Russia

The world’s northernmost tea plantations located just a few kilometers from the Black Sea near the city of Sochi, the site for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, have successfully completed their tea harvesting season.
Although Russia has been cultivating tea since the 19th century, now tea production is on the rise. Farmers operating tea plantations in the area hope to eventually harvest up to 1,000 tons of tea leaves per year in order to be able to supply all the competitors and visitors of the 2014 Olympics. Tea was first brought to Russia from China in 1883, but it was only a few decades later that the local farmers had learned how to properly cultivate the plantations. Now, tea has become the most important agricultural crop grown in Sochi.
The 6 major tea growers from the Sochi region say they have invested heavily into importing machinery, but the consensus here is that the expense was well worth it. With less than 5 years until the city hosts the main sporting event of the year, competition has been fierce.