Revitalization: Government provides a platform to help Zhejiang tea go global
For nearly 20 years, Yuan Pengzhong, chairman of Shengzhou Houtu Tea Industry Co., Ltd., has traveled to almost every corner of the global Gunpowder tea market, including Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and America. He believes that overseas market demand is a basic necessity, and the Gunpowder tea industry is currently showing a positive trend, with steady growth expected in the future. "Zhejiang Gunpowder tea has a stable customer base overseas, playing a vital role in increasing tea farmers' income," said Yuan Pengzhong.
Against the backdrop of expanding, strengthening, and optimizing local specialties, revitalizing the export business of Gunpowder tea has become a common aspiration for many tea companies.
Meanwhile, government departments at all levels have actively created a favorable business environment. In early September, Zhejiang Province specifically issued "Ten Opinions on Supporting Zhejiang Tea's Exports," aiming to help Zhejiang tea set sail overseas. This marks a new stage in the systematic advancement of the internationalization of Zhejiang's tea industry.
"Quality is paramount for Zhejiang Gunpowder tea exports," said Yu Liaoyuan, a senior agronomist at the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He emphasized the need to utilize digital means to strengthen the construction of a quality and safety traceability system, upgrade equipment for Gunpowder tea refining, blending, and deep processing, and innovate a new raw material supply model of "provincial registration + joint construction outside the province." Simultaneously, he stressed the importance of accelerating the development of group standards for the entire industry chain and building a quality management system aligned with international standards.
Wang Xingui, who participated in writing "The Tea Classic of Shengzhou," believes that it is crucial to strengthen cultural empowerment, explore the rich historical and cultural connotations of Gunpowder tea, tell the stories of overseas Gunpowder tea culture, and transform intangible cultural heritage such as Longjing tea processing techniques and Jingshan tea banquets into cultural IPs for export products. He also advocated for the simultaneous advancement of the application for Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems status.
During the interviews, experts and tea company leaders repeatedly mentioned the importance of brand building and effective marketing. "Pingshui Gunpowder Tea" aims to build a three-tiered overseas expansion system-combining a regional public brand, a corporate brand, and a product brand-similar to "West Lake Longjing Tea," making "Zhejiang-produced Gunpowder Tea" a "pearl" among pearl teas.
The future of Zhejiang Gunpowder tea lies not only in the scale of its overseas expansion but also in transforming the story of "a single leaf" into a cultural symbol recognized by global consumers. This is not only a challenge but also an opportunity for the "rebirth" of a traditional industry.
