Lorela Lohan has a diverse cultural background and currently resides in Belgium. She runs a tea business consulting company called WanderlusTea. The company is committed to promoting high-quality tea and formulating influential business strategies, focusing on practice, developing customized sales channels for tea brands, increasing sales volume, and developing business. Lorela is also active in organizations such as the European Speciality Tea Association (ESTA) and is one of the organizers of the first Belgian Tea Festival in 2024. Lorela visited multiple tea producing countries and plans to travel to China for tea in 2025.
In 2021, Lorela started her own business. As a tea lover, she believed that tea could be linked to food. After gradually understanding the tea industry, she was very optimistic about the development prospects of European tea. Therefore, she founded the tea business consulting company WanderlusTea. Committed to promoting high-quality tea and developing influential business strategies, helping tea producers and brands have the opportunity to directly establish connections with European small and medium-sized enterprises. At present, her business includes market analysis, event planning, and agency brand activities, as well as publishing news and interviews in the European tea industry. Lorela was born in Romania and moved to Italy with her parents since childhood. After graduating from university, she left Italy and went to Belgium to continue her graduate studies in international law and European studies. After graduation, she settled in Belgium for nearly ten years. She has worked as a volunteer for large European associations, mainly engaged in association management and event planning, and later worked for large food industry companies. Lorela’s multicultural background, as well as her education and work experience, make her very optimistic and confident about the future development of her company.
Lorela emphasized that her company focuses on practice, developing customized sales channels for brands, increasing sales volume, and developing business, such as helping tea producers and small brands expand into specialty stores, concept stores, and hotels. For example, she has collaborated with high-end restaurants in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium to help them integrate tea elements into the development of innovative dishes such as tea dishes, tea cheese pairings, tea cocktails, tea chocolates, etc. Some catering industry customers are curious about tea and interested in developing innovative tea dishes, and the response from their consumers is generally positive. In recent years, high-end European restaurants have advocated for refined and non-alcoholic beverages. In response to this trend, many restaurants are seeking high-quality, non-alcoholic healthy drinks. For example, during the intervals between changing Western dishes, drinking alcohol can easily affect the senses and hinder the taste of the next dish. Drinking tea is a better choice. In recent years, matcha has become very popular in Europe, and many cafes offer matcha products such as matcha latte. Lorela imagines that in the future, coffee shops in Europe can also enjoy tea in the form of Gongfu tea.
In October 2024, Lorela, as one of the organizers, successfully held the first Belgian Tea Festival with the Belgian Tea Circle team. The one-day event sold over 700 tickets and attracted 30 exhibitors from Asia and Europe, with Lorela representing two brands. Belgium’s geographical location is very suitable for hosting events, with the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south and southwest, and the United Kingdom across the Strait of Dover to the northwest. Lorela is optimistic that the Belgian Tea Festival will be held once a year in the future, and there will definitely be more exhibitors and visitors from neighboring countries in the future. Lorela also mentioned that she is active in organizations such as the European Special Tea Association and the Global Japanese Tea Association (GJTA).
Lorela has visited several European tea farmers, as well as tea producing countries in Asia such as Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and South Africa in Africa, visiting local tea gardens. Lorela thinks that Chinese people care a lot about drinking tea. She plans to travel to China in 2025 to learn the art of Chinese tea brewing and experience tea culture. There are a lot of high-quality tea in China, and Chinese people also know how to drink good tea. If there are tea brands interested in the European market, Lorela suggests analyzing the market, determining consumer groups, and planning development strategies. For example, telling a good brand story, finding distributors or franchisees, building trust with European customers, designing high-end packaging, etc.
An Interview with Lorela Lohan: Championing High-Quality Tea and Building European Bridges in the Tea Industry
Lorela Lohan, Founder and CEO of WanderlusTea, brings her multicultural heritage and passion for tea to the forefront of her innovative consultancy. Based in Belgium, Lorela is dedicated to promoting high-quality tea and crafting bespoke business strategies for specialty tea brands and producers, helping them forge meaningful connections with European markets. Her expertise spans market analysis, event planning, brand representation, and publishing industry insights.
In addition to leading WanderlusTea, Lorela actively contributes to the tea community. She serves as a board member for the BENELUX Chapter of the European Speciality Tea Association (ESTA), is a member of the Global Japanese Tea Association (GJTA), collaborates with t-Magazine, and proudly supports the Eighty Degrees magazine as a patron.
With roots in Romania, Lorela moved to Italy as a child and later pursued a Master’s in International Law and an Advanced Master’s in European Studies in Belgium, where she has lived for nearly a decade. Her diverse cultural background, combined with professional experience in non-profit management and business development, uniquely positions her to bridge the gap between tea producers and European markets.
A Journey into Tea
Lorela’s tea journey began in 2011, but her entrepreneurial venture truly took shape in 2021 with the launch of WanderlusTea. Inspired by tea’s potential in the hospitality sector, her consultancy specializes in creating tailored sales channels for tea brands, increasing sales volumes, and driving business growth. She is particularly passionate about promoting tea produced in Europe and collaborates closely with European tea producers to spotlight local tea craftsmanship.
Innovating Tea and Food Pairings
Lorela works with high-end restaurants in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium, helping them incorporate tea into innovative culinary experiences. These include tea-infused dishes, tea and cheese pairings, tea cocktails, and tea-inspired chocolates. With a growing demand for refined, non-alcoholic beverages in European gastronomy, tea is gaining recognition as a sophisticated alternative. For example, tea can cleanse the palate between courses without overshadowing subsequent flavors, unlike some alcoholic beverages.
Looking ahead, Lorela envisions European hospitality embracing higher-quality tea offerings alongside coffee, providing consumers with a more authentic and enriched tea experience. The rising popularity of matcha in Europe, particularly in matcha lattes, is just the beginning of tea’s transformative potential in the beverage sector.
Supporting the Belgian Tea Festival
In October 2024, Lorela supported The Tea Circle in Brussels by securing sponsorships and exhibitors for the first-ever Brussels Tea Festival. The event was a remarkable success, attracting over 700 attendees and featuring 30 exhibitors from Asia and Europe. WanderlusTea represented two European tea brands at the event, introducing their exceptional teas to Belgian consumers. Belgium’s strategic location—bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—positions it as a hub for future tea events. Lorela is optimistic about the festival’s growth and foresees it becoming an annual highlight for tea enthusiasts and businesses across Europe.
A Global Perspective on Tea
Lorela’s passion for tea has taken her to tea gardens across Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and South Africa. In 2025, she plans to travel to China and Taiwan to deepen her knowledge of Chinese and Taiwanese tea culture and the art of tea brewing. Recognizing China and Taiwan as leading sources of high-quality tea, Lorela aims to foster connections between their producers and the European market.
For tea brands looking to expand into Europe, Lorela emphasizes the importance of comprehensive market analysis, targeted consumer strategies, and thoughtful development plans. Essential steps include crafting compelling brand stories, partnering with reliable distributors, building trust with European consumers, and designing elegant, sustainable packaging.
Lorela Lohan’s journey reflects her unwavering commitment to elevating tea culture and empowering the global tea industry through collaboration, education, and innovation. Whether introducing creative tea pairings or guiding brands into new markets, Lorela continues to build bridges and foster growth in the ever-evolving world of tea.