Each holiday season, European tea lovers go for the branded Earl Grey Tea, a fusion with bergamot orange. For 2024, the picking of this fragrant dwarf citrus in southwestern Italy’s Calibria region is underway from November through March.
Perfume makers and tea blenders work hand-in-hand with farmers to ensure the sustainability of the harvest.
Fragrance Makers Source Responsibly
One such perfume entity is Givaudan, which reveals that it trains its middlemen into responsible agronomists when sourcing the oranges.
According to the company, there are around 1,300 small-scale producers of ‘citrus bergamia’ in Calabria.
The Swiss multinational also highlights how Calibria provides 90% of the world’s supplies of bergamot orange oil.
After farmers sell their fruits to brokers, cooperatives and factories, these in turn transform the fruit peel into aromatic products.
Enter Earl Grey Tea
One of the edible products is the English branded Earl Grey Tea, a blend of the oil with black tea.
It is a popular afternoon treat because its citrusy flavor often proves more energetic and stronger than other brewed beverages.
The popularity of this special tea is nevertheless not just due to its fragrance but also for health benefits.
Health benefits range from providing energy, managing bad cholesterol, promoting good digestion and boosting heart health through antioxidants.
More About Bergamot Orange
Were it not for the care growers provide their bergamot orange (Camellia sinensis) plants, Earl Grey Tea’s qualities would be minimal.
Growers usually time the harvest in such a manner that it is neither too early nor too late, to maximize the flavor.
Hand-picking the fruits is the preferred method as this way harvesters can determine the right fruits. This is unlike mechanical means which compromises quality and sometimes hampers regrowth.
This meticulous care follows the fruit’s journey to the factory where cold-pressing of the oil from the rind takes place immediately. Processors expedite the pressing knowing that the flavour is highest a few hours within the harvest.
So, as Calibria is doing its annual harvest in a sustainable manner, so are Earl Grey Tea enthusiasts readying for the holidays. And all this is thanks to lush Italian dwarf orange production, as the statistics below reveal.
Italy Bergamot Orange Statistics
Italy is often in the top 15 of orange-producing nations and in 2022, the country produced 1,783,110 tonnes of the fruits, according to FAOSTAT. However, Italy leads global bergamot orange production, with its Reggio Calibria region accounting for 90 to 95% of the global output. The orange variety itself is a smallish rounded lemon-like fruit that weighs 90 to 200 grams apiece.
When is bergamot in season in Italy?
With the harvest calendar fluctuating between November to February, bergamot is in the markets mostly in January and February.
How much bergamot oil comes from Italy?
According to IFEAT, Italy led world production of this essential oil in the 2008-09 period at 70 tonnes (kiloliters). By 2011, the production had hiked to 125 kiloliters. While this amount may seem small, it is high enough to represent 3% of Italy’s total essential oil exports.
How big is Calabria’s bergamot orange cultivated area?
Before 2011, the region of southwest Italy had around 1,400 hectares under the crop, supporting 4,500 families.
Which are the main markets of the fruit?
Italy exports most of its bergamot oranges to the UK to make Earl Grey Tea and other products while other key destinations include Spain and Switzerland.