The Chairman of the German Tea Association, Mr Jochen Spethmann during his meeting with Ambassador Karunathilaka Amunugama, assured his Association’s fullest cooperation in promoting Ceylon tea in Germany and in other European markets. Mr Spethmann also appreciated the commitment and the efforts of the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the tea trade in producing quality products. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 100 years anniversary celebrations of the German Tea Association which was held on 26th April 2017 in Hamburg.
The German Tea Association, the largest and the strongest Tea Association in Europe was founded in 1917 and has focused in promoting its members' particular interests relating to importing, manufacturing, packaging and marketing of tea in all its varieties and forms of presentation. At present the German Tea Association represents 35 member companies and 21 associate members and stand for 90% of the German tea trade. The Association is mainly engaged in importing tea to Germany and a substantive portion of it is been re exported to the rest of the European countries.
During the event Ambassador Amunugama also met a number of other reputed tea importers in Germany including Monika Beutgen-Secretary General of the Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe and Reinhold Schlensok –CEO of the Teekanne Holding GmbH.
The Ambassador also invited the Chairman and the Executive Board members of the German Tea Association to attend the International Colombo Tea Convention scheduled to be held in August 2017. In response to the Ambassador’s invitation Maximilian Wittig – The Secretary General of The German Tea Association stated that a strong delegation which would include himself and Monika Beutgen-Secretary General of the Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe will participate at the upcoming event in Colombo.
Mr. Olav C. Ellerbrock, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Hamburg who is a pioneering tea importer from Sri Lanka and a past Chairman of the German Tea Association also joined the discussions and elaborated the plans for the joint efforts with the Sri Lanka Embassy, German Tea Association and the Honorary Consulate in celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Ceylon Tea in Hamburg.
Embassy of Sri Lanka, Berlin
28 April 2017
