Today’s consumer is more discerning than ever before. With a wide variety of drink choices on the market, consumers can select their perfect beverage, tailored to their wants and needs. Drinks containing tea extracts are helping to fuel the healthy, sustainable, and differentiated natural beverages that global consumers are increasingly looking for.
What is a tea extract?
In simple terms, tea extracts are concentrated forms of tea that contain the same compounds and flavours that you find in fresh tea leaves. More technically, tea extracts are the soluble components of the tea leaf, primarily caffeine, polyphenols, catechins and antioxidants. Typically, tea extracts come in either a liquid or a powder form and are used in a wide range of applications across the beverage industry, from RTD iced teas, to boba teas, to food products.
How Are Tea Extracts Made?
The journey from tea leaves to extracts begins with harvesting fresh tea leaves from Camellia sinensis plants. Upon harvesting, tea leaves are steeped in water to release the soluble compounds gently and slowly, creating an infusion – a bit like a giant cup of tea!
All tea extracts start out as a liquid solution but can be further processed into dry options. Tea extract powder is the soluble compounds that have been removed from the tea solution and dried. Dry tea extract formats include freeze dried and spray dried. These types of extracts are commonly called instant tea, tea powder or instant tea granules.
This extraction process includes careful control of factors such as temperature and pressure, to ensure the preservation of the beneficial properties while enhancing the extract’s usability in diverse applications.
Where are Finlays’ Tea Extracts Sourced From?
At Finlays, we have over 60 years of experience in creating tea extracts and today, are one of the world’s largest tea extract suppliers and producers,
We produce tea extracts from tea bushes across three continents: Africa, Asia, and South America. Specifically, Finlays sources tea from farms in:
- Kenya
- Argentina
- China
We have advanced production facilities in Kenya and China and a long-term partnership with a contract manufacturer in Chile. In China, Finlays has a joint venture with Damin International – a company that specialises in the processing of tea, coffee, and natural plant extracts. Damin is a worldwide leader of tea extraction in terms of production and market share.
What tea extracts does Finlays offer?
Finlays offers a wide portfolio of tea extracts and flavours to meet its customer’s needs. It has two key ranges of tea extracts:
The Wellbeing Collection:
The Wellbeing Collection is a range of natural tea extracts which are rich in highly sought-after bioactive compounds, and which add value to your product through consumer association with various wellness benefits. Finlays unique approach helps us produce tea extracts that are rich in naturally derived antioxidants, helping you unlock opportunities in the health and wellness tea mega-trend.
The Refresh Range:
The Refresh Range is ideal for creating the great-tasting and refreshing tea beverages your consumers enjoy every day. Coupling a wide variety of colour and flavour options in flexible formats all with trusted Finlays quality. The range offers a flexible and convenient selection of formats to suit your needs including Hot and Cold Water Soluble Powder, Aroma, and Liquid Tea Concentrate.
The Refresh Range offers trusted Finlays’ quality thanks to our leading global Technical and Quality Assurance team, our vertically integrated supply chain which allows full traceability, consistency of supply and our extensive global network.
The Benefits of Tea Extracts from Finlays
Partnering with Finlays means you can offer your consumers tea-based beverages that go beyond just flavour and hydration.
By working with Finlays, beverage brand owners can expect:
- Partnership with a trusted industry leader and 60 years of experience.
- Extracts sourced through fully transparent and traceable supply chains.
- A partner with an understanding of evolving consumer trends in the space.
- Technical excellence from our expert technical and Quality Assurance teams.
- Applications expertise to help you create beverages your consumers will love every time.
Finlays’ extensive range and ability provides its partners with a wealth of value. If you are thinking of changing suppliers or looking for advice, get in touch with Finlays today for unparalleled service.
