Blog | nmteab

The almost unfathomable issue for tea: effecting fair pricing for all.

john snell

7 days ago5 min read

The almost unfathomable issue for tea: effecting fair pricing for all.

The number of posts, articles and new reports on the plight of produce farmers (and I am including tea in this realm), due to retailer...

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Brave Governments can make great tea and/or tea great!

john snell

Nov 84 min read

Brave Governments can make great tea and/or tea great!

It has been a long time since I tasted a really "Jammy" Assam or "Germalene" (Too young?) Uva or indeed had my breath taken away by a...

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john snell

Oct 244 min read

Is tea a category worth betting on?

In the wake of the offloading (almost exactly 3 years ago)of the largest global tea business, encompassing many familiar brands, there...

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Learning from thy neighbour, the management of equity in tea.

john snell

Aug 203 min read

Learning from thy neighbour, the management of equity in tea.

At a time when East Africa is mired with , much talked about, unsold stocks of ageing tea India is on a completely different trajectory....

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john snell

Jul 196 min read

The elusive art of valuing tea

As a producer of tea it is extremely difficult to know whether you are producing the right stuff or indeed whether you are in the right...

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Is there room for new tea origins in a world awash with tea?

john snell

Mar 33 min read

Is there room for new tea origins in a world awash with tea?

It is a difficult question to ask and one that, I, would never answer "No!" to. However, the question is incomplete as it requires "tea...

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john snell

Nov 3, 20235 min read

One man's meat is another man's poison!

As an industry, the tea world is full of expertise and generous practitioners who are ready and willing to share their knowledge with...

91 views0 comments

john snell

Mar 23, 20234 min read

150 SKU portfolio, really??

Have you ever done a sales analysis of what makes the majority of your sales? I can bet that 90% comes from a meagre 10-15% and that some...

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A holiday gift for "Tea" drinkers and those "Yet to be"!

john snell

Dec 1, 20222 min read

A holiday gift for "Tea" drinkers and those "Yet to be"!

It is incredible to me, as an avid steeper of the delicious and myriad cups, which camellia sinensis ("true tea"!!) delivers, that some...

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The fear of loss, phantoms and lessons learned from both

john snell

Aug 1, 20222 min read

The fear of loss, phantoms and lessons learned from both

The Fear It all starts with a dry cough and, well, we all know the options but eventually one takes the test and hey presto, after being...

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Tea and sustainability. Focus on the fundamentals!

john snell

Apr 11, 20225 min read

Tea and sustainability. Focus on the fundamentals!

I am an exasperated onlooker, when it comes to sustainability efforts in the tea and other commodity industries. Yes, I have sat on a...

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The black tea box we built and finding our "Houdini" moment.

john snell

Feb 23, 20228 min read

The black tea box we built and finding our "Houdini" moment.

Maybe it's because my taste buds are shot or my memory or both but the classic seasonal teas don't taste quite like they used to or, at...

91 views0 comments

The Freight Boom, a gold rush for some but not for all.

john snell

Oct 29, 20212 min read

The Freight Boom, a gold rush for some but not for all.

This week the Freightos Baltic Index shows a dip in container rates, Hooray! But wait, still 320% over a year ago and still a gazillion %...

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john snell

Oct 19, 20213 min read

Is Tea trying too hard?

Every time you see an advert for a tea (CS or otherwise) that purports to protect or deliver an antidote for a clinical condition or...

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What's good for the goose.. the ethics of profit and optics

john snell

Aug 11, 20215 min read

What's good for the goose.. the ethics of profit and optics

Every time a story about the marginal returns of tea farmers (not excluding other products but I am a tea chap!) I wonder at how we ever...

377 views2 comments

Out of the ashes of conflict, the organic rebirth of a disrupted tea origin

john snell

Jun 10, 20213 min read

Out of the ashes of conflict, the organic rebirth of a disrupted tea origin

The Portuguese, responsible for the introduction of tea to Britain and spawning a global revolution in drinking habits, were also...

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"A puppy is not just for Christmas" nor is tea! A 365 day commitment.

john snell

May 25, 20212 min read

"A puppy is not just for Christmas" nor is tea! A 365 day commitment.

The International Tea Day was successfully and impressively celebrated/recognized by Governments, Tea bodies and companies the world...

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"Something is wrong in the state of Denmark or The chasm between global tea production and consumers

john snell

Apr 21, 20214 min read

"Something is wrong in the state of Denmark or The chasm between global tea production and consumers

Firstly, apologies to Denmark. I love the country and the inhabitants, I have met, but the phrase is apt in that it talks to a troubling...

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(N) Ever Given proves that the best laid plans can run aground!

john snell

Mar 26, 20213 min read

(N) Ever Given proves that the best laid plans can run aground!

I was in the middle of writing my next dit and then this came across the airwaves, or more correctly across the Suez! Now whether this...

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The Clash foresaw the plight of Kenyan tea harvesting back in 1982

john snell

Mar 5, 20213 min read

The Clash foresaw the plight of Kenyan tea harvesting back in 1982

"Should I stay or should I go?" could have been written to describe the quandary of the Kenyan tea producer and the decision to move from...

73 views0 comments