DTTC hosts official Chinese delegation

The visit by the 11-member delegation from the Chinese province of Hefei was the result of a joint initiative from DTTC and Unilever, one of the founding members of the DTTC.

Commenting on the visit, Sanjay Sethi, Head of DTTC, said:

"China is one of the most important world producers of tea with an annual production capacity above 800,000 tonnes. Green tea, which is the primary Chinese export, currently comprises a very small percentage of the local and regional market in the Middle East. The DTTC is extremely pleased to welcome the first official Chinese delegation to the centre and hopes to work closely with Chinese tea producers to explore opportunities for Chinese teas to be routed through the centre,"

he added.

The meeting focused on leveraging the various facilities and services offered by the DTTC in order to provide specific marketing opportunities for Chinese green teas. Members of the visiting delegation also informed the DTTC about their production trends and the issues involved in promoting Chinese teas.

Unilever, one of the world's leading suppliers of fast-moving consumer goods, is also the single largest seller of packaged tea in the World today, primarily achieved through their renowned Lipton and Brooke Bond brands. The Lipton factory in Jebel Ali has since its inauguration in 1998, rapidly developed and increased capacity to produce a variety of black tea, green tea and specialty tea products. The visiting delegation was greatly impressed with the Unilever facility and the technological assistance provided by the Company to the tea industry in the region.