overcoming adversity to achieve success in their business. This will be a highly interactive discussion that will give you proven techniques and insight into overcoming the obstacles in the way of your tea room’s success.  Moderator:  Dean Jablon , Owner, Mulberry Tea House

Current Research on Tea’s Health Benefits 

Modern pharmacological, clinical and epidemiological research supports the many health benefits of this remarkable beverage, including its antioxidant, cardiovascular and chemo preventive (anticancer) effects.  This session will focus on new research in 2008 – 2009.  Speaker:  Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director, American Botanical Council

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Have a deeper knowledge of the history and widespread cultural significance of drinking tea.
2. Understand the wide range of pharmacological actions that are attributed to tea, particularly its catechin fractions, the compounds generally considered the most responsible for many of tea’s anti-oxidant-related health benefits.
3. Understand the various documented cardiovascular benefits of tea.
4. Understand the various documented chemo preventive (anti-cancer) effects of tea.
5. Have a wider understanding of the compelling epidemiological evidence documenting the health benefits of tea. 

Executive and Technical Series:  The Decaffeination Process

Have you ever wondered how decaffeinating companies remove caffeine from tea? How much caffeine do teas really contain? Do green teas contain more than black? Or Vice Versa? What does decaffeination do to the anti-oxidants in tea? Join me in understanding the history of the decaffeinated tea market from the first crude attempts to remove caffeine with water through to the highly specialized and sophisticated production facilities that supply today’s market.  Speaker:  Richard Enticott, President, Martin Bauer

By the end of this seminar you will be able to:

1. Understand how growing conditions and plucking standards influence the amount of caffeine found in tea.
2. Understand how much caffeine is naturally occurring in different tea types and how much ends up in your cup.
3. Understand the history of tea decaffeination from the 1970s to the present day.
4. Understand the three most commonly used production processes employed in the commercial decaffeination of tea.
5. Understand the transference rate of caffeine from the leaf to the brew – is the concept of “natural” decaffeination at home a myth or a reality?

Focused Tasting:  Japanese Green Tea

In this seminar attendees will learn to identify the various Japanese Green Teas and distinguish the taste profiles and brewing methods of authentic Japanese tea leaves. Rona will discuss the culture and rituals related to this time honored tradition. Participants will learn to recognize the difference in quality and seasonal teas. Take this seminar and maximize your knowledge on the complexities of green tea.  Speaker:  Rona Tison, Senior V.P. Corporate Relations, ITO EN (North America) INC.

By the end of this focused tasting you will be able to:

1. Understand the history and traditions related to the culture of green tea.
2. Identify techniques in examining and evaluating green teas leaves.
3. Distinguish the various types of Japanese teas.
4. Know important guidelines in brewing methods.
5. Talk about health benefits associated with green tea.

Sunday, June 13
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Cooking with Tea – Exploring the Culinary Potential of the Leaf

In this workshop Chef Wemischner will demonstrate dishes using tea and will discuss the exciting pairing of tea with foods, tea with cheese and tea with chocolate. This seminar will give attendees a wide and varied view of how well tea works as an ingredient and as a pairing beverage.  Speaker:  Robert Wemischner, Tea Chef, Los Angeles Trade Technical College   

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Infuse tea into foods, both sweet and savory, examining multiple methods.
2. Prepare simple dishes using tea that can be served in retail tea room settings.
3. Promote the idea of cooking with tea to increase tea sales.
4. Educate your tea drinking clientele about taking tea to the next step: cooking with it.
5. Develop tea based menus.