For those interested in growing tea, CTAHR has released four varieties — Bohea, Yabukita, Yutaka Midori and Benikaori — that can be purchased by emailing Lee at teahawaii@gmail.com. CTAHR plans to offer more workshops depending on interest and staff availability. Tea-growing publications are available at ctahr.hawaii.edu.
SOLONS CONSIDER LABELING HAWAII’S NEW CROP
BY CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
WEST HAWAII TODAY
clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com
Hawaii-grown tea has “a potential of becoming a specialty crop for the state,” according to 20 years of research discovered by the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
Three state senators — Will Espero, Gilbert Kahele and Clarence Nishihara — want to ensure the local teas can seep into the booming global market and Hawaii’s name used for this fledgling niche crop is protected through labeling requirements.
The intent of Senate Bill 2957, deferred Tuesday by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, was to set regulations for marketing, advertising and branding teas, making it more clear which ones are 100 percent Hawaii grown and which are blends, said Espero, D-Lower Waipahu to Ewa Beach.
The statement “Blended from Hawaii-grown teas and other teas not grown in Hawaii” would have been required on all labels for blends, those containing no less than 25 percent of Hawaii-grown tea by weight, the bill stated.
Another purpose of SB 2957 was to “protect the distinctiveness and quality of 100 percent Hawaii-grown teas,” which has the potential for growth in the future and could be “the next Kona coffee,” Espero said.
“The tea market globally is a multibillion dollar industry. The specialty tea market is anticipated to double in the next five years. Hawaii-grown tea has the potential to take advantage of that tremendous boom in the tea industry, particularly in Asia where tea is a staple beverage and with health-conscious consumers,” according to the bill.
This information derived from a market feasibility study, presented last summer to the Legislature by three master’s degree students with CTAHR and The Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, Espero said.
One finding Espero found particularly interesting was specialty teas — teas grown in a region known for exceptional quality — tend to yield much higher prices. Prices ranged from $26.40 to $814.20 per pound in the study’s price analysis of nine different specialty tea retailers.
While the committee decided to postpone SB 2957, with the chair’s recommendation for further discussion and input, Espero said the bill is not dead. He plans to continue speaking with the industry and various stakeholders, as well as introducing another bill next legislative session.
“If Sen. Espero wants to be a good warrior for the cause, he needs to tweak the bill by simply expressing that it should be 100 percent Hawaii Grown Tea, especially if he wants to be a service to the state and Hawaii’s tea growers,” said Eva Lee, a founding member of the Hawaii Tea Society and owner of the Tea Hawaii & Co. in Volcano. “Anything less would be detrimental, like cutting throats, to those of us who believe Hawaii has the capability of becoming an established high-quality tea-producing state and the domestic producer for the country. We are honing in on our growing practices and refining our processing techniques in developing a greater tea industry to meet the huge demand. If the state isn’t firm about this distinction, it will knock us out before we get started and the respect from the industry worldwide would be zero.”
Moon Rise Tea Garden owner Sherri Miller has been using Korean natural farming methods and producing tea for five years in Hilo, where she currently has a quarter of acre in production. She agrees Hawaii grown tea needs name protection and label requirements.
“We don’t want what happened to Kona coffee. Without protection, the brand is subject to dilution,” Miller said.
Lee and Miller were among 50 people who attended a free tea pruning and harvesting workshop Thursday at the UH-CTAHR’s Mealani Research Station in Waimea.
Extension economist Stuart Nakamoto said local farmers can establish a high-value, signature tea industry, one that commands prices substantial enough to cover the exceedingly higher costs paid for land, labor, shipping, electricity and water. There’s also “tremendous potential” in various markets, including organic and fair trade.
Hawaii’s location, climate and environment have the characteristics required for optimal tea cultivation, as long as there’s a lot of water. Planting have done well at the research station, located at the 2,800-foot elevation, with an annual rainfall of 58 inches, plus irrigation, Nakamoto said.
For those interested in growing tea, CTAHR has released four varieties — Bohea, Yabukita, Yutaka Midori and Benikaori — that can be purchased by emailing Lee at teahawaii@gmail.com. CTAHR plans to offer more workshops depending on interest and staff availability. Tea-growing publications are available at ctahr.hawaii.edu.