Tea Biz News and Insight - November 11, 2022
HEAR THE HEADLINES – Funding Initiatives at the UN Climate Summit are Vital to Tea as prevention gives way to funding repairs | Bangladesh Production Rebounds After Strike | New Tea Tourism Handbook Elevates Immersive Travel | NEWSMAKER – Michael D. Ham, co-founder and company president of Wild Orchard | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz explores the exotic Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea, where Wild Orchard Regenerative Tea is grown. Michael D. Ham, co-founder and president of the company, describes in detail the cultivation and multiple washings during the processing of these award-winning teas. He said the result is a clean, authentic taste as nature intended. Regenerative Tea – Jeju Island lies 130 kilometers off the southern coast of South Korea in the Korea Strait. Dormant for the past 5,000 years, Hallasan Mountain is a 1,950-meter volcanic wonderland of craters, cinder cones, and giant lava tubes that dominates the densely foliated island. Popular with tourists for its national park and scenic beaches, the island is also known for its tea. Wild Orchard sources all its tea from a 1000-acre garden planted in 1999. The nutrient-dense soil, gentle mists, and abundant wildlife led growers to plant tea seeds on hillsides that were not terraced or cleared of native plants. Irrigation is solely by rainfall. There are no fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides applied and the soil is never tilled. The farm was certified organic in 2007, and the Wild Orchard brand was established in 2019. In May of this year, the brand became the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified tea. It was selected by Noma, the World’s Best Restaurant, to be served on their NYC menu and will soon be available for sale at the Rare Tea Counter at Fortnum & Mason tea shop in London. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy