MUMBAI – Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, shall host the 3rd World Tea & Coffee Expo 2015 (WTCE), India’s only international trade show dedicated to the tea and coffee sectors.
With over 100 exhibitors from 10 countries and dedicated country pavilions, this international tea and coffee show in India promises an even bigger presence to provide the perfect environment for the hot beverage industry to meet face-to-face and develop real business opportunities.
The 2015 edition is to be held at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India from 1st Oct to 3rd Oct 2015 and shall cater to a prospective visitor base of over 6,000 buyers from across India and abroad – up from the visitor count of 4,100 witnessed during the second edition held in Sept 2014.
In addition to a display of innovative and exotic products, machineries, accessories, technologies, vending machines and certifications from the entire gamut of the hot beverage sector, additional activities planned at the expo include: B2B match-making, workshops and championships, a high level two-day conference by industry leaders, academicians and policy makers, export/import guidance kiosks, knowledge zone etc.
Priti M. Kapadia, Director, Sentinel Exhibitions Asia Pvt. Ltd., the organizer of the show, says, “Mumbai is a city where the best and the most serious converge for doing business. Mumbai attracts the serious players from the length and breadth of India and also from abroad, which results in high value deals and alliances. The 2015 edition of this unique trade fair will also see buying delegations from Iran, Nepal, Dubai, and Russia.”
The success of the 2nd World Tea & Coffee Expo 2014 at Mumbai, India in Sept 2014, has established this expo as the official industry show with just two editions under its belt. This international trade show is supported by Ministry of Commerce through Tea Board of India, and leading associations and chambers from across the world have pledged their support to this important industry initiative.
The expo offers huge potential for appointing distributors, bulk orders, joint ventures, franchising, networking, knowledge-sharing, meeting government officials, marketing alliances, and overall branding. WTCE has become the platform for the launch of new and exotic tea and coffee products.
For a visitor, workshops and seminars are the other important aspects of the event, which will help them to understand the depth of this industry, gain knowledge, understand benefits and also taste products on the spot. Skill development shall be the main theme of the workshops which will be conducted by experts in the field.
Kapadia adds, “For the International Tea & Coffee conference, we are in touch with a number of international speakers and some of them have already confirmed.”
The global market for RTD (Ready-to-Drink) tea and coffee is expected to reach $125 billion by 2017 with an annual growth rate of 11%. The Asia-Pacific region is the largest market and also shows maximum growth.
To capitalize on the growth trend in the RTD tea and coffee, companies are investing heavily on modernization of machineries, quality up-gradation and product diversification as well as branding, innovations and market expansion.
The upscale café culture has contributed significantly to the growth of both coffee and tea in India, with exotic branding and packaging coupled with a dynamic product mix driving the demand.
Drinking habits and lifestyles have changed in the last 8-10 years and people are now willing to pay more for quality. India is the 2nd largest producer, 2nd largest consumer and 4th largest exporter of tea with a 23% share in global production, a 12% share in world tea exports and a per capita consumption of about 725 grams (2013-14 figures).
The 6th largest producer of the coffee in the world, India exports more than 80% of its coffee presently, but a rising domestic demand at 7% annually may change this scenario completely over the next decade or so.
The trend towards health consciousness, coupled with increased competitive pressure, will further push new product development in the next five years, which will in turn boost industry demand.
Most international companies which have entered India are doing brisk business and expanding their operations. The World Tea & Coffee Expo is the catalyst for international companies to target this huge market
