Discussing The Future of Tea, A Hero Crop for 2030, from left: Sally Uren, Pier Luigi Sigismondi, Ron Mathison, Sarah Roberts, and Jordy Van Honk. PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Forum for the FutureThe panel discussion consisted of:
Sally UrenPier Luigi Sigismondi
Ron MathisonSarah RobertsJordy Van HonkSally Uren. drive action in the industryPier Luigi SigismondiThis initiative is important as it allows us to have a platform to talk about the challenges, both environmental and social, which are very complex. We cannot tackle these alone; it is only through critical mass and collaboration that we can tackle these one by one.”Ron Mathison
“different factors affect different people throughout the value chain; it is important that we understand all these different interconnected issues.”Sarah Robertsth
Where there has been hardly any collaboration is on the consumer end so this emerging platform is significant.”Jordy van HonkMy ambition for tea 2030 is to include local government even more.”The panel then accepted insightful questions from the audience, including:
“Where do you see the tea 2030 partnership in 5 years’ time?Ron MathisonWhat I am hoping is that Tea 2030 becomes an umbrella platform for broad-based collaboration in the industry.”
Pier Luigi Sigismondi
There are huge endemic issues in Africa, India with say women’s rights. There is nothing we can do individually, we must build critical mass. That is my dream – that in 5 years’ time there will be platform for their voice.”
Sarah Roberts“scale up”
Jordy Van Honk
“How do you guarantee the continuing value of tea for producers?”Ron MathisonPier Luigi Sigismondi Sarah Roberts
Jordy Van HonkWe must also give farmers the tools to be more adaptable, not necessarily for tea but for the farm as a whole.” “How do you take consumers on the journey, how do you get consumer to value this hero crop?”Pier Luigi Sigismondi
Sally Uren“values and where things come from matter” Ron Mathison,
“Consumers have been trained to be promiscuous. We need to train them back. I would like to see more work from the retailers and from the brands taking the lead. Unilever is taking the lead, we need people to step forward and take the lead.”“What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned from Tea 2030 to date?”Jordy Van Honk:“Looking at the future and working the scenarios are fun. It has offered us some really new insights”
Sarah Roberts: “Working with the people from outside of the sector was the most interesting. There does need to be radical change in the sector. There is so much change in the countries where tea is produced and we maybe need to be geared up for that so that does become a positive thing.
Ron Mathison:
The key thing is more engagement with local governments, local communities.”
Pier Luigi Sigismondi:This is just the end of the beginning, the foundation of good talk and good ideas. Frankly speaking there is a challenge here, we need to understand the value of critical mass and ensure there is a platform here we can all benefit from. It’s up to us to make it happen.”
