{"id":216,"date":"2026-05-10T14:02:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/?p=216"},"modified":"2026-05-23T12:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:31:34","slug":"bold-brews-and-cultural-depth-east-forged-and-the-future-of-tea-in-hospitality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/10\/bold-brews-and-cultural-depth-east-forged-and-the-future-of-tea-in-hospitality\/","title":{"rendered":"Bold Brews and Cultural Depth: East Forged and the Future of Tea in Hospitality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An inspiring story for anyone working across tea and hospitality. A remarkable brand\u2014currently available only in Australia\u2014that deserves a global audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After speaking with Kym, co-founder of East Forged, one word stands out: impressive<\/em>. What Kym and Tania have built over the past nine years\u2014officially launched in 2020\u2014is far more than a ready-to-drink tea. It is an expression of culture that goes beyond ingredients, format, and packaging. It brings together personality, heritage, deep knowledge, lived experiences, and a meaningful connection to both origin and profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

East Forged is a brand built from the inside out\u2014coherent across every touchpoint, and grounded in authenticity, taste, and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story begins in 2017, when Kym, a hospitality consultant and pioneer in tea and food pairing, met Tania, a tea specialist who would go on to become a World Tea Brewing Champion. Their meeting took place at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo within a tightly connected tea community, which Kym describes as surprisingly small: \u201cThe tea industry in Australia is very small\u2026 we both had backgrounds trading in the leaf tea industry.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their backgrounds, while complementary, were shaped by different journeys. Tania\u2019s expertise is deeply rooted in origin, with extensive travel across tea-producing regions, while Kym describes herself as \u201cmore of a generalist,\u201d<\/em> albeit one enriched by study trips to Japan and years of working with hospitality professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kym\u2019s personal story adds a further layer of meaning to the brand\u2019s identity. \u201cI was born in Taiwan, but I\u2019m adopted\u2026 one of the ways I\u2019ve learned more about my own culture has been via tea,\u201d<\/em> she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their relationship evolved during a collaborative project to age tea in whisky barrels\u2014an unconventional experiment that revealed a shared creative mindset. \u201cThat\u2019s where Tania and I really hit it off\u2026 we realized we could work together very well and come up with some great ideas,\u201d<\/em> Kym recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The idea behind East Forged emerged from this intersection of expertise and curiosity. On one side, Kym was working closely with hospitality venues, helping them rethink tea service and improve its value within the menu. \u201cPart of my work is helping hospitality venues increase their ROI on their tea menus\u2026 and think about innovative ways to present tea,\u201d<\/em> she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operating in Australia\u2019s warmer climate, this naturally led to experimentation with cold formats. \u201cWe wanted to keep focusing on cold brew teas\u2026 they\u2019re easy to process and create a beautiful non-alcoholic beverage,\u201d<\/em> she notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Tania\u2019s experience in competitive tea brewing introduced a new dimension\u2014one rooted in mixology and performance. \u201cThat\u2019s the first time she was exposed to the whole idea of a beverage as an experience,\u201d<\/em> says Kym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this convergence came a clear realisation: \u201cThere was so much opportunity in this drink space that no one had tapped into with a tea focus\u2026 people were bringing tea into drinks, but without any real knowledge of what tea could be.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural fusion\u2014so characteristic of Australia\u2014became another defining pillar of the brand. As Kym explains, \u201cthe proportion of internationalism in Australia is very broad\u2026 what we see in the food scene is a blending of cultures,\u201d<\/em> an influence they consciously embraced in their flavour development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This philosophy extends to sourcing, where authenticity and transparency are paramount. East Forged showcases Australian-grown teas wherever possible\u2014highlighting a lesser-known origin while maintaining close relationships with producers. \u201cWe wanted to lean into showcasing Australian tea\u2026 and continue to paint the story of who we\u2019re working with,\u201d<\/em> Kym says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their portfolio reflects both local identity and global influence: a mineral-rich black tea from Queensland\u2019s volcanic soils, a refined green tea from Victoria with Japanese heritage, and a white tea sourced from China due to local production constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flavour development further illustrates this balance between familiarity and exploration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Black Tea & Yuzu<\/strong>: a sophisticated evolution of the classic tea-and-lemon pairing. \u201cIt\u2019s a riff on black tea and lemon\u2026 but lifted into something people are unlikely to make at home,\u201d<\/em> explains Kym.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • White Tea & Calamansi<\/strong>: deeply rooted in Australia\u2019s multicultural landscape. As Kym explains, \u201cCalamansi is known as the Filipino hero fruit\u2026 they use it on everything\u2026 but we have a tree in Australia from the same family, the kumquat, which people often had in their backyards.\u201d<\/em>While familiar at a domestic level, scalability led them to source calamansi more broadly, preserving its bright, tart profile while anchoring it in a story of cultural connection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Green Tea & Pitaya<\/strong>: a more adventurous profile, combining subtle sweetness with earthy notes. Originally inspired by more experimental ideas, it became a way to introduce something vibrant yet approachable, drawing from tropical fruit traditions across cultures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Among these, Black Tea & Yuzu remains the best-selling flavour\u2014its familiarity offering a natural entry point for consumers exploring the range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ultimately, East Forged\u2019s success lies in its ability to deliver more than a drink\u2014it offers a complete experience. This is particularly relevant in hospitality, where the demand for premium non-alcoholic options continues to grow. Tea, with its balance and versatility, fits naturally into this evolution. As Kym observes, \u201cpeople were very happy to sit with our drinks\u2026 particularly with food, because tea has this lovely, not overpowering quality.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Beyond the liquid itself, this philosophy extends to the brand\u2019s visual identity. The appearance of their cans is stricking and unusual\u2026 \u201cWe didn’t want to put out a brand or create a product that’s all about health messaging and telling people what they’re doing is wrong and they should be doing this, we wanted to get to a position where we wanted people to trust us. We would make the best drink that we possibly can, innovative, delicious, healthy <\/em>etc.<\/u><\/em> And we just want you to have a bit of fun with it.\u201d<\/em> And this is the origin of the three distinctive \u201ctea pets\u201d featured across the range\u2014a cat, a monkey, and a pig\u2014that are not just decorative. Tea pets are small clay figures placed on a tea tray during Chinese Gongfu tea ceremonies. Rooted in tea culture and personal symbolism, they reflect both heritage and playfulness. As Kym explains, her first tea pet was a cat, while the monkey references her Chinese zodiac sign, and the pig is the Chinese horoscope sign of the children of both Tania and Kym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These elements, drawn from tradition yet reinterpreted with a light, contemporary touch, embody the spirit of East Forged: a brand that honors culture, embraces individuality, and invites consumers to engage with tea in a more joyful, healthy and human way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not surprisingly East Forged  has won a series of awards and prizes, the latest of which was the Best Drink Innovation award in London at the 2026 World Food Innovation Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The brand is not just redefining ready-to-drink tea\u2014it is helping to reshape how tea is understood, presented, and enjoyed within the modern hospitality landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cTea is one of the world\u2019s oldest social lubricants \u2014 a timeless beverage that continues to foster connection, conversation, and inclusivity today, and will remain vital well into the future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    An inspiring story for anyone working across tea and hospitality. A remarkable brand\u2014currently available only in Australia\u2014that deserves a global audience. After speaking with Kym, co-founder of East Forged, one word stands out: impressive. What Kym and Tania have built over the past nine years\u2014officially launched in 2020\u2014is far more than a ready-to-drink tea. It is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-supplies","tag-interview"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/boldbrews1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions\/260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th.oriensconsulting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}