Srilanka-based Dilmah Tea is participating in the world’s largest annual food and hospitality show – Gulfood - from February 18 – 22 at the Dubai World Trade Center.

Dubai has a long-standing history with tea, being the largest exporter of the beverage in the world.

The DMCC Tea Center handled tea quantities exceeding 41.6 million kilograms in 2016 and estimates that UAE consumes 7 million kilogram a year or more than 19,000kgs daily. Reports suggest that the tea market in the country will be valued at $70million by the end of the year.

Merill J. Fernando, founder, Dilmah, said: ‘At Dilmah, our aim is to provide fresh and flavourful Sri Lankan tea directly to tea lovers around the world. Dilmah tea is unlike all the blended tea that is available in the market, where all the individual taste and characteristics of the tea are lost in the process. Being the first producer-owned tea brand, we at Dilmah are proud to present tea, ‘picked, perfected and packed’ at origin. Here at Gulfood, we wish to educate the trade participants and visitors about the ethical tea practices observed in Dilmah and expose them to the flavorful world of single origin tea and its many varieties. That’s why we have displayed over 200 different kinds of tea at the Gulfood exhibition”.

Dilmah has had a long and fruitful relationship with Dubai. Just last year Dilmah and Emirates Airlines celebrated their 25-yearlong partnership. Established in 1992, Dilmah has created a select range of 10 types of tea exclusively for the passengers as part of the partnership. These 10 different varieties were specially crafted to suit the wide palate of taste and sensory preferences of global passengers. More than 9.6 million Dilmah tea bags have been served every year on Emirates flights. Associated with each other for more than 2 decades now, both brands have experienced immense growth from when they started out. With the help of Emirates, Dilmah has been served to passengers to more than 150 destinations.

“We believe that business is a matter of human service, and that philosophy defines every aspect of Dilmah. Using earnings from the sale of Dilmah Tea, we are changing the lives of thousands each year through the work of our MJF Foundation. Our teas are packed in a Carbon Neutral facility and Dilmah Conservation shares the success of Dilmah with nature, through our environmental conservation, education and restoration projects. That is our purpose,” added Fernando. - TradeArabia News Service