Industrial production of raw materials for Ivan tea starts from the Vologda region

Ivan-tea production in the country can reach a new qualitative level. Today, the Governor of the region visited the Russian Tea Trade House, whose production site is located in Cherepovets, and also discussed with the management the further development of production.
Trade House Russian Tea is one of the country's largest producers of herbal teas based on fermented willow-herb and birch chaga. Its sites are located in the Vologda, Tver and Arkhangelsk regions. One of the main ones is located in Cherepovets. The enterprise was opened seven years ago. Today, more than 150 types of products are produced here, most of which are included in the voluntary certification system "Real Vologda Product".
For the production, local raw materials are used - narrow-leaved fireweed, herbs and berries. The collection of willow-herb for the enterprise is carried out manually, most often by Vologda residents in the eastern regions of the region, as well as in Ustyuzhna. In addition, the company produces drinks based on birch chaga under the brands "Chago-tea" and "Chagacoffee".
“We started with a small production, and today we have three enterprises. We have more than 30 thousand points of sale, both throughout RUSSIA and in foreign countries. However, despite a fairly high quantitative indicator, products with Ivan tea occupy a small percentage on store shelves. Although this is a primordially Russian drink, it is environmentally friendly and healthy. Today, in the face of sanctions pressure, we are ready to develop an alternative to foreign tea, coffee and cocoa,” said Alexander Khlynov, chairman of the Union of Ivan Tea Producers Association, co-founder of the Russian Tea Trading House.
One of the promising development options is the inclusion of willow tea in the list of agricultural crops. Thanks to this, producers will be able to get access to all measures of state support for plant growers in the country, to grow raw materials for tea on an industrial scale. In addition, this will create new enterprises, and, consequently, jobs, and will give a positive socio-economic effect.
“To engage in the production of raw materials for Ivan tea on an industrial scale, state support is needed. This is not a promising direction for manufacturers,” Alexander Khlynov added.
“The Vologda Region is ready to support the enterprise and the development of industrial production of raw materials for Ivan tea. For this, our region has all the prerequisites. This is the availability of a sufficient amount of land resources, and human resources, and the brand "Real Vologda Product", and good transport infrastructure. We will grant the Russian Tea Trade House the status of a large-scale investment project, this will become a catalyst for the development of production,” added Oleg Kuvshinnikov, Governor of the region.
In the near future, a new site will be selected to expand the production of the enterprise. The issue is already being worked out jointly with the Cherepovets Urban Development Agency. Also LLC "Trading House "Russian Tea" is a resident of TASED "Cherepovets", thanks to which it is provided with tax benefits.
Let us add that at present the Vologda region is among the leaders in the production of willow-tea in Russia. On the territory of the region there are more than 10 companies that manufacture this type of product.