Kathea Bryan of Jacksonville, FL has become the Tea Program Manager for NOLA Coffee Festival.

“We had an exclusive focus on coffee topics for the first two editions of the NOLA Coffee festival” explains co-founder Jim Currie. “However, we clearly saw the need to provide quality programs in allied product areas. Specialty tea is a huge opportunity for southern coffee shops. Just as with coffee, Specialty Tea is an area of interest for the consumer and they look to coffee shops to experience various brew methods and new flavor options. Additionally, tea is a great option for expanding the menu into afternoon and evening dayparts. Finally, we envision the NCF event as a very efficient selling opportunity for great national tea brands. The companies cannot afford to send sales reps into the deep south. At NCF, these tea companies/brands can very easily meet hundreds of Gulf South shop owners and develop new business in the coffee channel.”

Mrs. Bryan states “I am looking forward to bringing tea more to the forefront of the coffee landscape. Just like coffee, tea has so many avenues to be explored. And we are so lucky here in the Southeast US because we have so many tea farms. The growth of tea is basically all around us. I can’t wait to help tea growing and producing companies reach new contacts.”

Kathea Bryan is a tea expert and educator, certified in both tea and etiquette, who wants to increase the knowledge and consumption of tea within the coffee community. She provides classes on tea, on hosting tea parties and a series of etiquette classes for teens. As well as completing extensive research on the history of afternoon tea. By combining her careers as an event planner and as a pastry chef with her love of afternoon tea, she began catering private tea events. Mrs. Bryan enjoys creating new recipes which highlight tea, especially in unusual ways. Her knowledge of tea is continually growing. Over the years she has met with tea growers and numerous individuals in the tea industry. Working with the NOLA Coffee Festival, she is excited to share the world of tea with others.

The 2025 NCF Educational Program will again feature industry speakers/ subject matter experts in classroom settings and in demo/display areas on the exhibit hall floor. Class subjects are under review and professional speakers are being selected until June, 2025. The classroom schedule will be announced shortly thereafter.