CRI听力:Chinese businessman reshapes tea industry in Mauritius

A Chinese businessman operating the largest tea factory in Mauritius, is being credited with helping to revolutionize the tea industry of the country.

Kuanfu Hailun has been engaged in the tea industry in Mauritius for 6 years.

The Guangdong native and his team invented the Ripe Black Tea, upgrading the quality and taste of the raw black tea most widely consumed in Mauritius.

Kuanfu Hailun says the invention of the Ripe Black tea changed previous stereotypes about the tea in Mauritius, injecting impetus to the development of the tea industry.

“In the 1980s, the Mauritian government invited experts from India and Sri Lanka to study the country’s tea industry and those experts came to the conclusion that tea produced in Mauritius were of low quality. In 2012, Mauritius only sold 400 tons of tea. After I tapped into the tea industry in 2012, the industry has been picking up gradually. In 2016, 1600 tons of tea were sold. The Mauritiuan government has also realized that the tea in Mauritius is of good quality. The tea industry in Mauritius is gaining new momentum,”says Kuanfu Hailun.

The Ripe Black Tea is made with the technologies of British tea crushing, tearing and curling as well as the Chinese tea roasting process.

With Kuanfu Hailun’s tea factory playing a leading role, the rest of the three tea factories in Mauritius are also getting back on track and the tea industry is becoming a constructive part of the Mauritian agriculture.

Kuanfu Hailun now operates ten tea shops across Mauritius and two tea factories.

He also operates the largest tea art center in Mauritius, demonstrating the traditional Chinese way of tea-making.

The art center attracts over 200 tourists on a daily basis.

Kuanfu Hailun says he’s aiming to spread tea culture to more people.

“In the near future, I’m going to make my tea factories iconic resort of Mauritius. So that more people are exposed to the Chinese tea culture and the Chinese way of drinking tea.”