LAS VEGAS, Nev., US – World Tea Academy (WTA), the leading online tea education and certification program, is proud to name its first-ever class of certified professionals.
A total of 24 students — from the United States, Canada, Australia, Chile and the Kingdom of Bahrain — completed the core program to become WTA Certified Tea Specialists. To register or learn more, visit WorldTeaAcademy.com.
“We are thrilled to congratulate our first-ever World Tea Academy class of graduates,” says Donna Fellman, a well-respected tea expert and program director of World Tea Academy.
“WTA certification opens career opportunities, improves trust with clients and increases industry recognition. And the online program — the future of tea education — can benefit tea professionals of all kinds, as well as those in allied fields.”
World Tea Academy (#TeaAcademy) — from the organizers of World Tea Expo and the North American Tea Championship — is a digital-based learning platform that incorporates robust features and creates classroom-like environments for student-to-student interaction.
And in addition to the core WTA Certified Tea Specialist program, WTA offers higher-level accreditation: WTA Certified Tea Professional, WTA Certified Tea Sommelier and WTA Certified Tea Health Expert.
World Tea Academy’s 2014 WTA Certified Tea Specialists are:
—Stefanie Boadle, founder and CEO, MORE TEA – Mt. Martha, Australia
—Heather Byers, national foodservice sales director, Choice Organic Teas – Seattle, Wash.
—Lynn Colcernian, founder, Destination Fine Teas – South Lyon, Mich.
—Meghan Cosenzo, owner, TeaLife – Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
—Kevin Craig, tea reviewer and consultant, Tea Journeyman – Warrendale, Pa.
—Anfal Fekri, business development director, Roya Café – Juffair, Manama, Bahrain
—Joanne Foster, owner, Fosters Tea Cafe, LLC – La Grange Park, Ill.
—Tracy Frickey, owner, MODesTEA – Denver, Colo.
—Terri Hamilton, certified public accountant, SourceOne CPA Group – Denver, Colo.
—Patti Harrison, founder and senior designer, Camera Essentials, Pasadena, Calif.
—Kristine Henderson, owner and founder, Infuse Tea Bar – West Sayville, N.Y.
—Kathleen Hippeli, owner, One Steep at a Thyme Tearoom – Spotswood, N.J.
—Holly Howes, owner, Tea & Gift Shoppe – Bemidji, Minn.
—Kevin Lahue, certified chef/raw chef, Whole Foods Market and Healing Cuisine – Burbank, Calif.
—Gina Lane, owner, Serendipi-TEA Etiquette & Consulting and director of the Virginia Tea Society – Virginia Beach, Va.
—Andre Lujan – Garden Grove, Calif.
—Rodrigo Marinetti, co-founder and CEO, teagroup – Santiago, Chile
—Eduardo Molina Anfossi, co-founder and tea sommelier, teagroup – Santiago, Chile
—Colleen Opitz, owner, Cuppa Love Tea – Gaithersburg, Md.
—Kathryn Paul, owner, The Tea Experience – Granada Hills, Calif.
—Susan Peters, owner, Steeped in Canadiana Fine Teas – Morrisburg, Ontario, Canada
—Ravi Jerome Pillai, tea quality manager, DAVIDsTEA – Montreal, Quebec, Canada
—Carolyn Roberts, founder, Whimsy & Revelry – Hoboken, N.J.
—Alex Wilkens, store manager, TeaLula – Park Ridge, Ill.
Graduates Share WTA Experiences
“The structure of World Tea Academy was excellently laid out, featured great educational content and informative teaching material,” shares Ravi Jerome Pillai, tea quality manager at DAVIDsTEA, Montreal, Canada. Pillai has been working in the tea industry since 1984, and he’s managed tea plantations in Sri Lanka and held roles in operations, marketing, consulting, manufacturing and processing.
He also served on the management committee of The Spice Council of Sri Lanka for eight years and has a degree in plantation management. “I believe World Tea Academy takes tea education to the next level; it’s an opportunity and experience the tea industry should not miss.”
Chef Kevin Lahue of Whole Foods Markets, Burbank, Calif., who also graduated from WTA, has been in the culinary world for nearly 30 years. In addition to being a certified chef, he’s a Chinese dietary therapist and culinary educator with Healing Cuisine, also in Burbank.
“I wanted to expand my knowledge and interest in tea, to benefit my career and enhance my love of the leaf. Overall, I think World Tea Academy really opened my eyes and taught me a lot about all aspects of tea. Being WTA certified will certainly enrich my career in the culinary field, as I incorporate tea into my menus and impart my tea knowledge upon others.
On the whole, I really enjoyed the World Tea Academy program, especially the videos and the cuppings, and I hope to become a WTA Certified Tea Health Expert in the future, to complement my gastronomic endeavors.”
Colleen Opitz, owner of Gaithersburg, Md.-based Cuppa Love Tea, which offers tea tastings, catered tea parties and retail teas and accessories, explains, “There were aspects of every World Tea Academy educational course that I really enjoyed and benefitted from. However, my favorite course was ‘Tea Terroir: China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea.’ I’m fascinated with Asian history, particularly as it relates to tea.
And I’m also partial to Japanese green teas, so the Terroir class, among the rest, was a treat. I look forward to pursuing an advanced-level certification through World Tea Academy, specifically the WTA Certified Tea Sommelier and WTA Certified Tea Health Expert programs.”
About the WTA Program
World Tea Academy classes are filled with rich content, videos, key learning points, group discussions and downloadable course materials.
The curriculum covers a variety of educational topics, including: Essentials of Camellia Sinensis; Tea Enhancements and Grading Systems; Tea Terroir; Tea Cupping; Quality Systems for Product Management; Presentation and Advanced Brewing Techniques; Tea Sommelier Essentials; Advanced Herbal Teas; Health Benefits of Tea; and Blending, Flavoring & Scenting, among others.
Each week, new educational content is unlocked for enrolled students. Week One and Week Two of the Core-level program provide key learning materials and content, and Week Three focuses on professionally cupping teas.
Students are shipped teas and a Cupping Lab Starter Kit that includes cupping sets, digital scale, thermometer and timer. Teas frequently sent to students for cupping exercises contain North American Tea Championship winning teas. Higher level class formats vary within each three-week session.
The Academy receives support and oversight from its Strategic Technical Advisers, all recognizable luminaries. And since launching in 2013, the Academy has spanned 21 countries, six continents, six Canadian provinces and 29 states in America.
To register or learn more about the programs and upcoming class schedules, visit WorldTeaAcademy.com, call 1-800-759-0963 or email info@WorldTeaAcademy.com.
