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OFF THE WIRE continued from page 20 jumped in the loose-leaf market with a carefully built brand. During the second half of 2012, Milwaukee-based Alterra Coffee launched a line called Letterbox in its string of cafés, as well as in some wholesale accounts and other Wisconsin retailers. Earlier this spring, the Letterbox brand got national distribution via the 100-plus locations of upscale food and cookware retailer Sur La Table. Add to the mix the handful of roasters across the country, most notably Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, that already have quality tea branches, and you have the start of an interesting development: more well-funded coffee players offering up their own take on quality leaf. In many ways, the trend is hardly surprising. Over the past decade, young independent roasters have defined themselves by learning about—and then helping to influence—every aspect of the coffee supply chain. It makes sense that tea would be seen as another challenge to tackle. "When we looked at the product we very quickly went to a microscopic level, not unlike how we are with our coffee," says Scott Schwebel, Alterra's director of marketing. "It was fun for us—being able to peel back the layers and get involved in the minutia of what makes up the flavor profile for the teas in our line." Both Alterra and Reunion Island were also able to leverage the years of branding experience they had developed on the coffee side, creating tea lines they think will stand out to a younger generation of quality-tea drinkers. Letterbox and Benchmark each offer packaging that seems more at home in Whole Foods than on your grandmother's afternoon tea table. "We said, 'Let's do something that looks timeless and works on a lot of different levels," says Pesce. "To be honest, it looks like it could be Benchmark whiskey or bourbon." Though Benchmark and Letterbox can be perceived as rivals to tea companies in their respective markets, they were both born out of collaboration with established leaf providers. Pesce at Reunion Island says he worked with an experienced Toronto-based tea importer and packer (who he opted not to name). Alterra, meanwhile, turned to Rishi Tea, also based in Milwaukee, as well as Portland's Steven Smith Teamaker to help develop initial blends and source product for Letterbox. "We have a specific idea of what we want to do," says Schwebel, "and if we can partner and bring more expertise to the table, that's how we'll do it." Pesce says his goal is to continue to learn about tea buying and to bring the program more in-house over time, just as the company has done with coffee sourcing. Once that happens, he notes, it'll likely be about time to jump into another category. "I hope we end up doing some chocolate down the line," he says. "People just want to have everything under their own roof. I think there will come a time when every roaster has their coffee line and their tea line. Financially, adding a tea brand makes sense—if you have enough money to start it." —Dan Leif INTERACTIVE SITE EXPLORES CHANGING TEA INDUSTRY What is the world of tea going to look like in 2030? It may be an impossible question to answer, but a new Web site is aiming to get a clearer picture. Tea 2030 (tea2030.tumblr.com) is a project facilitated by global nonprofit Forum for the Future. In March, the organization convened 30 supply chain stakeholders—including representatives of Tata Global Beverages, Unilever, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade International—to identify the key sustainability challenges facing tea. Forum for the Future then condensed that input to identify 19 factors likely to have the greatest impact on the industry. The list includes: • Balance of power across supply chain • Buyers' response to tea scarcity • Climate change impacts • Emergence of new business models • Domestic consumption in producer countries • Competition for land Forum for the Future is now encouraging tea professionals to weigh in at the site: Visitors can click on each factor to read an overview, then add their input in the comments. "We're keen to hear from people how they think these factors will change the value chain," says Madeleine Lewis, Forum for the Future's senior advisor. "It is hoped that many actors in the tea sector will sign up to these principles and then work together to achieve them." In September, the organization will release a report synthesizing this information and offering streamlined suggestions for how tea can move forward sustainably. "Consumers worldwide are changing in their tastes and demands, and no one really knows what this will look like by 2030," says Dr. Ann-Marie Brouder, Forum for the Future's sustainability advisor. "Our research shows that consumers across the world will care more about where their product has come from and want to know that it's been produced sustainably and ethically." —Dan Bolton CHEAPER BEANS: Starbucks announced plans to lower suggested retail prices on Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee by 10 percent or more. The company is the latest to make such a move amid falling commodity costs—J.M. Smucker Co. in February lowered list prices for many of its Dunkin' Donuts and Folgers packaged coffee. | Keep on top of the latest industry headlines by checking in with our Weekly News Tasting each Tuesday at freshcup.com 22 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com