SQF, are you ready?

SQF is coming...Are you ready?

SQF Certification is supported by an increasing number of U.S. and international retailers and food service providers, many of whom are expressing a preference for SQF-certified suppliers. In addition, the SQF program is endorsed by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), a collaboration between some of the world’s leading food safety experts from retailer, manufacturer and food service companies, as well as service providers associated with the food supply chain.
The following companies are among the growing number of retailers and food service providers who support SQF certification:

A & P Tea Company Ahold – Corporate Center Ahold – US Albert Heinj, B.V. Bake Mark Big Y Foods, Inc Bloom Bottom Dollar Foods Carrefour Group Chicago Dairy Corporation CiCi’s Pizza Coles Compass Group ConAgra Food, Inc. Costco CVS Pharmacy Darden Daymon Worldwide Inc. Eggland’s Best Inc. Farm Fresh, LLC Food Lion, LLC Giant Food Stores LLC Giant Food, Inc. Glister Mary Lee Corp Gordon Foodservice Haddonfield Foods Inc Hannaford Bros. Co. Harris-Teeter, Inc. H-E-B Hershey Company Holiday Candy Hormel Jack in the Box Kash n’ Karry Food Stores, Inc. Kellogg Company Kemps, LLC

Kraft Foods Lund Food Holdings, Inc. McDonalds – Global McDonalds – US Metro, AG Migros, Switzerland Nestle Canada and USA Pathmark Stores, Inc. Panera Bread Peapod, Inc. Price Chopper Supermarkets Publix Super Markets, Inc. Raley’s Family of Fine Stores Safeway, Inc. Sam’s Club Sargento Foods Schnuck Markets, Inc. Schwans Sobeys Inc Subway SUPLERVALU INC. Sweetbay Supermarkets The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company Target Tesco Pic Topco Tops Markets, LLC US Foodservice Vitamins Incorporated Wakefern Food Corporation Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wawa Wegmans Food Markets, Inc Weis Markets, Inc. Wendy’s Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc

For more information: http://www.sqfi.com/buyers/sqf-buyer-supporters/
http://www.cert-id.com/Certification-Programs/SQF-Certification

Calm before the storm...let's get busy

It is that time, the calm before the storm of winter sales...meaning the perfect time for you and I to:

1. finalize your winter tea offerings, finish formulation, and place orders ~ for inspiration see attached Holiday Tea offerings from last winter (valid for this year too!)
2. get your winter orders in for your high volume items, negotiate pricing on volume (helping us project and negotiate best pricing)
3. talk about what is in stock now - that usually runs out! SUCH AS:  Lemon grass tbc $2/lb, and Organic Lemon Grass c/s and tbc each $3/lb. Chamomile - organic tbc $4.50, Org whole $6.50, conventional whole $5.50, tbc $3.  Rosehips Org tbc $5.70.   Gunpowder - Org. 9374 $3.50 (C10139), C10141 Ex Spl 3505 Gunpowder $6.90, and conventional 3505 $3.  
4. don't forget cardamom is down this year - but tea pricing is going up - so if you can place orders now, I would advise you to STOCK UP NOW or secure pricing for the next month beofre it rises - see attached article from World Tea News   
5. talk about some Kenyan teas - I will send you info very soon on some that are overstocked here...I will send you cupping notes and ideas on how you can use them to your advantage at a GREAT price to move it out from us to you at a fabulous value 
6. it is time to start thinking and planning on next years teas, especially in iced teas
7. have you seen our new website and registered to view pricing?  www.qtradeteas.com, PLEASE NOTE - you can not order on here yet, so please ignore anything on this function (for now!), you can not check your account on here yet either! 
8. lastly - check out my blog for more interesting info!  http://desntea.blogspot.com/,such as this interesting article on "The State of the Industry" From Bev Industry ...  http://desntea.blogspot.com/2012/07/2012-state-of-industry-tea-and-ready-to.html

QTrade and L.A. Business Journal...Tea is here to stay

Tea Maker’s Santa Fe Springs Exit Was in Leaves

RELOCATION: QTrade moves to Cerritos with eye on future expansion.By JAMES RUFUS KORENMonday, July 23, 2012

You’ve probably never heard of QTrade International Corp., but if you’ve ever strolled down the tea aisle at Whole Foods Market, you’ve probably seen the company’s products.

And you might see more. The company, a major importer and processor of specialty teas and herbs, is expanding and this month finished moving into a new manufacturing center and headquarters in Cerritos.

The 64,000-square-foot building, at 16205 Distribution Way, was purchased last year and nearly doubles the company’s footprint compared with its previously facility of 34,000 square feet in Santa Fe Springs.

“It gives us additional capability, especially in our manufacturing,” said QTrade President Manjiv Jayakumar. “We went from 2,000 square feet of blending area to about 12,000 square feet.”

QTrade imports teas and herbs, mostly through the local ports, then processes, blends and packages teas for private-label customers. Jayakumar said he could not disclose the names of any customers, but they are brands “you’d typically find in a Whole Foods environment.”

The company imports about 800 different ingredients, most of them organic and fair-trade certified, and has roughly 2,000 different product blends. Its products are available in all 50 states; the company also serves customers in Canada and the Middle East.

QTrade has grown significantly since Jayakumar’s father, Chief Executive Manik, founded the company in his garage in 1994 after emigrating from Sri Lanka. It was a one-man operation until 2005, when it moved to a small warehouse in Santa Fe Springs; QTrade now employs about 50 workers.

Manjiv Jayakumar said QTrade doesn’t need all of its 64,000 square feet today and called the $4.3 million purchase a gamble, but he expects the company to grow into its new space as the specialty tea market grows.

“It’s a bet on the future of the industry,” he said. “We felt we wanted to build ahead of what the current state of the business was. In the short term, we certainly face lots of cash-flow pressures, but we’re confident our tea is here to stay.”

Congratulations to QTrade and Winners of North American Tea Championship

North American Tea Champions Named

07 Mar 2012

By World Tea News

North American Tea Championship - Fall Teas 2011 - Judging

NATC 1st PLACE WINNERS  Listed by company, tea and category Alvin's of San Francisco (www.alvinsofsf.com), Royal Tea, Earl Grey  Florapharm Tea-USA LP (www.florapharmteausa.com), Snow Flake, Flavored Black Tea KIMICHA TEA (www.kimicha.com), Jin Jun Mei, Black Tea Naivetea (www.naivetea.com), Strawberry Oolong, Flavored Oolong Tea  Newby Teas of London (www.newbyteas.com), Rare Assam, Assam Newby Teas of London (www.newbyteas.com), Rooibos Orange Pyramid Infuser, Flavored Rooibos Blends QTrade Teas & Herbs (www.qtradeteas.com), Heirloom Oolong, Aged/Baked Oolong Tea QTrade Teas & Herbs, Special Breakfast Blend, Breakfast Blend  QTrade Teas & Herbs, Naked Oolong, Blended Oolong Tea QTrade Teas & Herbs, Darjeeling Extra Special, Darjeeling  Rare Tea Cellar Inc. (www.rareteacellar.com), 2010 Emperor's Aged Keemun, Keemun Rishi Tea (www.rishi-tea.com), Eastern Beauty (Bai Hao Premium), BaiHao/Oriental Beauty  Rishi Tea, Sakura Black, Blended Black Tea Rishi Tea, Dong Pian, Green Oolong Tea  Rishi Tea, Jasmine Yin Hao (Organic/Fair Trade), Jasmine Rishi Tea, Jasmine Pearl Lot B (Organic), Jasmine Rishi Tea, Ancient Golden Buds (Organic/Fair Trade), Yunnan  Silk Road Teas (www.silkroadteas.com), Plum Fragrance, Dark Oolong Tea Sipping Streams Tea Company (www.sippingstreams.com), Assam CTC, Black Tea-CTC  Yogic Chai (www.yogicchai.com), Original Masala Chai, Chai  A complete list of first, second and third place winners of the North American Tea Championship is available at www.teachampionship.com. Honorees will be featured at the North American Tea Championship Winners Tasting Circle at World Tea Expo (www.WorldTeaExpo.com), June 1 – 3, 2012 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

LAS VEGAS, Nev.
Twenty best-tasting tea champions enter the limelight today as winners of the North American Tea Championship which drew a record 230 entries for the fall judging.
Since 2008 the NATC, the only independent and professionally-judged tea competition in North America, has identified notable, high-quality teas widely available in the marketplace. The judging, held Feb. 28 – 29 in Las Vegas, evaluated premium hot teas from the fall 2011 harvest.
Rishi Tea won 14 awards including six first-place wins, two second-place wins and six third-place wins. QTrade Teas & Herbs followed with four first-place wins, one second place win and five third-place wins.
Other tea companies that took a prestigious first-place title include: Alvin's of San Francisco; Florapharm Tea-USA LP; KIMICHA TEA; Naivetea; Newby Teas of London; Rare Tea Cellar Inc.; Silk Road Teas; Sipping Streams Tea Company; and Yogic Chai.
Companies that entered the competition for the first time and received honors – either a first, second or third place award – include: Alvin’s; KIMICHA Tea; Newby Teas of London; Silk Road Teas; Black Tusk Trading; Tazo Teas; Hankook Tea; and Zuri Tea.
Fifty companies submitted a record 230 tea entries (the previous record for an evaluation was 217 different teas in 2010). The Flavored Rooibos Category had 35 entries – the largest number of entries in any one category, indicating the popularity of that tea in the marketplace.
“This year’s winners are outstanding,” said North American Tea Championship Judge Lydia Kung, a tea buyer and expert with Eastrise Trading Corp. “Congratulations to all of the award recipients."
Kung said that competitors offer an excellent range of teas to judge, "especially in the classifications of Oolong, Rooibos, Breakfast Blends, Jasmine and Assams. After the competition was completed, the judges compared notes, and we found that all of our scores were extremely close, which confirms the judging process works."

"It’s a testament to the carefulness and deliberateness of the NATC scoring procedure, and all of the winners can take pride in knowing that they’re of the highest quality. Indeed, the Championship and the champions set an excellent benchmark, and it encourages other teas in the North American marketplace to rise up to these high standards,” said Kung.
Winners Talk About the NATC
Bethan Thomas, marketing manager at Newby Teas, which won first-place in the Assam and Flavored Rooibos Blends categories, said, “The North American Tea Championship is very well known in the tea industry, and we were keen to participate this year for the first time, especially as we further expand our business from Europe, Asia and the Middle East into the North American Market. In fact, there’s no other comparable tea competition in any other region, so NATC is extremely valuable to the industry in terms of its high standards, engaging proper professionals to taste the teas and recognizing the very best teas.”
Thomas, whose company launched seven years ago, added, “Our teas have won in various food competitions, but the North American Tea Championship is the real deal in terms of evaluating quality tea. The NATC takes the right approach, and the judges have the correct skill-set and attitude. It sounds funny to say, but with other events, we’ve actually won too many awards, which lead us to believe that the judging in those challenges was not up to par. That’s not the case here. The judges are seasoned cuppers, and they represent the peak of the industry. On the whole, this win will help us in North America. We’re a family-owned business, so it’s not easy to break into a big market like this. We’ll use this win to open doors, build a presence and gain new business. We put a lot of effort into our products, using the right materials as well as packaging for freshness, so it’s nice to have all that hard work recognized.”
“For a small company like ours it’s very exciting to be able to participate and win at the NATC,” said Yogic Chai Co-founder Ricardo Dacosta, who started his business in 2008 and won first-place in the NATC Chai Category last year and at the recent 2012 competition. “We undoubtedly created a masterpiece chai blend, but we don’t have the necessary capital to generate a lot of exposure for the tea. Participating in a legit, high-profile industry event like this helps us tremendously. It gives us credibility, and it’s proof that all of our efforts – bringing the authentic flavors of Indian masala chai to the United States – have paid off. There is no other way to get this kind of professional recognition for quality tea – the North American Tea Championship is it. Certainly, any company can say they’re the best, but the only way to prove it is through the NATC. And now, we have validation that we’re the best when it comes to chai teas.”
Yogic Chai’s 2011 win generated numerous new business orders, including a deal with Foodzie.com, which delivers monthly tasting-boxes and exclusive small-batch products. “This year, we’re excited about the possibility of more new business because of our 2012 NATC award,” said Dacosta.
KIMICHA TEA’s owner Kimiko Uriu, who started her business in 2011, said, “It’s great to get a lot of positive feedback from customers about your tea, but being honored by industry experts brings it to a whole new level. A competition like the North American Tea Championship not only gives us recognition for winning first-place in the Black Tea Category for our Jin Jun Mei, but also acknowledges our ability to source the finest teas. We have invested a lot of time and resources into building close relationships with tea producers and selecting a range of teas that is rare, exciting and, at the same time, a great value for our customers. As a result, we have grown rapidly since our launch and have a strong customer base in Canada. We hope that this NATC win opens new doors. This was the only tea we entered into the competition and, given the results, we are excited to enter more of our teas next year.”
QTrade Marketing Coordinator Joshua Rigsby, whose company won in the categories of Aged/Baked Oolong Tea, Breakfast Blend, Blended Oolong Tea and Darjeeling, said, “We appreciate how the Championship recognizes and elevates quality teas in the marketplace, and we’re glad to have the opportunity to showcase our offerings in the competition. NATC raises the bar and creates heightened expectations for excellent teas in North America. The event features some of the finest leaves in the world, and the judging is spectacular. NATC judges categorically know how to recognize the best qualities in supreme teas.”

Rigsby, whose business has participated in the North American Tea Championship since its inception in 2008, continued, “Overall, the NATC and the awards help our business in terms of exposure. We don’t have a brand in the market because we’re an import company, so the Championship generates increased awareness of our experience and ability to source premium teas. We thank World Tea Media for organizing NATC, and we congratulate the other high-quality winners and companies that participated.”

Demeter USA About Biodynamic Agriculture

There are less than a half of a dozen Biodynamic Tea Estates, so far. We at QTrade proudly represent three of them and often exclusively. Email me for a list of current teas.


Biodynamic® farming is free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in the same manner as certified organic farming. In order to qualify for Demeter Biodynamic® status a farm must first meet the same 3-year transition requirement that NOP certified organic farming requires.

What distinguishes a Demeter certified Biodynamic® farm from a certified organic farm is that, in its entirety, a Demeter Biodynamic farm is managed as a living organism. This is the fundamental principal of the Biodynamic farming method. The special body of knowledge, which underlies Biodynamic agriculture, is derived from Rudolf Steiner’s “Agricultural Course”, and the spiritual context of Anthroposophy, within which this Course was originally held.

The Biodynamic method dates back to 1924 and is one of the original approaches to organized organic farming worldwide. In day-to-day practice Biodynamic farming involves managing a farm within the context of the principles of a living organism. A concise model of a living organism ideal would be a wilderness forest. In such a system there is a high degree of self-sufficiency in all of the realms of biological survival. Fertility and feed arise out of the recycling of the organic material the system generates. Avoidance of pest species is based on biological vigor and its intrinsic biological and genetic diversity. Water is efficiently cycled through the system.

While agriculture immediately takes nature to a state that is one step removed from wilderness, the practices of farmers that steer agriculture’s course can to a large degree mimic these ancient principles of sustainability based on a careful observation of nature as a whole. Demeter/Aurora certification requires a documented evolution towards this ideal. In the realm of day-to-day practice this requires a holistic farming system that is minimally dependant on imported inputs for its survival, but instead arise from within the living dynamics of the farm itself. Demeter/Aurora certification requires that as much as possible a farm be regenerative rather than degenerative. Consider carefully materials that are imported onto the modern day organic farm. Where do they come from? Often they can be tracked back to a natural resource provided by the earth. Examples of such inputs include petroleum to move materials around, ancient mineral deposits, by-products of unsustainable agriculture-related industry, and the life of the seas and water ways. An important environmental value of Biodynamic farming is that it does not depend on the mining of the earth’s natural resource base. Instead it emphasizes contributing to it. As such, it is a farming philosophy that results in one of the lightest carbon footprints of any agricultural method.

Looked at in its widest view, the scale of this farm organism extends beyond the fence line of the farm and includes the tangible and intangible forces that work through it. Examples of such “forces” include the climate, inherent wildlife of the earth (above and below the ground), the light and warmth from the sun and the focusing of even more distant cosmic influences through the other planetary members of our sun’s solar system. The Biodynamic method of farming attempts to align all of the factors that are inherent in a living farm system in a harmonious manner. The food that results is very true to its essence and provides deeply penetrating nutrition that is medicinal as well as delicious.

Source:http://demeter-usa.org/about-biodynamic-agriculture/

Fresh Cup Magazine Almanac 2009 with Manik and QTrade Team

Interesting Article on our owner...I didn't know until today my picture is in there! I finally received my copy in the mail today after it was a most coveted item with the team, I had to order another....check it out.
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B8NhRIUvB54XOTdmMTNhY2UtM2QwMi00NGEyLTllYjItYWFkYTA3NGJlMmM2&hl=en