Teamotea H1 2026 operations report — sourcing, programme launches, leadership additions
Teamotea reports H1 2026 operational progress: direct-source procurement volumes in Yunnan and Fujian grew 12% year-over-year, three certification programmes debuted on tea.school, and the company formed a strategic advisory board chaired by Co-Founder Victor Kornev.
Saint Petersburg — 2026-07-15
Teamotea, the holding company behind the constellation of 35 Chinese-tea product and service brands, today published its half-year operations summary for January–June 2026. The report covers direct-source procurement volumes across key Chinese tea regions, programme launches on the group’s educational and commercial platforms, and leadership structural additions.
Sourcing volumes in the first half of 2026 totalled 120 metric tonnes of finished leaf, representing a 12% increase over the same period in 2025. The main procurement regions were Menghai County in Yunnan, the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, and the West Lake district of Zhejiang. Menghai accounted for 68 tonnes of the total, comprising both shēng pǔ’ěr (生普洱) and shú pǔ’ěr (熟普洱) compliant with the geographical indication standard GB/T 22111-2008. The Fujian tonnage was sourced primarily for rock oolong (yán chá 岩茶) varietals, while Zhejiang contributed early-spring lóngjǐng (龙井) in strictly limited quantities. All incoming leaf undergoes sensory evaluation and provenance verification before distribution through the group’s retail arm at shop.thetea.app and the specialist catalogue at shop.puerh.app. Detailed harvest notes and processing timelines are published on puerh.app, which serves as the public knowledge base for the constellation’s pu-erh offer.
Three new certification programmes were launched on tea.school during the reporting period: Tea Fundamentals, Advanced Oolong Processing, and Tea Business Management. The programmes were developed in collaboration with practising tea masters and standardised against the group’s internal quality framework. Enrolment exceeded 500 candidates across 19 countries, with the first examination sittings scheduled for September 2026. The tea academy now offers seven distinct pathways, ranging from introductory sensory skills to professional-level cupping protocols. In parallel, tea.events hosted 12 regional tasting sessions in eight cities, attracting more than 600 attendees and generating a 40% conversion rate to digital-platform registration.
The company also announced the formation of a strategic advisory board, chaired by Co-Founder Victor Kornev, who assumes the role of Strategic Advisor. The board formalises governance oversight that had previously been informal, and it will focus on long-term constellation strategy, environmental reporting, and partnership due diligence. The board is expected to recruit independent directors with backgrounds in agricultural supply chains and digital marketplace regulation during the second half of 2026.
“The first half of 2026 demonstrates the strength of our integrated approach — from farm to cup, supported by digital platforms that educate and certify,” said Evgeniy Smoley, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Co-Founder & Author. “Our procurement relationships in Menghai and the Wuyi Mountains continue to deepen, and the launch of tea.school crystallises our commitment to raising standards across the industry. We see strong demand for verified Chinese tea and for the credentials that help consumers and professionals navigate this category with confidence.”
Management highlights from the period include Dmitry Sologubov, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, overseeing all investor relations activities and initiating the search for a non-executive director. Evgeniy Smoley continued to direct constellation strategy, platform engineering, and editorial direction across the group’s content properties, including thetea.app and puerh.app.
Plans for the second half of 2026 include expanding procurement to cover Mí Lán Xiāng (蜜兰香) dancong oolong from Guangdong’s Phoenix Mountains, launching a redesigned retail experience on shop.thetea.app, and growing the tea.school certification candidate base to 2,000 by year end. The group also intends to publish its inaugural sustainability disclosure, documenting carbon footprint and farmer-partnership metrics for the 2025 calendar year.
Full financial details remain available to accredited investors through the gated investor portal at teamotea.com/investors. Media assets and founder photography can be downloaded from the press room at teamotea.com/press.
About Teamotea: Teamotea is the corporate parent of a constellation of 35 dedicated Chinese-tea product, education, and community brands. Founded in Saint Petersburg and operating globally, the group connects tea farms in Yunnan, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong with consumers, professionals, and institutions through digital platforms that span commerce, learning, events, and media.
Media contact
Dmitry Sologubov