Rona Tison
itoen.com
After a brief career in hotel and retail management, Rona Tison transitioned to the world of tea, where she made her mark not only as an innovator, but also as an inspiration to women, having achieved success in a prominent position in the corporate sector. Half-Japanese, Rona was born and raised in Japan until the age of 13, where she learned the nation’s culture and language, which unknowingly prepared her for a career in tea. As executive vice president of ITO EN (North America) Inc.—a beverage company known for its line of green tea products—she played an important part in creating and marketing award-winning tea lines, such as Matcha Love, Teas’ Tea Organic, and Oi Ocha (Japan’s no. 1 green tea). Together, these brands have evolved the now-popular matcha and green tea trend nationwide. In 2017, Rona earned the John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Tea Expo, making her the first and only woman to date to receive the honor.
I look forward to each issue of TeaTime. Each issue is colorful, creative, and inspiring in addition to being about tea which I adore. Thank you‼️