Investing in Tea

These days, it seems like everything's a commodity... even tea. From Dubai launching the world's first tea futures contract to the growing world of pu-erh investment, tea is hot despite the economy's general cooling. The World Tea Expo is getting in on the action with a new specialty tea rating system, which will be listed in The World Tea Buyers Guide^TM.* I think of tea investment in a few different ways:

Investment in myself--Tea is healthy and delicious alternative to many other beverages and it makes me feel good.
Investment in the planet and the future--Organic, fair trade tea is sustainable and benefits the land and people who produce it.
Investment in companies I appreciate--I think of each dollar I spend as a vote of sorts. Which companies do I prefer to support? These are the ones I spend my money on.
Investment in VeeTea--Obviously, I need to learn more about tea every day in order to educate my clients, whether they are companies or individuals. I think of my tea purchases are a business investment.

I was never one for collecting or for investing in particular assets. (Mutual funds are just fine by me!) However, I can see why tea could be (and is) an alluring investment for many. Although I prefer to think of tea as something much, much deeper than a money-making opportunity, it's exciting to see the love of tea spread through new businesses and investors. Happy investing, and enjoy your tea!


*Of course, just like wine rating systems, the scores depend very much on the preferences of the tasters, which may or may not be in line with our own preferences (or our clients'!).)