For almost two decades, Shabnam Weber owned and operated her own tea company in Toronto, Canada. With retail stores and a wholesale business, her company was one of the first of its kind in Toronto. Her passion and love of tea led her to become involved with the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada as a Director, sitting on several committees, most notably the Education Committee where she wrote the Tea Sommelier® program.
Shabnam has been President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada since 2018 and has transformed the association through the programmes and resources it offers members and become an industry leader. She is the Canadian representative on the UN FAO’s Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG/Tea) and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the group. She sits on several working groups of the IGG/Tea, is Co-Chair of the Advocacy pilar, Vice-Chair of the working group on Smallholders and Co-Chair of the working group on Tea and Health.
Shabnam values the diversity offered by all parts of the tea industry, both in Canada and beyond and focuses always on the bigger picture. Shabnam is a graduate of the University of Toronto with an Honours degree in Political Science and holds a post-graduate diploma in Psychology.
Q: What are some of the key initiatives your Tea Association is currently working on to promote tea and herbal infusions?
The Tea and Herbal Association of Canada (THAC), under my direction, has always had a very proactive and current approach to promotion. We are active on social media channels in order to keep tea and herbal infusions top of mind for consumers. Most important however, we do that in an approachable and modern way through recipes, videos, contests, etc. It is vital for us to keep on top of the way algorithms on social media platforms change so that we adapt to them quickly. This approach has resulted in a steady and continued growth on our platforms year over year.
THAC is also a member of the FAO/IGG-Tea. At the FAO meeting this past January in India, the group formed a new Advocacy Pillar, which Canada is proud to co-Chair with the Tea Board of Sri Lanka. We designed a global campaign which was focused on younger consumers. The campaign, called #TeaPower highlighted the benefits of tea for sport and fitness and hydration. This campaign was launched the week leading up to International Tea Day, May 21st and is running again during the Summer Olympics.
Q: What are the current trends in the tea industry, and how is your Canadian Tea Association addressing these trends?
Trends which we saw pre-COVID was the interest in functional beverages and that trend has not declined. What’s interesting is that this trend crosses all generational divides. For older consumers, better health is about physical well-being and for younger consumers it is about mental health. We address the trends we see and the issues that consumers say are important to them through our marketing and promotional campaigns as described above.
Q. Could you describe your role as the President of Canadian Tea & Infusions Association and what your key responsibilities entail?
My role, in a nutshell, is to protect the tea industry in Canada. That would be the word I would choose if I only had one to describe the purpose of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada. In order to do that of course, there are many different areas I work in. They include horizon scanning and issue management, liaising with government officials and regulators, providing research and insight into trends to my members and promoting tea and herbal infusions as the beverage of choice to consumers. I’m also very proud of the education programme which I wrote for THAC over a decade ago. The programme, Tea Sommelier, is a highly respected programme which has seen thousands of students from around the world participate in. We have partners in Italy, France and Mexico which means it is available in English, Italian, French and Spanish.
Q: How would you describe your leadership style, and how has it impacted the organisation?
I believe in collaboration on all levels. Our organisation is not big and in order to accomplish projects which will have impact, it requires finding like-minded people to work on initiatives which will benefit the industry as a whole. This belief in collaboration has led to significant project which THAC has been a part of and continues to be a part of not only within Canada but also on an international level.
Q: In your opinion, how does empathy play a role in modern workplaces, and why is it important?**
Empathy is about communication and without it I don’t believe you can listen and understand the perspectives of others on your team. We live in a world where collaboration and diversity of thought are crucial in order to be effective and this can only be accomplished by being empathetic. I also think it increases the respect you will have within your team because you are able to show a connection on a very human level.
Q: Could you elaborate on the economic aspects of the tea industry, particularly the current trends in tea imports to Canada ?
Economically, the tea industry has been at a crossroads for some time now. The ongoing conversation we’ve been having, regardless of where you have it, is focused on sustainability. That includes all aspects of sustainability, economic, environmental and social. Yet none of these issues can be addressed without the resources to address them. This, to me, has become our biggest crisis. Put simply, tea is sold too cheap and we need to put an end to that. We need to stop being willing to sell our product for less than it costs to produce it. Think about that for a moment – selling a product for LESS than it costs to produce it. It sounds like absolute madness, and yet here we are.
