At Qtrade we believe the best tea beverages unveil a multi-sensory experience that goes far beyond hydration. Leveraging on our leadership position in aroma, taste and sourcing, the we goes beyond to create tea experiences that do good and feel good, for the body and the planet. With a comprehensive portfolio of teas and botanicals sourced from around the world, Qtrade’s passion is to collaborate with clients to develop trend-setting innovations in beverages. ... to becoming the co-creation partner of choice for our clients.
This journey all starts with QTrade's 3D formulation methodology that integrates the sensory system of the olfactory, with supply chain management, and advanced manufacturing expertise to create a profitable, and scalable tea product.
What is the 3D approach? -- (assimilated from the original document)
1) Focus on the sensory experience of the formulation
The size of the leaves, the pops of color, the different textures, the aroma, the theater of the brewing process, the infusion color, and, of course, the taste. At QTrade, our passion for specialty tea is evident in the attention we pay to every sensory aspect of a recipe, from carefully planning the final ratio of flower petals to chasing that ideal infusion hue.
2) Rigorous planning of the supply chain
Every recipe has to be able to scale commercially, and the supply chain must be consistent and robust enough to support commercial volumes. A seasonal 2,000 lb consumer demand with many minor ingredients can be as challenging as several million pounds of annual consumer demand. QTrade performs this complex balancing act for you, dealing effectively with major and minor ingredients in the recipe.
3) Effectively moving from benchtop to final product
QTrade is a powerful ally through the infamous "deadzone", where many a great idea has not made it through the difficult journey from desktop formulation to commercialization.
a) The commercialization process: QTrade is your partner in taking a recipe from lab through factory to delivery dock. Does the recipe scale through the blending and packaging process? How do the manufacturing processes need to be calibrated to ensure delivery of the consumer experience intended by the lab? Additionally, what is the choice of packaging materials needed to consistently optimize this delivery?
b) Meeting regulatory demands: In coordination with a brand’s regulatory and quality teams, QTrade works to ensure products meet the expected regulatory label standards, whether Organic, Kosher, Halal, Fair Trade, Rain Forest, or Ethical Tea Partnership certified. QTrade can also ensure exported products are validated to the standards of their destination country.
Some view tea formulation is simply finding a creative fusion of appearance, aroma, and flavor then gently blending it all together. While others see tea formulation is one of the modern era’s most profound collective acts of submission and illusion clouded by a secret society who uses centuries-old palettes of extracts and essential oils to embrace a sensually heightened sensibility.
At Qtrade we like to bring clarity to the formulation process. For us it is all about capturing the platonic gastronomic truth ... using science as our foundation and curiosity as our guiding light, let’s imagine together the future of tea beverages.