One critical aspect of engaging in the tea business is knowing where you source your tea. Additionally, the quality of the tea you buy matters. Knowing where to source quality teas is often challenging for most new tea stores.
Let’s find out where you can source your tea and how to choose the right source.
2 Sources Where Tea Stores Can Buy Wholesale Tea
New tea store owners can source wholesale tea from two key sources. They include:
1. Tea manufacturers
A tea manufacturer handles every process after tea leaves have been plucked from the farm till it’s ready for sale. It entails sorting the tea leaves, withering, rolling, oxidation, drying, and packaging.
Luckily, manufacturers sell tea directly to retailers or store owners, especially when you need bulk orders. They’re also the ones who sell to tea wholesalers.
Why should you buy tea from a manufacturer anyway? Here are the benefits:
- Access to a wide range of teas and tea products. Therefore, there are more options to choose from.
- You can request manufacturers to produce tea in the form you like, i.e., loose-leaf tea, tea bags, or powdered tea.
- Lower cost: you get a better purchase price on offer for your orders since there is no middleman.
The only downside of buying from a manufacturer is that they might have a minimum order they take. Therefore, you might end up buying more than you need. However, some manufacturers accept smaller tea orders depending on their operations.
2. Wholesale tea suppliers
Wholesale tea suppliers are another source of tea for most tea stores. Suppliers’ ideal customers are the retailers and other consumers. What do they do? They buy varieties and large quantities of tea from one or more manufacturers. As a result, they own a large and diverse inventory of teas and tea products.
What is the good side of buying from a wholesale tea supplier?
- You can easily find a variety of teas from a wholesaler
- Wholesalers often have room for negotiation when buying tea in bulk. Additionally, you may still get lower prices even when buying small quantities.
- Wholesalers offer credit options (depending on the business rapport you’ve established).
The disadvantage of buying from wholesale tea suppliers is that the price may be slightly higher compared to what manufacturers offer.
What Should You Look For in a Wholesale Tea Supplier?
As outlined earlier, a tea supplier plays a significant role in the success of your tea business. Here are some tips on finding a good tea supplier:
1. Quality products
A good tea supplier offers quality products that appeal to customers and meets the market's quality standards. You should also see if the supplier provides healthy products that don’t compromise consumers’ health.
Manufacturers or suppliers who have to meet quality standards are issued with licenses and certificates such as FDA certificate, USDA organic, FSSC 22000, and HACCP certificate. You can also see the labeling on their products.
Read more on heath certificates a tea supplier must have.
2. Reputation in the market
Not all tea suppliers are genuine, and that is why reputation matters. Among things to look out for is what other people in the tea business talk about a supplier or manufacturer and their products. Additionally, you can look out for their reviews online.
3. Reliability
A reliable tea suppler is another critical factor in a tea business. A good tea supplier doesn’t delay orders, and the customer service is on point.
4. Prices
Different suppliers offer different prices depending on the brand and quality of products. Depending on your budget, choosing a supplier offering reasonable or competitive prices is good. However, you shouldn’t compromise the tea quality by trying to go for the lowest prices some suppliers offer.
Bluesea Tea, a Reliable Tea Supplier
Bluesea Tea is a certified tea supplier. We have an office in China and USA. Bluesea Tea supply various teas, i.e., black, oolong, white, and green tea, in two forms, i.e., loose leaf and tea bags. We are ready to ship our teas anywhere USDA, EU organic, and FDA-certificated products are accepted.
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