retail by debbie l. sklar - Lavender Lounge Tea Company

RETAIL BYDEBBIE L. SKLARTea is TrendyA growing market that is giving coffee shops a run for their money.Before long it might befrothy Frapuccinosversus the richness ofOolong.As consumersgrow more concernedover their health, many are optingto drink tea for their caffeine fixrather than coffee. Contrary topopular belief, tea is naturally lowerin caffeine, which people view asbeing more healthful. Accordingto the Tea Association of the U.S.Inc. based in New York, the caffeinecontent for tea is between 1/3 and2/3 less than coffee depending onthe type.Tea also is credited with antiagingand anti-cancer properties.In response to consumer concernover health, a number of teashopshave opened in Orange Countyand are catering to the demand.Which poses the question, is teatrendy? The answer according tothose in the know: It seems to be.A growing industry“If anyone believes that theUnited States tea industry is notundergoing a dramatic period ofchange, they should take a quicktour of their local supermarketand observe what is happening.Even within this single distributionchannel, change is pervasive andimmediately apparent,” says JoeSimrany, president of the TeaAssociation of the USA, Inc.A noticeable new developmentat the supermarket is that tea canbe found in several differentlocations, not just in the “coffee”aisle. Consumers may observe thesignificant amount of space alreadybeing devoted to ready-to-drinkteas in the “soft drink” aisle, butSimrany says this is only thebeginning.TEA-A-TETEDesiree Nelson, the ownerof the Lavender LoungeTea Co. in San Clemente■ According to the Tea Association, tea is the mostwidely consumed beverage in the world next towater.■ Tea can be found in nearly 80 percent of U.S.households.■ On any given day, more than 127 millionAmericans are drinking tea.■ On any given day, about one-half of the Americanpopulation drinks tea.■ On a regional basis, the South and Northeasthave the greatest concentrations of tea drinkers.■ About 85 percent of tea consumed in Americais iced.■ One pound of tea will brew 200 to 400 cups of tea.■ Over the last nine years, sales of bottled teahave grown nearly 10-fold. In 2003, bottled, readyto-drinktea sales were conservatively estimatedat $2 billion. OCMPHOTO BY DEBBIE SKLARTraveling around the store, youmay also find tea in the dairydepartment, in bottles and nontypicalcontainers. Additionally,depending on the size of the supermarket,you may also encountera refrigerated cabinet dedicatedcompletely to tea.“More often than not, you mayspot some form of tea on a promotionaldisplay or in a vendingmachine near the entrance orexit. Most recently, organicallygrown tea is finding its way intospecial departments that havebeen set up to organize theseproducts. Tea is even finding itsway into the health and beautyaisle as an ingredient in otherproducts,” Simrany says.The teahouse trendEven if you’re a confirmed coffeelover, there is no escaping thefact that tea’s popularity isincreasing. For example, Simranynotes the growing availability ofspecialty teas in thousands ofcoffee shops across the country.Even for coffee drinker, tea has anew appeal in the form of aproduct called Chai – a blend oftea, spices and milk. And teaoutlets are popping up all acrossthe country including OrangeCounty.“The trend of specialty tea isfollowing on the heels of a similarexpansion in the coffee industry.Today, specialty coffee accountsfor one-third of total coffee salesand an even larger percentage ofthe profits,” Simrany says.“Specialty tea will represent thefastest growing segment of thetea industry over the next decade.This segment has the capabilityof doubling its volume over thewww.ocmetro.comOCTOBER 14, 2004 OCM 97

RETAILnext 10 years and may grow at an evenfaster pace than coffee.”Locally, teashops including the LavenderLounge Tea Co. in San Clemente, ownedby Desiree Nelson, are noticing more andmore foot traffic.“I think tea is coming into its own. Slowlybut surely, it is catching on,” says Nelson,Recent growth in retail tea salesand specialty teashops is drivenin large part by tea’s health benefits.Desiree Nelson, owner of LavenderLounge Tea Co. in San Clemente, saysmany customers who stop by her tealounge express an interest in giving upcaffeine, but they still need an anti-oxidantfix. “I have one customer who hasbeen drinking tea all her life and shesays that it is the key to life,”she said.According to the TeaAssociation and researchers,tea offers many benefits: Itis a refreshing beverage thatcontains no sodium, fat, carbonationor sugar. It is virtuallycalorie-free.Tea helps maintainproper fluid balance and mayeven contribute to overall goodhealth.Tea contains flavonoids,naturally occurring compoundsthat are believed to have antioxidantproperties. Antioxidantswork to neutralize free radicals, whichscientists believe damage elements inthe body, such as genetic material andlipids, and contribute to chronic disease.Every day, new findings from theinternational scientific community lendcredibility to tea’s healthy properties.For the most part, studies conducted ongreen and black tea, which are from theCamellia Sinensis plant, have yieldedsimilar results.Here are some other recent findings:■ Heart Health: Drinking 3 to 5 cups oftea per day can offer significant hearthealth benefits ranging from reducingheart attack risk to lowering Low Densitywho opened the store in November aftertwo years worth of research.“I think it’s hard to call a traditional andancient cultural experience trendy,” shesays. “Tea is endearing to all races, ethnicgroups and people in general.”Nelson, 31, became fascinated by teawhile working in the tearoom at the Ritz-TEA-RIFFIC FOR YOUR HEALTHLipoprotein cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol.For example, one recent studyfound that participants who drank morethan 16 fl. ounces of black tea per dayhad a 50 percent lower prevalence ofcardiovascular disease than non-teadrinkers.■ Colon Cancer: Benefits to gastrointestinalhealth reaped by tea drinkingseem to be cumulative and dependenton the amount of tea consumedper day, as well as the numberof tea-drinking years.One study found thatwomen who consumed theequivalent of 2.5 cups of teaper day had a 60 percentreduction in rectal cancerrisk, compared with womenwho drank less than 1.2 cupsof tea daily. An additional studyfound tea drinkers to have about42 percent reduced risk of coloncancer as compared to non-teadrinkers.■ Skin Cancer: According toUniversity of Arizona research findings,participants who drank iced black teaand citrus peel had a 42 percent reducedrisk of skin cancer and hot black teaconsumption was associated with asignificantly lower risk of the mostcommon form of skin cancer, squamouscell carcinoma.■ Bone Health: Two recent studies foundthat tea-drinking women had higherbone mineral density measurementsthan non-tea drinkers, especially in thosewho had been habitual tea-drinkers forsix or more years. Higher bone mineraldensities is an indicator of strong bones.OCMCarlton in Laguna Niguel for three yearsafter college. “I didn’t know a lot at thebeginning, so I started doing some researchand learned all I could about tea.”Today, her shop sells more than 60varieties of tea from importers around theworld – including white, black, green, redand herbal tea. She also sells tea paraphernalia,textured teas (Choobee style whichis flavored gelatin-like squares you slurpup with a big straw), cakes, cookies andgourmet savories, as well as offering a teaclub and regular tea tasting events. Nelsoneven created a special signature tea for SanClemente that she calls San ClemenTea, apeach-apricot blend.“Our emphasis is to teach people abouttea and that it is a multi-cultural fusion,”Nelson says. “People need to take time outto slow down and relax, and they can dothat with tea. Somehow tea brings that outin people.”Over in Irvine near the UCI campus,Kristen Lee, the general manager for Chafor Tea, says the shop is owned by Ten RenTea Co., which is based in Taiwan.Cha for Tea sells hot and cold tea drinks,light food fare and tea influenced gifts.“We’re like a Starbucks, but with tea,” Leesays. “We use tea in our cooking too becauseit is healthy. For example, in our basil chickenentrée, we use Oolong tea to simmer thechicken, which enhances the flavors and cutsgrease.”Lee says that the tea trend has taken alittle while to catch on but, since 2000 whenthe Irvine location opened its doors, saleshave steadily increased by 10 percent eachyear. “It took some time, but Americansseem to like the different teas.”Like Nelson, Lee mentions that customersenjoy the health benefits that teamay offer. “There are a lot of benefits todrinking tea, like eliminating free radicalsin the body, fighting cancers and the agingprocess,” she says.The most popular teas at Cha for Teainclude iced Mango Green and hot AlmondMilk teas. “Tea is the next trend wave,” shesaid. “I think it’s because people are intotheir health and tea can offer added benefits.”Tea drinking has been shown to benefitheart health, reduce rectal and colon cancerand increase bone strength in women,among other benefits.98 OCM OCTOBER 14, 2004 www.ocmetro.com

TYPES OF TEASMuch of the world’s tea is grown in mountainousareas 3,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level, situatedbetween the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic ofCapricorn in mineral-rich soil. Leading tea-producing countriesinclude Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, KenyaMalawi, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.The three main types of tea – green, oolong and black –all come from the plant Camellia Sinensis.The way that theteas are processed accounts for the differences in color andflavor. Camellia Sinensis is an evergreen plant that lovessubtropical areas such as India and southern China. Thereare three main types of Camellia Sinensis: China, Assam(mostly found in India) and Cambodian. Even though thereare only three types of plants, there are more than 2,000varieties of teas. The variations come from the differencesin the soil, the climate and how the plant is harvested, justas changes in the vineyard affect a fine wine.■ Black Tea: This is the type of tea that comes to mindwhen many people think of tea. Black tea accounts for 80percent of the tea manufactured worldwide.These teas havea smoky aroma and an intense flavor.■ Green Tea: Green tea has received a lot of attention in thenews. It reportedly offers health benefits, relatively low caffeinecontent and a mild flavor. Commercial green tea even has asignificant amount of Vitamin C. Research indicates that greentea can neutralize nasty smells such as garlic. As the nameindicates, green tea usually is pale green or yellowish in color.■ Oolong Tea: Oolong teas are most often served in Chineserestaurants.They are known for their rich tastes and lastingaftertastes. Oolong tea is defined as semi-fermented tea andthere are many degrees of fermentation. Some Oolong teasare lightly fermented, so they are called Green Oolongs.Theseteas are very fragrant. Black Oolongs are heavily fermentedand are known for their lasting aftertaste.■ Herbal Teas: Herbal teas are not made from CamelliaSinensis, but from other plants such as mint and chamomile.They have many different health benefits and flavors. Herbalteas are great beverages for children since they are naturallysweet and do not contain caffeine or sugar. OCMSource: The Tea Association of the U.S. Inc.On the basis of the growthrealized over the last five years,it is safe to predict that “theonly hot water the tea industrywill encounter will be used tomake the world’s favorite brew,”Simrany says.He isn’t the only believer.“There is just something specialabout drinking tea that takesus back to a time when thingswere smoother, quieter,” saysNelson, who has been drinkingtea for 10 years. “I rarely drinkcoffee, but give me a cup of teaand I’m happy.” OCMDebbie L. Sklar of LagunaNiguel a regular contributor to OCMETRO Magazine.www.ocmetro.comOCTOBER 14, 2004 OCM 99