Tea Council
Membership
In the arena of business, industries need associations to protect their best interests and to create an environment conducive to growth. Associations serve as a scaffold to build the overall economic success of an industry, to develop positive marketing and media impressions and to defend against harmful allegations that can damage the vitality of an industry. The tea industry looks to the Tea Association of the USA, Inc, The Tea Council of the USA and the Specialty Tea Institute (STI) for its wholesale and retail needs.The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. — The Tea Council was first formed in 1950 and later restructured in 1953 as a joint partnership between major tea packers, importers and allied industries within the United States and tea producers in India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. More recently, Malawi and Kenya have also become full members of the Tea Council.
The Tea Council functions as the public relations/education arm for the tea industry by promoting tea consumption. As a result of a recent organizational change, all members of the Tea Association are automatically members of the Tea Council. The primary focus of the Tea Council is the furtherance of tea science and the establishment of tea as a healthy beverage.