Profitable Venture in Oregano Tea for Health Conscious – Tea consumption in the Philippines is increasing day by day. Though, the Philippine is not traditional tea-drinking country like China and Japan, our tea consumption continues to increase as health-conscious consumers choose this beverage more for its medicinal benefits.
Tea consumption in the Philippines, according to a study conducted by Euromonitor International in 2007, showed that has dramatically increased. The abrupt consumption growth is related to the increasingly busy lifestyle in urban areas of major cities in the country and the emerging health and wellness trend.
Generally, the Philippines is importing tea from different tea countries like China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. The increasing demand for tea has prompted the government to look for alternative materials that are available locally which may be developed into marketable products similar to tea. One of these is the Philippine oregano (Coleus aromaticus Benth), kalabo in the many part of the Visayas and Mindanao, which is more popularly known among Filipinos as a medicinal plant.
As part of the long-term national project to promote agribusiness in the country, a study proposed by the Southern Tagalog Integrated Agricultural Research Center (STIARC), “Wine, Fermented Juice, and Tea Product Development from Philippine Oregano”, was funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research under its National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP) to develop, package, and commercialize health products from this locally available medicinal plant.
Initially, the product was exhibited in agri-trade fairs for market testing. The few tea enthusiasts who had the chance to sample the products spread the news about oregano tea, generating more interest.
Oregano tea is gaining local acceptance creating its own market niche as shown in increasing sales and orders. In fact, private groups and individuals have shown interests in this new product by engaging in its production.