TOP OF THE CROP: ITO EN factory manager Peter Anderson with a portion of the 110 tonnes of green tea already harvested this season. PHOTO: Steve Kelly
Japanese company president sings praise of local crop
Written by STEVE KELLY.
ITO EN Australia Green Tea is enjoying its best year since opening its North Wangaratta processing plant five years ago.
And the quality of the tea has reached Japanese standards this season, showing good signs for years to come.
Yield volumes have been the best this year with 72 hectares harvested and although it is not up to the directors’ expectations of 230 tonnes, the company will make 160 tonnes.
Wangaratta-based factory manager, Peter Anderson, said they have been harvesting farms across Alexandra, Porepunkah and Kiewa Valley at different stages since October, as they have slightly different harvest times due to varying climates.
The good quality of the tea has come from no severe frosts in the first half of October.
"We had a call from the company president in Japan congratulating us on the quality of the tea," Mr Anderson said.
"He said the quality was the same as good Japanese tea.
"This is the best tea we’ve made and it got sent off to Japan and they’ve refined it to sell in a Japanese supermarket for its 50th anniversary.
"For our product to go into a loose leaf high quality tea is a really big thing.
"It is a good indication of the quality we can produce in Australia.
"There has always been a concern that we could not produce tea as good as Japan, but this year has shown that with the right preparation and conditions, we can."
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