Organized by New York-based Lockwood Publications, publishers of Tea & Coffee Trade Journal and Tea & Coffee Asia, the industries’ longest-established and leading trade magazines, Tea & Coffee World Cup 2006 is being hailed as a success by visitors and exhibitors alike.

“Once the product portfolio and packaging is right, it is important to start building strong business and personal relationships in the Asia region,” said Marco Brinmühl of Gebrüder Wollenhaupt GmbH, specialty tea traders from Germany. “One important step in this process has been exhibiting at the Tea & Coffee World Cup Asia in Shanghai, which has gone a long way to helping us strengthen the relationships we have already built in this mature market.”

Over 140 companies exhibited at the show, and the range of products and services on offer covered the entire spectrum of the tea and coffee industries, from plantations and processors to roasters and packers, from tea and coffee shop accessories to industrial roasting and processing plants, from bulk exporters to specialty products.

The Tea & Coffee World Cup Asia Symposium, a three-day event comprising a series of insightful and relevant presentations made by leading experts from around the globe ran alongside the exhibition, together with various well-attended events such as the Tea & Coffee World Cup Asia Latte Art and Barista Championships, tea tasting and sensory evaluation, coffee cupping and barista training seminars.

Altogether there have now been nine Tea & Coffee World Cup exhibitions, the first four having been held in Europe. Since 2002 the shows have been rotating every other year to Asia.

This was the third to be held in the region (the other two were held in Kuala Lumpur in 2002 and Singapore in 2004). The Asian shows are going from strength to strength, growing larger with each passing event.

Tea & Coffee World Cup 2007 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 3 to 5, and booths are selling fast. The venue for the 2008 Asian show has yet to be decided, but wherever it ends up it is sure to be a big hit with exhibitors and visitors alike.

For further information on upcoming shows, contact Analia Christmas, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, e-mail a.pereda@lockwoodpublications.com or visit www.tcworldcup.net.