Tea Council of the USA Internship Winner Returns

New York, NY August 8, 2011. Twenty-two-year-old Masters student Taylor Caldron is "steeped" in new knowledge and insights about tea and the tea industry, thanks to his once-in-a-lifetime internship in Sri Lanka, Kenya and the U.S. this summer, sponsored by the Tea Council of the USA. Taylor's creative video on the health benefits of tea was the winning entry in the Tea Council's Sip of Success internship contest. The contest was designed to give a young entrepreneur a leg-up in the tea business by providing first-hand educational and cultural experiences on the tea estates of some of the world's most iconic tea producers. As a student at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Taylor is eager to apply his learnings to his study of sustainable business and a future career in the tea business. According to Taylor, "The skills and information I gained from this trip will be indispensable. Learning to adapt to new cultures and about complex tea industry processes will put me one step ahead in the tea industry." Joe Simrany, President of the Tea Association of the USA, "is very proud to bring the tea business, and the health benefits of tea, to a new generation of consumers. Our members are delighted that we could offer this unique, life-changing experience to a deserving student of tea." ABOUT THE TEA COUNCIL OF THE USA: The Tea Council of the USA is a non-profit association that was formed as a joint partnership between tea packers, importers and allied industries within the United States, and the major tea producing countries. It functions as the educational arm of the tea industry with a primary goal of increasing overall awareness of tea. The Tea Council disseminates key scientific findings about tea to the public in several ways including: funding scientific meetings to bring tea researchers from around the world together to share key information and identify next steps for future research projects.