Ceylon Tea’s 150 year celebrations, the Global Ceylon Tea Party has hooked the biggest tea company in the world’s largest per capita tea market.
“Our tea brand is Beta Tea and our firm, Beta Food Industry and Trade Inc., is one of the largest firms,” said Chairman of Tea Food Industry and Trade Besir Ugur, who is also Chairman of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board’s (DEIK) Sri Lanka Business Council.
Beta Tea Chairman Ugur was meeting Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen at the Ministry offices yesterday. Joining the discussion was Turkish Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tunca Zuhadar.
“I was greatly inspired by the Global Ceylon Tea Party event held in Ankara. We are a major importer of Ceylon tea and we use it heavily in our blends in Turkey” said Ugur. “Our tea brand in Beta Tea and our firm, Beta Food Industry and Trade Inc is one of the largest firms in Turkey with branches in 16 countries. In fact, my Beta Food Industry and Trade Inc is the 12th largest tea firm in the world.
The Ceylon Tea we buy is sold in Turkey and Central Asia. We like to expand our tea cooperation with Sri Lanka and during my visit here, I intend to study more.”
Even though China is world’s largest tea market, Turkey is the biggest per person tea consumer in the world (at 6.87 kg per capita).
Minister Bathiudeen welcomed Chairman Ugur’s interest to partner with Ceylon Tea and said: “According to the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka under me, two thirds of our annual exports to Turkey is Ceylon Tea. In fact, Turkey was the fourth largest buyer of Ceylon Tea after Iran, Russia and Iraq, last year. Also we exported $1.2 billion of tea to the world last year and 8% of it was taken by Turkey.”
0 comments: