Success Stories 2024

Exhibitors’ Quotes

Shengcong Wang

Director

Scientific Research Institute of Wuyishan Qiming Tea

Mainland China

We are pleased to be one of the ten tea companies led by the Nanping Municipal Government to join the Hong Kong International Tea Fair this year. Our Qiming big red robe tea is exported mainly to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The fair provides an excellent platform for us to showcase our Qiming big red robe to buyers from all over the world and expand into the global markets. The market potential for our Qiming tea is huge because people like to drink health tea. We have met with more target buyers at the Hong Kong fair than other tea fairs in Mainland China. We have found potential buyers from Southeast Asia and some European countries such as France, Turkiye and the UK. We expect new orders generated by the fair will reach US$300,000.

Yuan Xu Bin

General Manager Assistant

Hunan Yiyang Tea Factory Co., Ltd

Mainland China

We have been participating in the Hong Kong International Tea Fair since its debut because the fair provides an important platform for us to reach out to international buyers. Launched in 1958, Xiangyi Fu Tea was listed in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022 and has been granted the title of ‘China Time-honoured brand’ by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. At the fair, we have met with buyers mainly from Southeast Asia who are agents or distributors. The Click2Match platform has helped us connect with a potential buyer from Malaysia. We expect that the fair will generate more than HK$300,000 in new orders. The last day of the fair will be open to the public. We forecast our onsite sales on the Public Day will be around HK$80,000-100,000.

Abdul Rahman (right)

CEO

Trans-Atlantic Trading Company Limited

Kenya

We source bulk loose tea, branded tea and Orthodox tea from Kenya and other East African countries which are exported mainly to Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore and Sudan. As the Hong Kong International Tea Fair is a highly specialised trade fair for the tea industry, we have joined the fair for the first time in a bid to expand into new markets. We have received positive feedback from buyers. Buyers like our loose CTC tea which tastes very special in the market. So far, we have found 15 potential buyers from Egypt, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. We hope at least five new buyers will place orders for our products after the fair. We expect new orders generated by this fair in the next 12 months will hit US$2 million.

Li Tao

General Manager

Yundinghong Guangshui Tea Industry Development Co., Ltd

Mainland China

Last November, we launched monk fruit black tea which can soothe sore throat, reduce phlegm, dispel body heat and treat constipation. As Hong Kong is a gateway to the global markets, we have participated in the Hong Kong International Tea Fair for the first time to develop our export business. We have received more than 150 enquiries from buyers coming from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Portugal, Thailand and Turkey. Buyers like this kind of health tea because it tastes good and is inexpensive. Three buyers from Hong Kong, Portugal and Turkey have expressed their intention to place orders worth US$3 million in total for our monk fruit black tea. We’ll definitely come back next year to further develop overseas markets.

Howard Wong

General Manager

Kampery

Hong Kong

As our bottled Hong Kong-style milk tea sells very well in overseas markets, we hope to look for more overseas business partners at this year’s Hong Kong International Tea Fair. This year we have met with more overseas buyers than last year. We have got positive feedback from overseas buyers from Africa, Poland, Southeast Asia as well as the Greater Bay Area and Zhejiang Province in Mainland China. Buyers like our bottled Hong Kong-style milk tea after tasting it and asked for our quotations. Quality sales leads generated by the fair will help us enter five to six new markets. We estimate that each large buyer will place orders worth US$100,000 in total per month. The Scan2Match feature is a nice tool, allowing buyers to bookmark favourite suppliers and exhibitors to obtain a list of potential buyers in the HKTDC Marketplace App. We are happy to be granted the “Most Scanned Exhibitor” award, indicating a lot of buyers are interested in our beverages.

Dalen Ospanov (right)

Representative

Lee Yuen Houseware Co Ltd

Hong Kong

Our company became the exclusive distributor of METZ Luxury tea in 2021. Blended and manufactured in Canada, METZ Luxury tea delivers premium teas, with tea leaves directly sourced from the finest growers and farmers in five continents. To look for ASEAN distributors and wholesalers, we have joined the Hong Kong International Tea Fair for the first time. In addition, we want to increase our exposure and brand awareness and let buyers know that quality, safety, sustainability and ethical standards are our key priorities. Buyers from Hong Kong, India, the Philippines and Thailand have made serious enquiries about METZ Luxury tea. They are importers and merchandisers from retail chains and the catering industry. We expect that 5-10 buyers will place orders after the fair. We’ll definitely return to the fair next year.

W.J.N.U. Priyantha Wimalasiri

AsKithsistant Director – Promotion

Sri Lanka Tea Board

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Tea Board has been organising the Sri Lanka pavilion at the Hong Kong International Tea Fair for more than 10 years. This year the delegation led by the Sri Lanka Tea Board is the largest ever, comprising 13 tea companies because Hong Kong market is expanding. Hong Kong is a gateway not only to Mainland China but also to the Far East. Many buyers from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Mainland China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand visited the pavilion, indicating positive sign of new opportunities. Sri Lanka exhibitors have developed strong sales leads and need time to materialise them. We are happy with buyer traffic because parallel events help to bring more buyers to the Tea Fair.

Buyers’ Quotes

Ricky Tam

Manager

Tastexpress

Hong Kong

Tastexpress is a distributor and e-tailer of high-quality loose-leaf teas and tea bags in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong people are more health-conscious than ever before, our health tea business continues to grow. Currently, our health teas are imported mainly from Japan and Taiwan. Through the HKTDC’s Click2Match meetings, I have found one to two potential suppliers of health teas from Japan. I am going to buy samples and select good items for a trial order worth US$10,000 to test market response. The Hong Kong International Tea Fair is a must-attend tea trade fair because it is a good place for me to find new products and reliable suppliers. The business atmosphere at this year’s fair is more vibrant than last year and exhibitors are well-prepared for this important trade fair and present high-quality teas and specialty teas for international buyers to choose from.

Hana Hlozankova

Export Manager

Oxalis, spol. s.r.o.

Czech Republic

Oxalis is an importer, exporter and wholesaler of loose-leaf teas and has 35 tea shops in the Czech Republic and the Slovakia Republic. As a first-time visitor of the Hong Kong International Tea Fair, I am very impressed by the quality of tea products on offer. The HKTDC’s Click2Match platform is very effective in helping me to connect with three potential suppliers of black tea from Sri Lanka and one potential supplier of green tea from Mainland China. I’ll bring their samples to laboratories for testing before launching into the market. I plan to buy US$10,000 worth of loose-leaf teas from each new supplier. Coffee is more popular than tea in our market. As this tea fair provides quality teas from famous tea producing areas, it helps us increase our market share.

Anita Zhou

District Manager

Hardy & Ivy Co., Ltd.

Taiwan

Hardy & Ivy imports tea raw materials for the production of English tea gift sets and tea bags in its packaging factory in Taiwan. Apart from selling tea products to tea shops, restaurants and hotels, we own four tea shops. This is my third time visiting the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. The fair is important to our business development because we can find reliable suppliers of tea raw materials and collect market intelligence. The Click2Match platform is very useful and effective, allowing us to identify four potential suppliers of tea raw materials from Hong Kong, Kenya and Sri Lanka and one potential supplier of tea cans from Mainland China. We like the new flavour provided by the supplier from Kenya. We plan to place new orders worth NT$200,000 (around US$6,200) through new suppliers found at the Hong Kong fair.

Amit Mehta

Founder, Owner, Tea Sommelier & Organoleptic Analyst

Chado Tea

India

Chado Tea is a tea importer, manufacturer, retailer and wholesaler in India. This is my first time visiting the Hong Kong International Tea Fair to look for Chinese tea suppliers from Mainland China and Taiwan as well as tea ware and accessories. I have found three potential suppliers from Mainland China and Taiwan and I’ll place orders after the fair. If everything goes well, initial orders will amount to US$20,000. The demand for Chinese teas is growing in India and this tea fair provides a perfect platform for me to find more new suppliers. The new Scan2Match function makes it easier for me to keep favourite suppliers in the HKTDC Marketplace App.

Alon Eitan

Owner

Ocha

Israel

Ocha is an importer and wholesaler of white tea, black tea, green tea, tea ware and tea accessories in Israel. I have come here for the first time to look for matcha, sencha and green tea because consumers in Israel tend to switch from coffee to tea and green tea is the biggest trend. So far, I have found four to five potential suppliers of matcha and sencha from Japan, one potential green tea supplier from Taiwan and one potential supplier from Hong Kong for the supply of green tea, white tea and matcha powder. I have collected free samples and quotations from potential suppliers. If I find the supplier suitable, I’ll start placing an initial order worth US$2,000-4,000. I like the Hong Kong International Tea Fair very much because I can find similar products here with better quality and more competitive prices as compared to my existing suppliers.

Ir. C K Liew

Director

Kong Wooi Fong Tea Merchants Sdn. Bhd.

Malaysia

In business for more than 90 years, our company is a tea importer, distributor and wholesaler in Malaysia. We import Chinese tea and black tea from about 20 tea producing countries. I visit the Hong Kong International Tea Fair regularly to find new suppliers. This time I have found five potential suppliers from Indonesia, Kenya, Mainland China and Sri Lanka. I’ll take some samples for laboratory testing. If quality is good and prices are attractive, I’ll buy one container from each supplier and develop long-term business relationships. Tea consumption in Malaysia is increasing for health reasons, so I’ll increase tea imports to meet market demand.

Judge’s Quote

Professor Eliza Liu

Chairman, Teaism Alliance Hong Kong, and Chairman, International Chinese Tea Club

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong International Tea Fair is not only a trading platform for the tea industry but also an ideal platform to promote tea culture. As a special highlight of the Tea Fair, the inaugural International Tea Space Design Competition encourages tea cultural integration. The competition has attracted 30 entries from Hong Kong and provinces in Mainland China such as Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan. Shortlisted entries are displayed at the fair for both trade and public visitors to vote for their favourites. People from all over the world without national boundaries can appreciate the creativity of these entries. Celebrating its 15th edition, the Hong Kong International Tea Fair has been growing from strength to strength. It facilitates trade and exchanges between the East and the West.