BeanScene magazine December 2021

Page 45

INDUSTRY PROFILE

Down to a tea

Origin Tea maintains a leading position in the Australian tea market thanks to a focus on connections with plantations, innovation, and meeting the needs of its café customers.

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any coffee and tea businesses say that supporting origin is at the heart of what they do, but for few it is as literal as Origin Tea. “We’re one of only a few tea companies in Australia who actually have their own operations at the source and direct relationships with plantations,” says Chris Seaton, Director of Origin Tea. “Our journey and experience in the tea industry actually began in origin. Our family owned tea plantations in Sri Lanka and we founded Origin Tea at home in Australia to add value to those farms.” Chris co-founded the family-owned Origin Tea with his brother Lawrence in 2012, seeing a gap in the market for a tea supplier with such strong ties abroad. “There wasn’t really a good brand out there that was able to provide traceability of where their teas come from, especially from a single origin like Sri Lanka,” Lawrence says. “A lot of teas are a blend of different

origins, so our focus on traceability and full control really sets us apart.” Origin Tea continues to source its tea from the family’s farms and other nearby affiliated plantations in Sri Lanka. All its tea from Sri Lanka bears the Lion Logo of Ceylon tea, a brand awarded to teas that meet the high quality standards set by the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Chris says people often don’t realise the diversity and quality that teas can offer. “There’s thousands of different grades of tea available worldwide and grading the different qualities of tea is just remarkable,” Chris says. “It can be challenging when someone thinks of tea as English Breakfast and that’s it. But we have a few champion cafés in our portfolio that demonstrate how if you really embrace tea, you can see the difference in style and performance when you’re willing to try something different.” Operating several cafés himself, Lawrence adds there are financial benefits to promoting a diverse tea offering.

“Many café owners don’t realise the profitability of tea compared to other beverages on the menu. To make a cup of tea using a teabag only costs 28 cents, and that can be sold on to a customer for about $4.50,” Lawrence explains. Origin Tea also works with many coffee roasters, who supply its tea on to their wholesale partners. Chris says stocking products like tea and chai, or even chocolate powders and alternative milks, allows a roaster to act as a one-stop shop for its café customers. “Australians consume a lot of caffeine every day, and consumers are becoming wary of that. Later on in the afternoon especially, they might look for alternatives to coffee with less caffeine, and tea is perfect for the late day pick-me-up,” he says. However, despite Origin Tea’s success over the past decade, Lawrence says the traditional black and green tea market is in decline, and that is why Origin Tea focuses on innovation to remain a leading tea

Origin Tea has released a series of Iced Tea syrups designed to meet the needs of cafés.

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