Promoting tea as the engine of growth for the Black Sea Basin Area

Programme 2014 - 2020 Black Sea Basin ENI CBC

Date of latest update: 2025-06-17

Description

Description (EN):

Tea is one of the oldest and the second most consumed drink in the world after water. Until the end of the 19th century, the production was concentrated in Asia, however, rising global demand for tea have led other countries to cultivate their own tea. Now, it’s produced in 40 countries around the world. Today one of the main growing places is around the Black Sea. Tea arrived in this region through various routes. To grow it in the Black Sea Region took even more time. The Mongols and merchants along the Silk Road were those who introduced tea to the Russians, Turks and Persians, as well as the people of Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan etc. Around the turn of the 20th century and after numerous attempts, tea began to be grown in the mountains between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. The climate of the Black Sea coast is suitable for numerous agriculture activities and products. The mild, damp oceanic climate of the Black Sea coast makes commercial farming profitable which is also beneficial for tea plantations. However tourism takes the largest share, agriculture is still one of the most important sector for Turkey. The farmland occupies 33.2% of the total land, and farmers contribute about 30% of the total labor force. The tea plantation today extend along the south shore of the Black Sea between Trabzon and Rize and are home to a cooperative style of tea-growing. In Armenia for over 7000 years, the tradition of gathering and blending wild herbs and flowers has been an integral part of the daily life. As a result of ethno-botanical research and ancient manuscript studies are shown that about 68 specialty infusions of herbs and flower that were used by Royal Families being in charge of Armenia since ancient time by the end of Middle Ages. Five percent of Armenia’s resources are used in the production of herbal tea. Those unique herbal ingredients came from high mountain wild forest by help of well-trained harvesters and made your delicious final cup of tea. Greek Mountain Tea is produced from the dried leaves and flowers of Sideritis plants (iron wort). This kind of tea is appropriately named as the plant can only be found on rocky slopes at elevations over 3,200 feet (1000 meters). Mountain tea in Pilima, a village near Xanthi is one of the most famous mountain tea of Greece. Finally in Bulgaria Rila and the Rhodopes are famous with their rich flora and fauna. In the highland fields of the south Rhodopes the famous Mursal tea grows. Mursalski tea is made using the dried leaves and flowers of Sideritis plants (iron wort).It is clear from the above description that tea represents both a cultural link between the nations of the Black Sea Area and an agricultural product which can generate sustainable economic growth. The present project aims to strengthen the cultural link and to enhance the respective capacities to better capture the economic growth potential given by the tea. Information added on 2020-05-14, regarding the mitigation of the effects of COVID-19 (the coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019) (English language only): TEAWAY project aims to boost the tea economy. The Synthesis Report on plants in the participating countries prepared by the project partnership provides a comprehensive overview of the tea industry to support SMEs in enhancing their innovative business capacities to develop and achieve growth and engage them to innovation. The project strives the economic growth potential represented by the regional and local manufactured tea and is inviting the tea producers to join the market opportunities developed by the project.

Achievements (EN):

The overall objective was to focus on the cultivation/production and marketing of tea in order to promote and show the local and regional tea products and their procedures to create new market opportunities. The project considered tea as an agricultural product which should be among the main goods traded between the BSB countries. First, the project partners conducted a complex analysis of the Tea sector in the Back Sea Basin Area based on the following three pillars: - Marketing opportunities; - Environmental sustainability of the Tea sector; - Political background. Study tours were done to tea-related territories/facilities located in the project areas in different partner countries. Furthermore, business meetings were realised, and the main trends were synthesised into a report utilised for the capacity-building process. After completing the theoretical part (SWOT Analysis, joint Black Sea analysis, country analysis etc.), the project partners obtained the necessary theoretical background to advance to the fieldwork. Therefore, a series of training courses was organised, focusing on Technical Organization, Management & Marketing in the Modern Digital Age. A capacity-building multi-lingual toolbox acting as the “synthesis” for the whole project implementation enables the authorities to develop knowledge and enhance their capacity in the entire spectrum of designing activities and management processes related to the development and implementation of tea-related capacity building efforts. Further information is available on the project website: https://teaway.net/.

Website: http://blacksea-cbc.net/

Expected Results (EN): R 1.2 Strength of cross-border links for trade and modernisation in the agricultural and connected sectors

Expected Outputs (EN):

The project foresees the realization of the following results: - Enhance the capacities of the SMEs and local/regional producers who manufacturing typical and special tea products. - Increase of the economic growth in the involved areas. - Increase the demand for the Black Sea Tea Production. The first expected result is a direct outcome of the complex but at the same time targeted capacity building programme of TEAWAY which addresses the different actors of the tea sector. In order to enhance their innovative capacities regarding the cultivation, production and marketing of the Black Sea tea. This will prepare the field for the achievement of the next result which is the significant increase of the economic growth in the targeted Black Sea Rural areas thanks to the modernization of the tea sector of the agriculture through the increase of innovative capacities of the stakeholders and establishing new trade relations and joint penetration of the wider EU and world market. The third expected result is the an outcome of the project activities in relation to the business and market penetration. The Black Sea Tea thanks to the project's multilevel intervention should become a competitive product of the region which should be promoted in order to represent a competitive advantage for the Black Sea Basin Countries. This will be realized through the promotion actions of TEAWAY. Ultimately the combination of the above will aim to increase the demand for the Black Sea Tea products in the markets which will ensure the sustainable income for the targeted areas.

Thematic information

Agriculture and fisheries and forestry

Thematic Objective: Business and SME development

Partners (6)

Lead Partner: Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Xanthi

Department: DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

Address: Vas. Konstantinou 1, 67100 Xanthi, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ebex.gr

Total budget: EUR 160 928.83

Chamber of Commerce of Drama

Name: Chamber of Commerce of Drama

Department: International Programmes Department

Address: L. LABRIANIDIS 40, 66100 Drama, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.dramanet.gr

Total budget: EUR 100 970.96

Armenian Young Women's Association

Name: Armenian Young Women's Association

Address: Abovyan 37.apt.9., 0009 Yerevan, Armenia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.aywa.am/en/index

Total budget: EUR 95 145.01

International Centre for Social Research and Policy Analysis

Name: International Centre for Social Research and Policy Analysis

Address: Leselidze 25, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia

Legal status: public

Website: http://icsrpa.com/contact/

Total budget: EUR 74 936.07

Varna Economic Development Agency

Name: Varna Economic Development Agency

Address: Otets Paisij str 11.floor 5., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.veda-bg.eu

Total budget: EUR 97 682.81

Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Name: Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Department: Projects Department

Address: Pazarkapı Mah. Sahil Cad. 103, 61200 Trabzon, Turkey

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ttso.org.tr

Total budget: EUR 110 444.92

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Promoting tea as the engine of growth for the Black Sea Basin Area

Project acronym: TEAWAY

Project start date: 2018-08-07

Project end date: 2021-02-06

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 640 108.60

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 588 899.85

Co-financing sources:

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

ORGANIC TEA CULTIVATION. ARMENIA

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

ORGANIC TEA CULTIVATION IN BULGARIA

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

SYNTHESIS REPORT

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Studies / surveys

TEA PRODUCTION SUPPORT PROGRAMMES IN ARMENIA

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Country Analysis of the available government programs

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

SWOT ANALYSIS

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-11-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

SWOT ANALYSIS OF HERBS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS SECTOR IN BULGARIA

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2019-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Videos / films

Онлайн обучение по проект bsb 541 teaway

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2020-12-08

Languages: bg

Fresh Herbal Market & Quality Assurance

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2021-01-04

Languages: bg, en

Tea Packaging and Marketing Strategies

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2021-12-04

Languages: bg, en

Production of Rose-hip Tea

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2021-01-04

Languages: bg, en

Herbs as Business

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://blacksea-cbc.net/capitalisation/

Publication date: 2021-11-28

Document date: 2021-01-04

Languages: bg, en

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 Black Sea Basin ENI CBC

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-06-06

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

43 / 43 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

220 / 220 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme on 2025-03-10. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://blacksea-cbc.net/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2024-02-01, except for projects with acronyms AGREEN, BeECO, BRIDGES, BSB ECO MONITORING, BSB Smart Farming, CRoCuS, EXCELTOUR, LeNetEco 2, LOC-FOOD, SILC, THC (in these cases, the information was provided by the Programme).

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Promoting tea as the engine of growth for the Black Sea Basin Area

Description

Thematic information

Partners (6)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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