The American Premium Tea Institute (APTI).
The American Premium Tea Institute (APTI) was founded in 1996 by a group of 16 dedicated tea businesses who felt that premium tea needed a voice of its own. This group, spearheaded by Michael Spillane of The G. S. Haly Co., agreed to provide the seed money to start APTI, and from them came the first board of directors including Spillane as president, Bruce Mullins of Xanadu as vice-president, Augie Techeira of Freed, Teller & Freed as secretary/treasurer and Timothy Castle (Castle Communications), Ron Rubin (The Republic of Tea), Jack Huong (Water & Leaves) and Elliot Jordan (Mark T. Wendell) as board members. As the association has grown from the original 16 members to over 150 today, the board has grown to reflect the increasing diversity and number of the membership. APTI's newest board of directors includes past-president Michael Spillane, president Ric Rhinehart (R2 Consultants), vice-president Barbara Graves (The Republic of Tea), treasurer Ken Rudee (Barnes & Watson), secretary Tomislav Podreka (Serendipitea) and board members Michael Harney (Hamey & Sons), Thomas Shu (ABC Tea), Bruce Mullins (Xanadu), Timothy Castle (Castle Communications), Shashank Goel (Ambootia) and Mim Enck (East Indies).
Officers and board members provide the backbone of APTI, contributing their expertise and resources to help APTI obtain its mission: "To promote the growth of the premium tea industry, and to provide a working resource for its members by: establishing a forum for research, discussion and education about premium tea; supporting awareness and sensitivity toward earth-friendly tea practices; and dedicating ourselves to increase the appreciation, understanding and consumption of premium tea in America."
Although the organization is only two years old (membership solicitation did not begin until January 1997), it has made great strides towards accomplishing its mission. Amongst their accomplishments they list their Annual Tea Symposium, a full day of educational seminars by industry leaders on topics that range from the practical "How to Train Staff" to the esoteric "The Language of the Leaf". The Annual Symposium is held in conjunction with the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Exhibition, taking place on the Friday prior to the show opening. The SCAA show changes locations every year allowing APTI to reach its members across the United States. The year 2000 will see APTI's Third Annual Tea Symposium in San Francisco on April 14. APTI also conducts a series of advanced training seminars in conjunction with the NASFT Fancy Food Shows in San Francisco and New York. These seminars offer a chance to get quality hands-on learning experience about tea and provide valuable access to tea experts in many areas including marketing and cupping.