The German Tea Association

What The German Tea Association does

The German Tea & Herbal Infusions Association (Deutscher Tee & Kräutertee Verband e.V.) is a Hamburg-based nonprofit trade association (e.V.) representing the German tea and herbal infusion industry. The organization was formed in 2020 through the merger of the German Tea Association — originally established in 1917 and celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017 — and the German Herbal Infusions Association, consolidating representation of Camellia sinensis teas and herbal/fruit infusions under a single competence centre. Its membership comprises German tea manufacturers, traders, and exporters including Teekanne, Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft, Martin Bauer, Hanseatic Tea Export, interTee, J. Fr. Scheibler, and Wollenhaupt. Headquartered at Sonninstraße 28 in Hamburg, described as the European tea capital, the association operates with approximately five staff and is governed by an Executive Board currently chaired by Annemarie Leniger (since April 2026).

The association's core outputs are information and coordination products rather than commercial technology. Its flagship publication is the annual Tea Report (2024 and 2025 editions), which documents market consumption data — German per-capita tea consumption reached 67.2 litres in 2024 across roughly 47 billion cups, with 27.1 litres of black/green tea and 40.1 litres of herbal/fruit infusions. Complementary resources include a member Code of Conduct, Scientific Information Service, Sustainability FAQ, tea preparation video tutorials, an editorial image gallery, and a recipe collection, all distributed via the website (teeverband.de), Instagram (@teeverband with the branded hashtag #teeziehtimmer), and a press office. The association coordinates International Tea Day each 21 May and engages with German and EU legislative institutions on regulations including the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through recurring membership subscriptions from German tea and herbal infusion companies, with pricing and total member count not publicly disclosed. The association is registered as a nonprofit at District Court Hamburg under VR 24323. Beyond direct member services, it operates a cross-industry grievance mechanism for supply-chain complaints, publishes a shared Code of Conduct, and partners with Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE) on standards such as the THIE Code of Practice for pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination and the THIE GAHP document. Its go-to-market is community-led: member communications, PR, public education, and policy advocacy rather than a traditional sales motion.

Name

The German Tea Association

Legal name

Deutscher Tee & Kräutertee Verband e.V.

Website

https://teeverband.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The German Tea & Herbal Infusions Association is a Hamburg-based nonprofit trade association formed in 2020, representing German tea and herbal infusion companies through industry advocacy, annual Tea Reports, regulatory engagement, and shared sustainability and quality standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

Keywords

• Tea industry advocacy
• Herbal infusions association
• Trade association services
• Industry market reports
• Tea supply chain standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The association operates as a registered association (e.V.) funded primarily through membership subscriptions from German tea and herbal infusion companies. The association is entered in the Register of Associations at District Court Hamburg under VR 24323.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The German Tea Association is a registered nonprofit trade association (e.V.) that represents German tea and herbal infusion companies. It delivers industry advocacy, regulatory engagement, annual market reports (Tea Report 2024 and 2025), an industry-wide Code of Conduct, a Scientific Information Service, and consumer education resources to its member companies and the broader public.

Product overview

The German Tea & Herbal Infusions Association operates as an industry body representing the German tea sector, offering a portfolio of informational products and resources rather than a commercial software platform. The core offering consists of annual Tea Reports (2025 and 2024 editions) providing market statistics and industry data. Supporting content includes a Scientific Information Service covering nutrition and health topics, a Sustainability FAQ addressing supply chain and environmental questions, and educational video tutorials on tea preparation techniques. The association also maintains an Image Gallery for editorial use and publishes a Recipe Collection featuring tea-based culinary content. A Code of Conduct document establishes sustainability and human rights standards for member companies. These products collectively serve industry transparency, consumer education, and professional standards objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Association Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 53% of surveyed member companies have established a risk management system to monitor human rights compliance in their supply chains (survey conducted Nov 2023–Jan 2024, N=34)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe German Tea & Herbal Infusions Association works with the European umbrella organization Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE) on shared regulatory and sustainability matters. Together they have developed the THIE GAHP (Global Agricultural Practice) document and the THIE Code of Practice for avoiding pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination, setting industry standards for pesticide use and multi-stage quality control that align with national, European, and international regulations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE): European umbrella trade association for the tea and herbal infusions sector. THIE co-develops GAHP and the Code of Practice on pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination with the German association, making it the closest organizational peer and counterpart in Brussels-based advocacy.
• Tea Association of the USA Inc. US national trade body representing tea producers, importers, packers, and retailers. Like the German association, it publishes industry statistics, advocates with regulators, and serves as the central industry voice for a major consuming market.
• UK Tea & Infusions Association (UKTIA): National UK trade association representing tea packers, blenders, and importers. UKTIA performs the same role in the UK that the German association performs in Germany - member services, regulatory representation, and category market data - and is structurally analogous.
• Indian Tea Association: Historic national trade body representing tea growers, producers, and traders in India. Comparable in mandate (industry advocacy, market intelligence, regulatory representation) but covering a major producing rather than consuming market, with stronger producer-side emphasis.

Regional players

• China Tea Marketing Association: National Chinese tea industry association covering growers, manufacturers, and traders in the world's largest tea-producing country. Structurally analogous as a national trade body, though operating at vastly greater scale and with a production rather than consumption focus.
• Sri Lanka Tea Council: National trade and promotion body for Ceylon tea. Operates in the same industry vertical (tea industry representation, market data, advocacy) but focused on a major producing country rather than a consuming market like Germany.
• Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA): Producer-side organization representing Kenya's smallholder tea farmers and factory companies. Featured as the partner country for International Tea Day 2026 by the German association, KTDA represents the supply-side counterpart in the world's largest tea-exporting nation.
• Japan Tea Association: Japanese national tea industry body representing producers and traders in the world's third-largest tea-producing country. Comparable as a national association with cultural-heritage dimensions (Japanese tea ceremony traditions) similar to the Ostfriesian tea cultural role in Germany.

Others

• International Tea Committee: UK-based international industry body publishing global tea statistics and facilitating cooperation among producing and consuming countries. Comparable in its data-publication function (analogous to the German Tea Report) but operating internationally rather than nationally.
• Tea Board of India: Statutory government body under India's Ministry of Commerce regulating tea production, exports, and domestic trade. Operates in the same industry but is a regulator rather than a member-funded trade association, sitting one level above associations like the German body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/teeverband

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The German Tea Association