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| Carine Baudry, Chair of the Jury for the AVPA World Tea Competition 2024, assesses Vietnamese tea. (Photo: VNA) |
Sense Memory spiced lemon tea (Gold Award), Be Better floral and honey tea (Silver Award), Flying Red Dragon yellow tea and Hoang Lien Son Memory fermented tea (Bronze Award) are four of the ten Vietnamese teas honored at the AVPA awards ceremony.
Nine of these awards went to Sobica Sodeli, bringing the total number of awards received by this company in world tea competitions to 45. Six of the award-winning teas are the result of a collaboration between the company and artisan Nguyen Cao Son in promoting the ancient Shan tea from Sapa , Lao Cai province, and the Oolong tea from Moc Chau, Son La province. This success affirms the solid steps of a Vietnamese company in France on its journey to create high-quality health tea products, and demonstrates Sobica Sodeli's correct direction in partnering with domestic tea producers to spread the reputation of Vietnamese tea to the world.
Sharing her secrets to success with reporters, Ms. Vu Thi Thu Hang, President of Sobica Sodeli, said that for Vietnamese tea to become a product with a distinct identity and a strong reputation on the world stage, it is necessary to change the production mindset. This includes focusing on highlighting the unique flavors of the tea and incorporating flavorings to create products that are beneficial to health and suit the tastes of consumers. With the desire to create a variety of teas to serve French customers, Ms. Thu Hang has worked with artisans in Vietnam, experimenting with small batches of tea to create brands such as Tay Con Linh from Hoang Lien Son, Cao Bo from Ha Giang , and this year, products from Lao Cai, in collaboration with artisan Nguyen Cao Son, in fermented tea and yellow tea, which are particularly rare and beneficial to health, and are favored by many French customers.
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| Ms. Vu Thi Thu Hang, Chairwoman of Sobica Sodeli Company, presents her award certificates. (Photo: VNA) |
Determined to pursue a quality journey, Sobica Sodeli always strives to contribute to the dynamism of the domestic tea market in Vietnam, especially in exporting to new international markets with stringent requirements. Expressing her desire to work together with farmers and artisans in the country to help Vietnamese tea be appreciated and loved not only by Vietnamese people but also by the French, Ms. Thu Hang stated: “The French have a lot of affection for wine, but not for tea. But if we work together to introduce this special product with its traditional flavor, highlighted by the diligent labor of the farmers, and with the enthusiastic efforts of businesses to introduce tea products to French and European consumers, then Vietnamese tea will become a precious commodity like French wine.”
Although unable to attend the awards ceremony in France, Cao Son, a tea artisan who has directly produced the award-winning tea products and has previously organized tea parties for high-ranking Vietnamese diplomatic delegations, expressed his honor at seeing Vietnamese tea products recognized at the AVPA Paris 2024 World Tea Competition. He hopes to "visit many new tea-growing regions in Vietnam, create many unique teas, and introduce Vietnam's special tea products to tea lovers around the world."
Sharing her impressions of the richness and diversity of Vietnamese tea, Carine Baudry, Chair of the Jury for the AVPA World Tea Competition 2024, expressed her hope to see Vietnamese tea continue to win awards in future competitions. She emphasized: “The abundance of Vietnam's land creates a diversity of tea-growing regions from the mountains to the plains, resulting in a rich variety of teas in terms of color and type. We Europeans appreciate the quality and rich flavors of Vietnamese tea.”
For his part, Philippe Juglar, President of the AVPA organization, said that Vietnam had given him wonderful experiences with tea and coffee. He expressed: “Your country has wonderful products and I hope to see more Vietnamese products participating in the annual AVPA awards.”
Anton Tourtier, an event attendee, believes that the richness of Vietnamese tea is not yet widely known to the world, so bringing the product to an international award like the AVPA is a good idea to help introduce Vietnamese tea products to a wider audience, and the award itself is a guarantee of the product's value.
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| Artisan Nguyen Cao Son is the direct producer of the award-winning tea products this year. (Photo: VNA) |
First held in 2018, the AVPA's "Les Thés du Monde" competition aims to recognize teas and herbal teas with true culinary value that goes beyond the consumption of conventionally packaged products. In addition to teas of traditional origin from China, India, Sri Lanka, and more, the competition allows tea connoisseurs to discover new, innovative products from Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and even Europe.
According to research by Research and Markets, the tea industry is experiencing increasing growth due to changing lifestyles and growing consumer awareness of the health benefits of drinking tea. The global tea market is projected to reach $37.5 billion by 2025, far exceeding the $24.3 billion recorded in 2016. Vietnam currently ranks 5th in the world for tea exports and 7th in global tea production.
In 2023, Vietnam's tea exports reached 121,000 tons, valued at US$211 million. Vietnamese tea products are currently present in 74 countries and territories. Statistics from the Vietnam Tea Association also indicate that, to date, 34 provinces and cities in Vietnam cultivate tea, covering a total area of 123,000 hectares, with an average yield of nearly 95 quintals/hectare, producing 1.02 million tons of fresh tea leaves.
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