Joint venture of Tejari and Dubai Tea Trading Centre
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Attendees of the first Global Dubai Tea Forum, which took place last week, were the first to preview CommuniTEA the new online tea trading portal being launched by Tejari, the Middle East's online marketplace, in partnership with the Dubai Tea Trading Center (DTTC), an initiative of the Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre (DMCC).
Following the opening speech by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the UAE's Minister of Economy and board member of Tejari, current Tejari CEO Omar Hijazi addressed delegates at the forum to highlight the fundamental changes that the Internet is bringing to the tea sector, from bringing greater connectivity to create a more global, efficient and active tea industry.
"Tejari's greatest value to the tea trade is to help growers, manufacturers, and other parties find their ideal business partners - a 'market-making' service that is enabled through the Tejari marketplace," Hijazi commented.
"The potential for oversupply is encouraging companies from Sri Lanka, China, India, Kenya, and the other major tea producers to become more competitive and find new outlets for their products. Sourcing partners to deliver their tea to market is a significant challenge, and bringing these organizations together is the way that Tejari will deliver value to the tea sector," he added.
In addition to Hijazi's keynote, Tejari hosted a workshop at the Forum to give delegates a hands-on look at CommuniTEA. The online tea trading portal prototype contains functionality for tea cataloguing, sample requests, and purchase of bulk tea. Tejari's development of 'market-making' capabilities for the tea sector signifies the company's ongoing initiative to create more industry-specific online solutions for its more than 4000 current members that trade via the Tejari marketplace.
"As part of our efforts to create a trading hub for the tea industry, DTTC's alliance with Tejari to create CommuniTEA reflects the role that the Internet can play in bringing together potential partners from the world's largest tea-producing markets," said Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chief Operating Officer, DMCC. "The industry reaction to the concept and live demonstration of CommuniTEA has been enthusiastic thus far", he added.
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About Tejari
Tejari is the Middle East's premier online business-to-business marketplace. Tejari enables buyers and sellers to transact and share information about a variety of goods and services via a secured Internet environment. Tejari provides a single point of contact for an open and growing community of buyers and suppliers, permitting spot-purchasing and on-line auctions that enable participants' real-time access to new markets and greater cost savings. Visit Tejari at http://www.tejari.com
About The Dubai Tea Trading Centre (DTTC)
DTTC is a dedicated facility in Dubai at which international tea producers and merchants can hold stocks of tea that will be readily available to meet the immediate requirements of importers in the Middle East and adjacent regions. Enabling availability of a variety of teas from multiple origins, DTTC offers convenience to tea purchasers, whilst promoting the interests of exporters. DTTC members include tea producers, exporters, regional importers and international merchants. DTTC is located at an existing warehouse facility within the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), with plans to move to a purpose-built facility in the free zone within the first two years of operation. Visit DTTC at http://www.dttc.ae. For more information, please contact Mr. Sanjay Sethi: 04 883 3860
For further information, please contact:
Abdulla Salman
Director, Marketing - Tejari
Tel: +971 4 391 3777
e-mail: abdulla.salman@tejari.com
© Press Release 2006
