The Eastern Black Sea Exporters Association (DKİB) is set to organize an event in Japan to promote Turkish tea, one of the region's key export products. The event is part of the Turquality Promotion Project, a program executed by the DKİB under the coordination of the Ministry of Trade.
Scheduled for Dec. 11-13, the event will feature tea-brewing experts from Rize, a city known for its tea production, who will provide training and host competitions on tea brewing. The goal of the event is to highlight the unique art of Turkish tea preparation and increase the brand awareness of Turkish tea in Japan.
Şaban Turgut, vice president of the DKIB, explained the objectives of the Turquality Promotion Project during an interview. He emphasized that the project aims to enhance the recognition of Turkish tea in international markets, focusing on promotion alongside the product itself.
"We aim to promote Turkish tea abroad and increase exports," said Turgut. The project, which will run for approximately four years, will involve various promotional activities, including tea-brewing and tasting events, digital campaigns on social media and websites and printed materials and visual content. These efforts will be supplemented by demonstrations, conferences and seminars. The key target markets identified for boosting the brand awareness of Turkish tea include Japan, China, European Union countries, Middle Eastern nations, Turkic republics and Russia.
Turgut further emphasized the importance of Turkish tea, describing it as the "green gold" of the region. He stated that by promoting Turkish tea effectively in foreign markets, they aim to boost exports significantly, starting in Japan.
The first event of the project will take place in Japan, a country with a deep tea culture, where Turkish tea has already garnered significant attention. Turgut highlighted that previous efforts to promote Turkish tea in Japan through collaborations with tea producers had shown a strong interest in the product.
During the event in Tokyo, experts from Rize will train Japanese tea masters on the nuances of brewing Turkish tea. The event will also feature tea-brewing competitions. At the end of the program, Japanese tea masters will become long-term "ambassadors" for Turkish tea, helping to spread knowledge about its preparation and cultural significance.
Turgut noted that the decision to launch the promotion project in Japan was motivated by the positive reception Turkish tea had previously received there. "In the promotional visit we organized in Japan, we observed considerable interest in Turkish tea. That’s why we decided to begin the promotion project in Japan," Turgut explained.
The DKİB’s ultimate goal is to expand Turkish tea exports, which currently stand at around 5,300 tons annually. This initiative aims to increase this number to 10,000 tons in the first phase, focusing on exports to the target countries.
By combining cultural education with practical tea-brewing expertise, the project aims to create lasting impressions of Turkish tea in the global market, ultimately benefiting the tea sector in the Eastern Black Sea region and strengthening Türkiye's position in the global tea trade.
