Producers in Fuzhou reckon they have a brew worth selling to the world

If the sweet aroma of jasmine tea was savored in every corner of the planet, it is unlikely anybody would be happier than the residents of Fuzhou.

For Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, is where jasmine tea was born, and any cup of the tea from the city is said to be infused with the breath of spring, says Zheng Jiangmin, director of Fuzhou Agriculture Bureau.

"The city benefits greatly as a result of its jasmine tea exports, which give it great brand recognition across the country and worldwide because of their good quality."

The art of scenting tea with jasmine was invented by Fuzhou locals more than 1,000 years ago, and since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in particular it has undergone extensive refinement, he says.

So it is perhaps surprising that it was only 30 years ago that Fuzhou adopted the jasmine as its official flower. In those days the city's population was about 600,000, and about 60,000 were engaged in the jasmine tea industry. That number has halved, reflecting a general decline in agriculture, and the industry is now looking for the kind of refreshment the tea delivers to revive it.

In those heydays about 11,300 hectares of land was under jasmine tea cultivation, and that eventually fell to 6,666 hectares. Fuzhou now has 1,000 hectares devoted to growing jasmine flowers and 9,333 hectares to jasmine tea.

The city produced 11,000 metric tons of jasmine last year, on a par with production the previous year. Sales revenue was 2.02 billion yuan ($326 million; 262 million euros), an increase of 12 percent on the previous year.

Production is expected to remain at its present level next year, Zheng says, but prices will rise because of increasing labor costs and higher quality.

Despite the undoubted prowess and reputation that Fuzhou's jasmine tea enjoy, most of the best grade tea is sold domestically. Much of the export tea is of a lower quality and will end up being served in Chinese restaurants.

The city produces about a quarter of the country's jasmine tea, of which only 9 percent is exported, says Zhang Jiansheng, vice-director of the economic development division of Fuzhou Agriculture Bureau.

Zhang, who prefers to prepare his brew gong fu cha (a tea ceremony) style, says exporting jasmine tea to the world is difficult.

"Foreigners need a deeper insight into drinking the tea. It is high quality and closely related to Chinese culture."

Ye Weihong, vice-president of the sales department of Fujian Jiufeng Agriculture Development, says: "Generally, tea is much less popular than coffee worldwide. More often than not Chinese jasmine tea is found overseas in Chinese restaurants."

Last year the company had sales revenue of about 80 million yuan, and it is expected that the figure will increase 20 percent this year, Ye says.

"We don't export anything at the moment, but we certainly plan to export high-end jasmine tea in the near future."

To tap the overseas market, the group has come up with new categories of tea, such as jasmine black.

"Black tea is much more popular than green tea worldwide, and it needs less time to make, which makes it a good proposition for us," Ye says.

Jasmine black went on the market in 2010 after two years was spent developing it, and Fujian Jiufeng Agriculture Development became the first company to produce it, Ye says.

"In this we have black tea and jasmine, two elements of the East and the West in perfect harmony."

The average price for jasmine black is about 1,000 yuan for 500 grams, he says, and the most expensive kind can cost up to 10 times that.

The company says it plans to open more franchised stores across the country, expanding on the 200 it now has.

Fujian Jiufeng Agriculture Development's tea plantation is in a mountainous area about 15 kilometers from downtown Fuzhou, at about 600 meters above sea level, which is favorable for tea plants, says Ye, as an employee, Du Quanrong, prepares tea in gong fu cha style.

"One reason for Fuzhou's meager exports is that tea appreciation is well beyond the knowledge of Western drinkers," Ye says.

In Fuzhou, people are apt to drink tea gong fu cha style, at a wooden serving table and in heated cups.

Du begins the Chinese tea appreciation ceremony in a way that is familiar enough to tea drinkers worldwide: Once the water is boiled she adds tea to it.

But the brewing process has just begun, and Du eventually dumps the entire contents of the pot, including its 20,000-yuan-a-kilogram jasmine tea leaves, into a hidden drain on the serving table, because the main aim of the first boiling is to "awaken" the leaves, she says.

After boiled water is poured into the teapot a second time, Du begins to serve the guests tea.

"It is important to strike a balance in providing high-quality tea, but at affordable prices," Ye says. "The general lack of interest in fine teas is simply because of the scarcity of information."

Jiang Zhou, general manager of Fuzhou Shengshun Tea Company Co Ltd, says his company is exporting more and more jasmine tea, and the company is making an effort to make tea appreciation more accessible to Westerners.

"Westerners are well aware of the health benefits of tea, but have little idea about the taste, let alone its origins and the procedures used in preparing and serving it.

"We are now trying to produce tea pots similar to coffee makers that are easy for Westerners to use."

Jiang's company is working with Fuzhou Mantangxiang to tap the United States and European markets.

Fujian Mantangxiang Tea Industry Co Ltd, founded in 1985, is one of the largest jasmine tea producers in China.

Its sales revenue last year was 370 million yuan, 7 million yuan of that coming from sales to Chinese restaurants in Europe and the US. The price of the group's jasmine tea ranges from 50 yuan to 300 yuan for 500 grams, says Lin Wei, general manager of Mantangxiang.

"The volume of exports is not that high, but we expect it to increase through our collaboration with Shenshun," Lin says.

Jasmine tea is one of the most popular cultural components in China, Lin says, and it takes time to promote the culture elsewhere.

"When Chinese consume jasmine tea, we don't regard it just as drinking; we see it as an essential part of our culture. It's a pity that jasmine tea's charm has not been fully revealed to the outside world."

Putting on seminars at venues such as Confucius Institutes would do a lot in helping to popularize it worldwide, he says.

Chinese jasmine tea producers can learn from foreign companies such as Lipton and Twinings in increasing the efficiency of production, he says.

"Right now it is impossible for jasmine tea to be produced on a huge industrial scale because the most refined parts of the tea and the jasmine need to be handpicked. We are producing more high value-added tea, including some with a stronger jasmine flavor, to tap the overseas market further.

"There is huge potential, but one of the biggest challenges for overseas expansion is a dearth of skilled people."

Standing in the company's jasmine tea field, Huang Daojun, a director of Mantangxiang, points to other problems in the industry.

"For farmers in the early 1990s, one household could pull in profits of more than 10,000 a month, but those big sums are a thing of the past as a result of stiff competition and increasing labor costs. It has also gotten harder to find the right workers. For many young people life on a farm is not exciting enough."

Mantangxiang produces about 20 tons of prime quality tea a year and about 100 tons of medium-quality tea.

Not far from the jasmine tea field, the group has also developed jasmine tea culture scenic spots to promote tea culture.

Weng Fashui, 43, president of another local jasmine tea producer, Fujian Min Rui Tea, says that if people outside China learned a bit about jasmine tea culture they would realize it is not that difficult and that there is a lot of enjoyment in it.

The company, set up in 1993, employs about 60 people, and says its profit last year was between 3 million yuan and 4 million yuan, on turnover of about 70 million yuan.

As with other companies, Fujian Min Rui Tea says its sales revenue is almost the same this year, and that it has its eye on the European and US markets.

Weng, who has been in the industry for about 30 years, says low-end products, most priced at about $10 for 500g, are the best sellers.

"We produce more high-value added products for the overseas market," Weng says.

He says he was trained to produce jasmine tea when he was young.

"Few people are interested in learning the techniques. We need to create a culture in which people take the initiative to appreciate tea, regarding it as much more than an afternoon refreshment. This would certainly increase demand overseas."

Wang Dexing, president of Fujian Min Rong Tea, says: "Foreign customers who appreciate the cultural connotations of jasmine tea are willing to spend big."

The company, founded in 1982, is one of the largest jasmine tea producers in China.

Last year it had revenue of 300 million yuan, it says, and expects a similar result this year.

Wang, speaking in an office on the group's 67 hectare property at Pukou Wetland, near Fuzhou, says exports account for 10 percent of the group's business, most of the products being sold to Southeast Asia and the US.

The group is keen to tap the EU market, he says, and is developing an online business to tap the overseas market.

The challenges that he thinks the export industry faces include limited supply chains and tough customs inspections.

"It's one thing to say we should be promoting Chinese jasmine tea culture to the world, but producing this tea is a lot more difficult than producing other kinds of tea. It usually takes about six months to select the tea, and there are at least seven stages in the scenting procedure."

The company has been working with institutions to standardize production and make it more efficient.

The group has about 20 patents, Wang says, and institutions such as Fujian Academy of Agricultural Science and Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University have set up experimentation sites.

The jasmine tea master Wang says being an enthusiast and expert of the tea extends well beyond honor.

"It's also about the responsibility of making jasmine tea well-known worldwide."

Contact the writers throughhuhaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

From Left: Wang Dexing, president of Fujian Min Rong Tea; Weng Fashui, president of jasmine tea producer Fujian Min Rui Tea; Ye Weihong, vice-president of the sales department of Fujian Jiufeng Agriculture Development. Photos By Sun Li / China Daily

Fuzhou produces about a quarter of China's jasmine tea, of which only 9 percent is exported. Provided to China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 12/19/2014 page16)