Indian officials have applied to the European Union for brand-name protection for its Darjeeling tea. It is expected that the application will go through although India may face an objection from Darjeeling, a French lingerie company.
Apparently, the Darjeeling region of India produces only 10,000 tonnes of tea each year. However, there are 40,000 tonnes of tea sold under that name each year. This is why India is seeking protection for the Darjeeling name. Presently, tea from the Darjeeling region is labeled with an Indian certification mark. It is hoped the EU certification will provide some protection.
If this goes through, it means only tea from the Darjeeling region can be called Darjeeling just as only Madeira wine from the Portuguese island of Madeira can be called by that name. This certification will make India the second non-European country to get the EU’s protected designation of origin status. Cafe de Colombia from Colombia was the first.
Presently about 800 regional foods and thousands of wines are protected in this manner. Europe very strongly backs it regional specialties unlike the US with its agribusiness.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Darjeeling_tea_may_join_EU_hall_of_fame_list/articleshow/3605965.cms
Filed under Tea by on Oct 17th, 2008. 
Something a little different today on the tea front. I just read where Scholastic, the children’s book publisher, is offering an essay contest to kids between the ages of 8 and 17. It is only a 200 or less word essay where the children describe how they have helped others.
The grand prize for five U.S. winners, each to accompanied by an adult, is an all-expense paid trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for a tea party with J.K. Rowling. There will be a total of 250 children at the event.
Not only do they get to enjoy the tea, but they get to enjoy Rowling as she reads her latest The Tales of Beedle the Bard at the National Library of Scotland. The proceeds from this latest book go to charity which may be one reason why Scholastic is running this contest spreading the word about helping others.
But kids only have till 30 October to get their essays in, so hurry. Wonder if this will create any new tea drinkers among the younger readers of J.K. Rowling?
Source: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Scholastic-NASDAQ-SCHL-911450.html
Filed under Tea Events by on Oct 21st, 2008.
It appears the economic woes affecting the global economies has hit Sri Lanka tea factories as well. Private tea factory owners are asking for their own bailout package as the prices for tea have crashed and they have run out of cash. They also want a moratorium on repayments of existing loans.
Low grown teas from Sri Lanka at the Colombo auctions are fetching sharply reduced prices when selling at all. Half of the tea auctioned is not being sold as their biggest consumers in Middle Eastern countries and Russia have reduce their purchases. These countries are having problems financing the buys due to the economic turmoil. Have you see how the markets in Asia and around the world are reacting today?
Due to the failures in the market, the tea owners cannot repay existing loans and have run out of money. This is affecting thousands of the small tea holders who sell their green leaf tea to the factory owners. Prices for them have fallen almost by half and the factory owners don’t have the money to pay the small holders.
Who knows where this will end? However, Herman Gunaratne, one of the factory owners says more regulatory controls are needed to prevent oversupply. Seems like if the tea is not selling, they already have an oversupply. But he’s right in that there could be “unhealthy competition”.
Source: http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=613239177
Filed under Tea by on Oct 24th, 2008.