Image link: https://distribution.medianet.com.au/Wire/Preview/667397
Caption: Sharyn Johnston has Launched Kids Tea. Picture: Mark Wilson
Note: Content provided from
Geelong Advertiser, by Dave Cairns
A SPECIALTY tea brand for children created in Geelong has launched in China.
International tea expert Sharyn Johnston has started setting up a Chinese distribution channel amid plans to develop a wider product range for the organic "Kids Tea" brand that is blended and packaged in Breakwater.
"We want to develop some animation and books, it’s going to be a whole project," Ms Johnston said.
"It’s not just about packets of tea."
Kids Tea was launched at the Second China International Tea Culture Expo in Ermeishan last week and is already earmarked for release in the Korean market.
Ms Johnston said the product should do well "judging by the interest internationally".
"It was really amazing, we completely sold out,"’ Ms Johnston, the founder of Australian Tea Masters, said.
"They offered us places at 22 expos next year all through China."
The organic tea, which has five sugar-free varieties and one low sugar variety and can be iced or hot, is blended and packaged using biodegradable bags at a food grade and export licensed factory in Breakwater which employs four people.
Ms Johnston said the factory had produced about three million tea bags since starting in April last year, leading to Australian Tea Masters enjoying a 42 per cent year-on-year increase in its wholesale business.
It is one of the many projects at Australian Tea Masters which also offers leading tea education courses and makes specialty blends for private label clients.
It is starting to fill a major order for a range of olive leaf-based teas which has been developed in conjunction with Lara’s olive oil giant Boundary Bend with an eye on the US market.
Ms Johnston, the head judge at the international Tea Masters Cup, is in demand as speaker, presenter and trainer at industry events around the world and she also established Australian Tea Masters operations at Singapore, New Zealand and Indonesia.
Upcoming trips are to Korea, the Czech Republic and Turkey and she has already been to the US, Russia and China, where she is one of five appointments by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to experts advisory committee.
Ms Johnston said her standing and the growing reputation of Australian Tea Masters, which started in 2012, was contributing to her business success.
She said being Australian made with a focus on natural, quality ingredients was important.
"We have a good name now … our growth has been organic," she said.
The education and training side of Australian Tea Masters, in which it has been a world leader, is about half the business which has a base in Ryrie St.
The diverse elements of the business, including Ms Johnston’s international stature, have grown side by side.
"I started teaching the blending and developing blends and last year we did eight tonnes of tea in blends — private labelling and wholesaling," Ms Johnston said.
"We do a lot of wellness functional blends, we blend a lot of different breakfast teas. We even have a "Geelong breakfast tea".
"We are behind quite a few brands in Australia."
Her expertise in blending was drawn on to help train Korean farmers on tea blending, and she is doing something similar in Nepal.
"I like the farm level as well to hopefully do something that is going to help other people," she said.
Contact Information:
Sharyn Johnston
Phone: 0400536263
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.australianteamasters.com.au ---
Phone: 0400536263
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.australianteamasters.com.au ---
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