From Soil to Shelf: Who Pays for Regenerative Tea — and Who Profits?

A live Earth Day panel/webinar on the future of tea, pricing, and responsibility across the supply chain

This Earth Day, the European Speciality Tea Association brought together leading voices from across the tea value chain for a candid, commercially grounded panel discussion exploring the realities of regenerative tea farming.

A real conversation about:

  • The true cost of transitioning to regenerative practices

  • Whether the market is willing to support price premiums

  • The risks and opportunities for producers, buyers, and brands

  • How we move from intention to implementation

 
 

Why This Matters Now

Regenerative agriculture is rapidly gaining attention across food and beverage — but tea risks falling behind unless the industry aligns on how this transition can work in reality.

This session was designed to bridge that gap.

What You’ll Gain

  • A clear understanding of what regenerative tea farming actually means in practice

  • Insight into the economic realities behind adoption

  • Perspectives from both production and commercial sides of the industry

  • A first look at the RegenTea project and its role in shaping this transition

Inside the Art & Science of Tea Blending From Concept to Commercial Bestseller

 

What really happens behind the scenes of professional tea blending?

How great blends are created and why most fail?

 
 

Tea blending is often romanticised as creativity and intuition — but in reality, successful blends are the result of precise decision-making, technical knowledge, and deep commercial understanding.

In this exclusive European Speciality Tea Association webinar, Max Frick, General Manager of Mount Everest Tea Company, one of Germany’s largest and most respected tea blending houses in Hamburg, takes us inside the professional blending process — from the first idea to large-scale production.

Designed for tea professionals, brand founders, buyers, and passionate tea learners, this session offers rare insight into how blends are actually developed within the industry.

 
 

As part of the session, Max also guides participants through a live conceptual blending exercise, demonstrating how professionals approach designing a tea under real-world constraints.

This is a rare opportunity to learn directly from industry practice — offering practical understanding rather than theory alone.

 
 

It is explores

  • How professional tea blending differs from small-scale or hobby blending

  • The role of Camellia sinensis and botanicals in modern blend development

  • How flavour, cost, quality, and regulation influence ingredient choices

  • The journey from hand sample to industrial batch production

  • A real-world case study showing how a commercial bestseller is developed

  • Common mistakes emerging tea brands make when creating blends

Who This Webinar Is For

  • Tea brand founders and entrepreneurs

  • Tea buyers and retailers

  • Hospitality professionals working with tea menus

  • Tea educators and enthusiasts seeking deeper industry knowledge

  • Anyone curious about how successful tea blends are truly created

What You’ll Gain

By the end of the webinar, you will understand:

✔ How professional blenders think and make decisions
✔ The hidden factors behind successful commercial blends
✔ How to evaluate ingredients beyond flavour alone