North American Tea Conference Explores Value Transformation: From Banana Industry Lessons to Matcha Growth Insights

From September 22 to 24, the North American Tea Conference was held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. During the conference, Julie Francoeur, Executive Director of Fairtrade Canada, shared the history of the banana industry and the working conditions of producers. She pointed out that the main issues in banana production—living income and wages, health and working conditions, water resources and biodiversity, and freedom of association—are highly similar to those in the tea industry. Francoeur emphasized: "Poverty is the root cause of all sustainability issues." Challenges such as child labor, forced labor, unsustainable practices, deforestation, lack of climate resilience, and malnutrition can all be traced back to lack of funds. She explained that to change the status quo of bananas being one of the cheapest products on the market, Fairtrade Canada did not simply raise prices, but instead educated retailers and consumers about the plight of banana workers, making the faces behind the product visible, thereby gradually increasing consumer awareness of the product's value and prompting them to actively choose products that are more expensive but improve producers' livelihoods. Montreal-based Equifruit is the main distributor of Fairtrade bananas in Canada, and is also a B Corp and women-led company. Currently, one in three organic bananas sold in Canada is Fairtrade certified.^[1]

The conference encouraged attendees to reflect on the value of tea and why value matters more than volume. However, changing perceptions of tea cannot be accomplished by a single company or even a single country; it requires commitment from the entire supply chain. In a later session, Dr. Timothy Bond of Tea & Herbal Solutions shared growth data on milled tea: in the first half of 2026, Japan's powdered green tea exports increased by 19.6%, with the unit price rising from $34 to $61. Consumers see the value of matcha and are willing to invest in it. Bond called on the industry to explore other powder forms to create more value-added products, such as sourcing matcha from other regions, tea with added protein, ground rooibos, and micro-milled black tea. But he emphasized that simply adding one product to a line is not enough to change consumer value perception. The industry needs to examine how it communicates product information, including pricing and packaging, so that consumers understand the value of the product and the positive impact of paying a higher price.^[1]

From the transformation experience of the banana industry to the growth data of the matcha market, the North American Tea Conference sent a clear signal: the sustainable development and value enhancement of the tea industry requires both improved conditions on the production side and recognition and willingness to pay for value on the consumption side. This transformation depends on joint action from growers to retailers, as well as clear and consistent value communication.^[1]