What Questions Should I Ask a Potential Tea Supplier?

When you meet a potential tea supplier, it is easy to spend most of the conversation tasting tea.

That is enjoyable, but it can leave important commercial and operational questions unanswered.

A few structured questions make it much easier to compare suppliers fairly.

Questions about the tea

Ask:

·       What is actually in each tea?

·       How much tea is in each bag or recommended loose-leaf portion?

·       What volume of water is each portion designed for?

·       Which teas work best with milk?

·       Which options are caffeine free?

·       How consistent is the blend through the year?

These questions help you understand whether the product suits your service rather than simply whether you like it in a tasting.

Questions about formats

Ask:

·       Do you supply wrapped tea bags for bedrooms?

·       Do you have unwrapped foodservice formats?

·       Do you supply loose leaf?

·       Can the same core blends be supplied in more than one format?

·       What are the pack and case sizes?

The fewer compromises you need to make between departments, the easier the range will be to manage.

Questions about price

Ask:

·       What is the cost per serving?

·       Are delivery charges additional?

·       Is there a minimum order?

·       Are there volume breaks?

·       How often are prices normally reviewed?

·       Are there any setup costs for bespoke items?

Always compare like with like. A pack price without a serving size is not enough information.

Questions about delivery and stock

Ask:

·       What are your normal lead times?

·       Which products are held in stock?

·       How often do you deliver to our area?

·       What happens if a product is unavailable?

·       Can you support urgent orders?

·       Do you recommend a particular stockholding level?

Reliability is particularly important for products that appear on printed menus or in every bedroom.

Questions about training

Ask:

·       Do you provide staff training?

·       Is training available for new starters later?

·       Do you provide written brewing guidance?

·       Can staff access information after the initial training session?

·       Can you help us write menu descriptions?

One tasting session is useful. Ongoing reference material is often more useful.

Questions about sustainability

Ask specific questions rather than accepting broad claims:

·       Are the tea bags plastic free?

·       Are wrappers recyclable or compostable?

·       What packaging materials are used?

·       What sourcing standards or supplier information can you provide?

This gives your procurement or sustainability team information they can actually use.

Questions about hospitality experience

Ask the supplier how its products are used in similar operations.

Can they explain the difference between bedroom, breakfast and afternoon-tea requirements? Do they understand teapot portioning and high-volume service?

A supplier does not need to work only with hotels, but it should understand the environment.

Questions about account support

Ask who you contact once the account is open.

Will you have a named person? How are issues handled? Can you ask for advice without being pushed into another sale?

The relationship after the first order matters more than the sales presentation.

The question suppliers should ask you

A good supplier should also ask questions.

They should want to know how many rooms you have, where tea is served, what equipment you use, your current range, guest profile, volumes and what you are trying to improve.

If the entire conversation is a catalogue presentation, the proposed range may not be particularly tailored to your operation.

Use the answers to build a simple comparison

After meeting suppliers, compare them under the same headings: quality, cost, formats, delivery, support, sustainability and fit for your property.

That produces a much more useful decision than trying to remember which tasting you enjoyed most.

Talking to Shibui Tea

When we speak to hospitality customers, we prefer to start with how tea is currently being served.

That lets us recommend a range and format around the operation rather than simply send a price list and hope something fits.