I just read something incredible, even if it isn’t really new: Dubai has opened in 2005 a Dubai Tea Trading Centre (DTTC).

Check their website and you will see, it is not a crazy idea I had in my head..

To help you understand it, here are some facts.
1.Dubai Tea Trading Centre registers 26 per cent growth in tea trade during the first half of 2010.
2.Overall tea trade through Dubai rises to 642,000 tons during the first half of 2010,
3.Dubai remains 2nd largest export destination for Indian and Sri Lankan teas

The first question I asked myself was why?
The official answer is: “Dubai’s strategic geographical location between the world’s major tea-producing and tea-consuming markets has positioned the emirate as the industry’s international gateway for tea trade.”
Really nice but it sounds so official that it is not really convincing.

Now, let’s see what services are being offered:
Teabag Packing
DTTC’s temperature-controlled tea bag packaging facility has the capacity to pack a variety of tea bags, including both paper envelopes and service types.
Loose Tea Packing
DTTC is able to pack from 50 grams to 1 kg of tea on Vertical Form Fill Seal Machines, for both crush, tear and curl teas, (CTC) as well as orthodox/leaf tea varieties. Larger sized packing is also carried out as per client’s specific requirements.
Blending
DTTC offers blending services through a 2 tonne blending drum system that can carry out blends of both CTC and orthodox/leaf teas.
Tea Tasting and Evaluation
DTTC offers in-house tea tasting and blending expertise to ensure that its members can develop the best product for their customers. The Centre has a centralised tea tasting room provided with tea tasting equipment and staff available to set up tastings.
Storage facilities (Warehousing)
The DTTC warehouse facility exists within the Jebel Ali Free Zone and has the capacity to store up to 5,000 metric tonnes of bulk teas at any given time. DTTC provides dedicated individual storage space as well as limited free storage to all its members. All consignments are palletised and stored within racks.
Office Lease
DTTC offers regional and international tea companies the option to lease space within its purpose-built premises. The units vary from approximately 250 square feet to 350 square feet, providing clients with the perfect space solution to their business requirements, as well as a unique clustering benefit of being located alongside other industry participants
Everything one might needs to be a good tea company.

What can we learn from this?
First, Dubai is clearly going through a diversification policy to prepare itself to the end of the oil business (and this is their main reason for offering these new services, their location being just an interesting “coincidence”).
Then, when they decide to go into a business, they do whatever is needed to succeed in it.
Last but not least, if Dubai goes into this business, it means there is potential in tea business.

Perhaps not now but in the future, perhaps your tea will come from there? Who knows?