Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2019 shows the products of Chinese tea brand "Le Mont Yoto" sold at a Moroccan market in Mohammedia, Morocco. (Xinhua/Chen Binjie)
RABAT, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- About three years after entering the Moroccan market, Chinese tea brand "Le Mont Yoto" has gradually gained popularity in some areas of Morocco.
Zhang Daiquan, general manager of Cathaysian Tea Company, which is responsible for the production of "Le Mont Yoto" tea, told Xinhua that as the first Chinese tea brand to enter the Moroccan market, the annual sales volume of "Le Mont Yoto" in Morocco has exceeded 100 tons.
Although Morocco is a big country in green tea consumption, Chinese tea brands have to strive for living in this market, said Zhang.
Morocco has a long history of tea culture and local enterprises have established a stable market structure after decades of intense market competition, which means it's challenging for a new brand who wants share a slice of the cake, Zhang said.
The general manager added that due to different tea drinking habits, Moroccan consumers have their own preferences for tea taste and flavor.
Tea has become a part of life of most Moroccans. They drink several times a day the "Mint Tea" made from green tea, fresh mint leaves and white sugar, usually served in traditional handmade pot.
According to Association of Moroccan Tea Professionals, Moroccan people consume more than 2 kg of tea per capita in 2018.
As the world's largest importer of green tea, Morocco imported 77,600 tons of tea from China in 2018, stated by the association.
Zhang explained that in 2015, Morocco adjusted its import tariff policy for tea. The import tariff on large-packaged tea has dropped to 2.5 percent, while the import tariff on the small-packaged (below 3kg) has risen to 32.5 percent.
Under such policy, Cathaysian Tea Company's parent company Lichuan Jinli Tea Industry Co., Ltd. decided to register a subsidiary in Morocco and establish a tea packaging factory, so as to directly export large-packaged tea to Morocco, and distribute the small-packaged tea with self-owned brand in the local market.
In 2016, Cathaysian Tea Company set up a tea packaging factory in the Mohammedia industrial zone and registered the first Chinese tea brand "Le Mont Yoto" in Morocco.
Zhang said that the factory currently employs more than 70 Moroccans.
China is a large tea exporting country, and China's own brands should have a place in the overseas market, which is very important for the future of Chinese tea, he said.
After more than three years of hard work, some Moroccan people began to recognize the Chinese tea brand. Consumers in regions like Mohammedia have become accustomed to drinking "Le Mont Yoto" tea.
Zhang admitted that compared with Moroccan local tea brands, the market share of "Le Mont Yoto" is still limited.
"Chinese tea companies still have a long way to go in order to get more Moroccan consumers to recognize and consume Chinese tea brands," he said.
Zhang believes that letting more Moroccan young people understand China will help the long-term development of Chinese brands in the Moroccan market.
