New industry accolade for Geelong tea maker

GEELONG tea maker Australia Tea Masters is the first tea company in the country to be an accredited Australian Trusted Trader.

The company hopes expediting the flow of products in and out of the country will help grow a business that is blending and producing 12 tonnes of tea a year at its Breakwater factory.

Administered by Home Affairs with the Australian

Border Force, Trusted Trader accredits businesses with compliant trade practices and a secure supply chain.

Australian Tea Masters and Australian Tea Masters Wholesale and Blending CEO Sharyn Johnston said the strident accreditation process took six months of processing alongside site inspections and interviews.

She said the Trusted Trader accreditation joined the company’s certifications of HACCP, Australian Certified Organic, halal, kosher and food grade certifications.

“We believe these accreditations will help progress our business further, especially with our export capabilities to partner countries in the program,” Ms Johnston said.

She said Australia Tea Masters’ products were exported worldwide, the factory featuring two of only six tea-bagging machines in Australia.

“We have a large client base of private label customers who we blend, bag and pack for,” she said. “We also consult and educate overseas in Singapore, China, Indonesia and Korea and hold offices in Singapore Indonesia and Korea.”

Australian Tea Masters has a retail outlet and tea education centre in Ryrie St, which stocks more than 280 teas from around the world as well as all its own tea blends and herbals produced here.

“We produce, pack and bag all our blends in Australia and do not outsource any packaging and blending overseas,” Ms Johnston said.

“We only use natural flavours developed by leading Victorian company Product Makers, so we really are leaders in quality.”