World Tea Expo announced 19 nominees for its 2018 John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes significant support of the tea industry’s growth, innovation and education. The award will be presented at World Tea Expo’s World Tea Awards on June 12 at 6 p.m. World Tea Expo, the leading tradeshow focused on advancing the business of tea, takes place June 12-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Las Vegas Convention Center (with a pre-conference program June 10-11).

Brian Keating, founder of the Seattle-based tea think-tank Sage Group and a World Tea Expo Advisory Board member, said, “The 2018 nominees for World Tea Expo’s John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award represent an exceptional diversity of tea industry pioneers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. The tea industry applauds their tireless efforts towards the advancement and promotion of tea. We look forward to the World Tea Awards ceremony in June, where the 2018 winner shall be announced.”

World Tea Expo’s Advisory Board, which consists of 11 tea industry professionals, selected this year’s 19 John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award nominees. The nominees comprise a diverse group of tea business experts, who share a passion for tea and contribute to advancing the business of tea. The advisory board’s selection criteria considered each nominee’s impact on the tea industry on both local and global scales, among other points.

World Tea Expo’s 2018 John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award nominees include:

—Rajah Banerjee, founder, Makaibari Tea Estate
—Dan Bolton, editor and publisher, Tea Journey Magazine
—Charlie Cain, principal and executive consultant, Building Oz
—Babette Donaldson, founder, International Tea Sippers Society
—Kevin Gascoyne, owner, Camellia Sinensis
—Sanjay Guha, international tea consultant
—Richard Guzauskas, consultant, specialty tea industry
—Manik Jayakumar, founder and CEO, QTrade Teas & Herbs
—Nigel Melican, managing director, Teacraft Ltd.
—Jane Pettigrew, tea author and speaker
—Bruce Richardson, tea author and publisher, Benjamin Press
—Louise Roberge, president, Tea and Herbal Association of Canada
—Ron Rubin, minister of tea and CEO, The Republic of Tea
—David Segal, co-founder and brand ambassador (retired), DavidsTea
—Thomas Shu, owner, JT & Tea, Inc.
—Tim Smith, chief leaf, The Tea Smith
—Abigail St. Clair, owner, TeBella Tea Company
—Maria Uspenski, founder, The Tea Spot
—Bill Waddington, founder and president, TeaSource

The John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award was formerly called The Cha Jing Lifetime Achievement Award and then re-named in 2015 to recognize the legacy of Harney & Sons’ Founder John Harney, who passed away in 2014. Harney was one of tea’s most respected professionals — and a previous Cha Jing Lifetime Achievement Award recipient — who helped demonstrate the commercial appeal of sophisticated specialty blends. During his lifetime, Harney earned the respect of traditional and specialty tea vendors worldwide as both a business executive and master blender. The award, in remembrance of Harney, is a community celebration in honor of tea pioneers who helped fuel the market and shape the tea industry of today. It’s presented annually at World Tea Expo during the World Tea Awards.

World Tea Expo attracts top companies and professionals from more than 50 countries, representing: tea and coffee shops, grocery chains, private label brands, gourmet retailers, convenience stores, distributors, online businesses, restaurants and chefs, foodservice, hotels, distributors, manufacturers and beverage developers, among others interested in building their business through tea. The event features educational sessions and an exhibit hall with hundreds of new teas, tea wares, brewing accessories and related products and services.