200 000 Tea Growers
There are about 200 000 small tea growers in East Black Sea Region of Turkey. They pick green tea three flush in a year from May to October in hilly lands of east Black Sea.
Annual fresh tea production is about 800 000 tons.
Tea Processing
Between 155 000-160 000 tons black tea are produced in Turkey annually. General Directorate of Tea Enterprises (Çaykur) has 46 tea processing factories and produces 65% of total production. Private sector have a lot of small tea processing factories and produces 35% of Turkish tea.
Tea Consumption
Tea is national drink of Turkish people. They drink tea daily in their lives both in breakfast and in evening. Turkish people are famous in hospitality and enjoy to serve tea to their guests. About 160.000 tons of black tea are consumed in Turkey every year.