Technology and export bolster tea industry
2025-02-18 19:02:00
By Yan Wanqin. Yue Li, Hong Yanfang also contributed to this article.
At the Hubei Xiaoshi Tea Industry E-commerce Operations Center of Yichang Tea Group, two live-streaming studios buzzed with activity. Host Meimei enthusiastically introduced tea products to online viewers, showcasing a particular tea known for its slightly curled, dark green leaves and rich flavor. Within moments of being listed online, it attracted dozens of orders.
"During the Spring Festival, the demand for gift sets surged. In response, our company developed special gift sets that incorporate elements of intangible cultural heritage," said Gao Xianhua, head of the E-commerce Division at the Brand Marketing Center of Yichang Tea Group.
On the busiest days, the company shipped up to 2,000 orders, with sales revenue in January increasing by 71 percent year-on-year, he added.
At the Hubei Xiaoshi Tea Industry E-commerce Operations Center of Yichang Tea Group, two live-streaming studios buzzed with activity. Host Meimei enthusiastically introduced tea products to online viewers, showcasing a particular tea known for its slightly curled, dark green leaves and rich flavor. Within moments of being listed online, it attracted dozens of orders.
"During the Spring Festival, the demand for gift sets surged. In response, our company developed special gift sets that incorporate elements of intangible cultural heritage," said Gao Xianhua, head of the E-commerce Division at the Brand Marketing Center of Yichang Tea Group.
On the busiest days, the company shipped up to 2,000 orders, with sales revenue in January increasing by 71 percent year-on-year, he added.
Workers pack tea products at Hubei Xiaoshi Tea Industry, part of the Yichang Tea Group.
In addition to its thriving e-commerce platform, Yichang Tea Group is modernizing its tea processing facilities.
The processing workshop features five grade-sorting production lines, three premium tea packaging lines, and four small-bottle tea production lines for export. Its total annual production capacity is expected to reach 10,000 tons.
After sorting for color and shape, tea leaves are classified into different grades and packaged accordingly. Intelligent equipment has significantly improved efficiency and ensured product quality.
"Automation in the packaging workshop has reduced human interference, improving product quality and product safety," said Gong Dong, director of the commercial processing workshop at Hubei Xiaoshi Tea Industry, a subsidiary of Yichang Tea Group.
The automated packaging workshop can produce up to 240,000 tea bags daily, while the canning lines can reach a daily output of 2,000 cans, he added.
The group is also expanding in the export market.
In June 2022, the company launched its blending and small-packaging production project for export. Within the first month, it received enough orders to operate at full capacity. The products are exported to more than 40 markets, including Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia, generating nearly 30 million yuan in revenue.
Since the beginning of 2025, the company has received orders for over 800 tons of tea from countries such as Morocco, Libya, and Algeria.
"We've streamlined the critical processes of blending and packaging export tea, improving production efficiency by 30 percent. It has created a closed-loop system for Yichang's export tea, covering primary processing, refining, blending, packaging, and export," said Wang Changming, chairman of the company.
In addition to traditional tea markets, the company is targeting the new-style tea beverage market, producing tea ingredients for popular brands such as Uni-President and Nongfu Spring's Oriental Leaf.
The company is also reviving local tea brands. "We've revitalized the Dengcun Green Tea, purchasing 1,900 tons of raw tea leaves in Yiling District, with a purchase value of 25 million yuan," Wang said. The company has established partnerships with 43 small- and medium-sized tea enterprises for bulk tea production and sales, he added.
