BERLIN INTERNATIONAL
TEA CONFERENCE
VOICES OF TEA
One day for the people shaping the tea industry
6 NOVEMBER 2026
10:00–19:00
BETONHALLE · SILENT GREEN · BERLIN
B2B EXHIBITION & TASTING
TEA
GALLERY
Meet tea producers, companies
and professional partners from
across the international tea industry.
Fujini Tea
Matcha Producer · Kyoto
Formosa Tea
Oolong Tea · Traditional Craft
Dancing Tea Europe
Specialty Tea Powders
Chen Yuan Hao
Boutique Pu-erh · Aged Tea
aiya-THE TEA
Organic Matcha ·
Japanese Green Tea
He Yin Hao
Pu-erh Producer · Yunnan
Marufuku
Seicha Producer · Shizuoka
Kien Yu Tea
Organic Oolong Tea ·
Taiwan
SHANTERRA
Direct Sourcing · Chinese Tea
Satemwa Tea Estates
Estate-Grown Tea · Malawi
Flow Inverse Tea
Cooperative Producer ·
Enshi Yu Lu
Teepapst
Tea Expert ·
Japanese Tea & Matcha
Tierra Zen
Japanese Lifestyle Goods
Wasserhaus
Water Filtration Expert ·
Tea & Drinking Water
t-Magzin
Tea Culture · People · Perspectives
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
A full day of talks, conversations and professional exchange across the international tea industry.
AGENDA
Voices of Tea: From Source to Market
The Berlin International Tea Conference 2026 brings together producers, retailers, brands, buyers, experts and industry professionals to explore how tea moves from origin into the European market.
Across talks, panels, case studies and participatory Focus Forums, the conference looks at business practice, sourcing, market development, quality, knowledge translation, innovation and new ways of reaching tea consumers.
Conference Team
Olaf Tarmas
Conference Moderator
Founder & Editor-in-Chief,
t-Magazin
Stefanie Bluhm
Conference Coordinator
Berlin Tea Festival
Organized by Berlin Tea Festival
Registration & Arrival
Registration, badges and arrival of conference guests.
Voices of Tea: From Source to Market
A brief introduction to the day's programme and its key themes.
Building a Specialty Tea Business in Europe
How can specialty tea be successfully sourced, curated, positioned and communicated in the European market?
Tea retailers and industry professionals share practical experience on sourcing and portfolio development, different business models, positioning, customer understanding, market communication and long-term strategy.
Panel participants to be announced.
Short Break
A short break before the next session.
From Hype to Category
Thomas Grömer looks back on the development of Matcha in Europe and the long road from an unfamiliar product to an established category.
He discusses consumer habits, distribution, market education, long-term vision and the risks that come with rapid growth. Which lessons may be relevant for new tea formats entering the market today?
Tea Break & B2B Exchange
Time to meet fellow professionals and B2B exhibitors.
10 Tea Vitals from the Sources: Lessons for Tea’s Future
Drawing on years of field experience and encounters with tea producers and communities at origin, Jeff Fuchs reflects on the knowledge, values and realities that risk being lost as tea moves from source to market.
Key question: What must not get lost on the way from source to market?
Meet the B2B Participants
B2B exhibitors briefly introduce who they are, what origins, products, services or expertise they bring, and which professional contacts they are looking to meet.
The introductions provide a quick overview of who is in the room and help participants identify relevant contacts for B2B exchange.
Lunch Break & B2B Exchange
Time for meetings, conversations and professional exchange with exhibitors, speakers and fellow participants.
The Tea Lounge and B2B Help Desk support focused meetings and introductions.
Behind the Tea Shelf: Sourcing, Quality and Trust from Origin to Market
An origin-based supplier's perspective on sourcing, quality and long-term partnerships.
From direct buying and producer-traders to intermediaries and European wholesalers, Peter Lee compares the practical realities of different sourcing models, including quality, consistency, communication, documentation and long-term supplier relationships.
Short Break / Transition
Language, Sensory Perception and Communicating Tea Quality
How do language, terminology and sensory descriptions shape our perception of quality, origin and taste?
This contribution explores the relationship between language, sensory perception, and the ways in which tea and its quality are communicated to consumers. Drawing on examples from the European and Chinese tea markets, it examines how vendors describe flavour, quality, and origin, which terms and trends are commonly used, and how such descriptions shape our expectations and the way we experience tea.
Tea Break
Translating Tea Knowledge for the European Market
Three case studies from very different tea contexts address the same question: How can complex tea knowledge become understandable, credible and valuable in the European market?
Introduction
Introduction to the three case studies and their shared question.
Pu’er, Time and Trust
Chen Huaiyuan · Founder, Chen Yuan Hao
A perspective on time, storage, value creation and trust in aged Pu’er tea.
Beyond “Chinese Green Tea”
June Zhu · Managing Director, Flow Inverse Tea
Enshi Yulu as a Case of Origin, Processing and Market Understanding
How can a highly specific regional tea identity be understood in a market where it remains largely unfamiliar?
Enshi Yulu offers a case study in how a distinctive regional tea, shaped by origin, processing and sensory character, can be introduced and understood in a market where it is still little known.
From Commodity to Specialty?
Wouter Verelst · Marketing & Business Development Manager, Satemwa Tea & Coffee Estate
Lessons from Malawi on Value, Risk and Market Reality
Wouter Verelst looks at Satemwa's experience in Malawi and the realities of moving from commodity structures towards specialty markets, including pricing, risk, value at origin and long-term relationships with European buyers.
Moderated Conversation & Key Takeaways
The three speakers discuss what European buyers and audiences often misunderstand, how trust is built, and how complex realities at origin can be communicated without being oversimplified.
The conversation concludes with key takeaways for European tea professionals.
Reflection & Introduction to the Focus Forums
A short reflection on the main themes of the day and an introduction to the three Focus Forums.
Tea Break & Transition to the Focus Forums
Time for a short break, choosing your Focus Forum and moving to the respective discussion area.
More Visibility for Specialty Tea – But How?
Additional expert voices and guests will be announced.
How can specialty tea reach people beyond the existing tea bubble?
The discussion focuses on how specialty tea can reach new audiences through social media, education, events, travel, food pairing and other forms of direct engagement.
Approximately 20–30 participants. The forum takes place in an open, level-floor discussion area within the hall, with no elevated platform or formal separation between hosts, invited guests and participants. Everyone joins the conversation on equal footing.
Building New Tea Categories
Additional expert voices and guests will be announced.
What can new tea products and consumption formats learn from the development of Matcha in Europe?
Building on the morning talk, this forum opens the question to the room: which lessons from Matcha can realistically be transferred to emerging tea formats — and which cannot?
From Origin Story to Market Trust
Additional expert voices and guests will be announced.
How can origin, farming practices, community and producer realities be communicated in ways that create genuine market understanding and long-term trust?
The discussion looks at how origin stories, producer relationships and farming practices can be communicated credibly — without reducing the realities behind the tea to a simple marketing story.
Professional Networking & Follow-up Conversations
All Areas · Continued exchange, B2B follow-ups and conversations arising from the Focus Forums.
The Tea Lounge remains available for focused meetings and follow-up conversations.
10:00–19:00
Panel, keynote, expert talks, afternoon session, Focus Forum 01 & Networking
10:00–19:00
B2B Exhibition, Tastings & Networking
11:00–19:00
Private Meeting Space, Focus Forum 02 & Networking
13:00–19:00
Buffet Lunch, Focus Forum 03 & Networking
Main Stage
10:00–19:00 · Conference Programme & Networking
Registration & Arrival
Registration, badges and arrival of conference guests.
Voices of Tea: From Source to Market
A brief introduction to the day's programme and its key themes.
Building a Specialty Tea Business in Europe
How can specialty tea be successfully sourced, curated, positioned and communicated in the European market?
Tea retailers and industry professionals share practical experience on sourcing and portfolio development, different business models, positioning, customer understanding, market communication and long-term strategy.
Short Break
A short break before the next session.
From Hype to Category
Thomas Grömer looks back on the development of Matcha in Europe and the long road from an unfamiliar product to an established category.
He discusses consumer habits, distribution, market education, long-term vision and the risks of rapid growth, asking which lessons may be relevant for new tea formats entering the market today.
Tea Break & B2B Exchange
Time to meet fellow professionals and B2B exhibitors.
Main Stage → Tea Gallery10 Tea Vitals from the Sources: Lessons for Tea’s Future
Drawing on years of field experience and encounters with tea producers and communities at origin, Jeff Fuchs reflects on the knowledge, values and realities that risk being lost as tea moves from source to market.
Key question: What must not get lost on the way from source to market?
Meet the B2B Participants
B2B exhibitors briefly introduce who they are, what origins, products, services or expertise they bring, and which professional contacts they are looking to meet.
The introductions provide a quick overview of who is in the room and help participants identify relevant contacts for B2B exchange.
Lunch Break & B2B Exchange
Time for meetings, conversations and professional exchange with exhibitors, speakers and fellow participants.
The Tea Lounge and B2B Help Desk support focused meetings and introductions.
Behind the Tea Shelf: Sourcing, Quality and Trust from Origin to Market
An origin-based supplier's perspective on sourcing, quality and long-term partnerships.
From direct buying and producer-traders to intermediaries and European wholesalers, Peter Lee compares the practical realities of different sourcing models, including quality, consistency, communication, documentation and long-term supplier relationships.
Short Break / Transition
Language, Sensory Perception and Communicating Tea Quality
How do language, terminology and sensory descriptions shape our perception of quality, origin and taste?
This contribution explores the relationship between language, sensory perception, and the ways in which tea and its quality are communicated to consumers. Drawing on examples from the European and Chinese tea markets, it examines how vendors describe flavour, quality, and origin, which terms and trends are commonly used, and how such descriptions shape our expectations and the way we experience tea.
Tea Break
Main Stage → Tea GalleryTranslating Tea Knowledge for the European Market
Three case studies from very different tea contexts address the same question: How can complex tea knowledge become understandable, credible and valuable in the European market?
Introduction
Introduction to the three case studies and their shared question.
Pu’er, Time and Trust
Chen Huaiyuan · Founder, Chen Yuan Hao
A perspective on time, storage, value creation and trust in aged Pu’er tea.
Beyond “Chinese Green Tea”
June Zhu · Managing Director, Flow Inverse Tea
Enshi Yulu as a Case of Origin, Processing and Market Understanding
How can a highly specific regional tea identity be understood in a market where it remains largely unfamiliar?
Enshi Yulu offers a case study in how a distinctive regional tea, shaped by origin, processing and sensory character, can be introduced and understood in a market where it is still little known.
From Commodity to Specialty?
Wouter Verelst · Marketing & Business Development Manager, Satemwa Tea & Coffee Estate
Lessons from Malawi on Value, Risk and Market Reality
Wouter Verelst looks at Satemwa's experience in Malawi and the realities of moving from commodity structures towards specialty markets — including pricing, risk, value at origin and long-term relationships with European buyers.
Moderated Conversation & Key Takeaways
The three speakers discuss what European buyers and audiences often misunderstand, how trust is built, and how complex realities at origin can be communicated without being oversimplified.
The conversation concludes with key takeaways for European tea professionals.
Reflection & Introduction to the Focus Forums
A short reflection on the main themes of the day and an introduction to the three Focus Forums.
Tea Break & Transition to the Focus Forums
Time for a short break, choosing your Focus Forum and moving to the respective discussion area.
Focus Forums
Three parallel moderated discussion forums, each bringing together an expert host, invited industry voices and approximately 20–30 participants.
The forums take place in open, level-floor discussion areas within the hall, without elevated platforms. There is no formal separation between hosts, invited guests and participants. Everyone joins the conversation on equal footing.
Participants can choose the forum that best matches their interests and are encouraged to contribute their own questions, experience and perspectives.
More Visibility for Specialty Tea – But How?
How can specialty tea reach people beyond the existing tea bubble?
The discussion focuses on how specialty tea can reach new audiences through social media, education, events, travel, food pairing and other forms of direct engagement.
Participatory Discussion. Approximately 20–30 participants meet in an open, level-floor discussion area within the hall, with no elevated platform or formal separation between hosts, invited guests and participants.
Tea Gallery
10:00–19:00 · Exhibition, Tastings & Networking
B2B Exhibition & Tastings
Meet tea producers, companies and professional partners from across the international tea industry.
The exhibition remains active throughout the day.
Tea Lounge
11:00–19:00 · Private Meetings, Focus Forum & Networking
Private Meeting Space
A dedicated space for quiet, focused conversations between conference participants and B2B exhibitors.
Meet independently, discuss opportunities and explore potential collaborations in a more private setting.
Focus Forum Setup
Transition to the parallel moderated discussion.
Building New Tea Categories
Expert Host: Thomas M. Grömer
Managing Director, aiya – THE TEA & Teepapst GmbH
What can new tea products and consumption formats learn from the development of Matcha in Europe?
Building on the morning talk, this forum opens the question to the room: which lessons from Matcha can realistically be transferred to emerging tea formats — and which cannot?
Additional expert voices and guests will be announced.
Tea Corner
13:00–19:00 · Lunch, Focus Forum & Networking
Buffet Lunch
Lunch and informal professional exchange.
Focus Forum Setup
Transition to the parallel moderated discussion.
From Origin Story to Market Trust
Expert Host: Michael D. Ham
Co-Founder & President, Wild Orchard
How can origin, farming practices, community and producer realities be communicated in ways that create genuine market understanding and long-term trust?
The discussion looks at how origin stories, producer relationships and farming practices can be communicated credibly — without reducing the realities behind the tea to a simple marketing story.
Additional expert voices and guests will be announced.
Professional Networking & Follow-up Conversations
Time for continued exchange, B2B follow-ups and conversations arising from the Focus Forums.
The Tea Lounge remains available for focused meetings and follow-up conversations.
Programme subject to change.