Having been approached by numerous clients with all sorts of questions about how they could start using tea in their products, from adding new flavours and enhancing their health benefits to creating tasty alternatives to sugary or alcoholic drinks, Jane realised she needed to know a lot more about tea and the industry as a whole.
So, in 2014, Jane visited the Dilmah School of Tea in Sri Lanka and learned a tremendous amount about tea types, packaging and processes, growing regions, the people who prepare tea, pairing tea with food and making alcoholic and non-alcoholic products with tea.
Inspired and keen to learn even more, Jane enrolled on The Tea and Herbal Association of Canada’s Tea Sommelier® Certification Program, one of the best tea courses in the world and spent over two years learning all about growing, processing and making tea, tasting tea, tea’s health benefits, and a lot more.
After some tough written exams, blind tea cuppings and an oral test by the President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada on the History and Mythology of Tea, Jane qualified as a Certified TAC Tea Sommelier Professional. She was the first UK resident to do so!
As a Certified TAC Tea Sommelier® Professional, Jane has a thorough knowledge of:
Most recently, Jane has been partnering as a certified tea sommelier and tea specialist with Terre D’Oc, a mission-led B-Corp-certified wellness company that buys its tea from female-owned and managed plantations. Jane has been helping them find the right retail partner so they can expand their operations into the UK.
If you’re interested in how Jane can help you explore opportunities to work with tea in your products, please get in touch.
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