Organic and non-organic teas… What does it all means?

Below, we explain some of the reasoning behind DAMMANN Frères' choices.

Our buyers and our quality department:

Our purchasers and quality assurance team are sourcing experts, responsible for the sanitary and organoleptic quality of our products.

Our purchasers are 100% dedicated to finding the best quality (origins, crus and suppliers) throughout the world for all the Teas & Plant Infusions found in the catalogue.

Their jobs require special skills and training gained through many years of experience and time spent in the field. They must work both upstream and downstream of the sector, using a rigorous selection procedure for our raw ingredients and suppliers.

They must ensure the highest organoleptic quality possible for our products (taste, leaf quality), which are essential ingredients for DAMMANN Frères, and, with the support of our quality assurance team, meet our food safety standards (traceability and respect of sanitary standards).

For many years, our quality and management system has enabled us to establish a control plan that guarantees the quality and safety of our products at every stage of the process.

Rigorous Selection of Suppliers:

Suppliers are pre-selected using our assessment grid.

A set of specifications sets out the regulatory requirements required of suppliers, as well as DAMMANN Frères' own requirements.

Certified suppliers and service providers are chosen as a priority. They are regularly audited on-site (plantations, factories, etc.), and assessed and ranked every year.

To manage supply, orders are made only from suppliers that have completed the entire selection process.

Strict and reliable control and surveillance measures:

Each batch received is analyzed at its source before loading to check for pesticides (all sources) and radioactivity (Japan). Only batches that meet European standards are shipped.

However, our own criteria are even stricter, going beyond the recommendations of the tea workers union (which recommends a simple control plan). Once received, every batch of plant infusions is analyzed again by independent and certified laboratories upon arrival at our warehouse (even though customs laboratories have already carried out controls at European boarder).

After the results have been confirmed, our purchasers and quality assurance team release the raw ingredients so that visual and organoleptic checks can be carried out.

Food contact suitability tests and migration tests are also carried out on all accessories and packaging material that comes into contact with food products.

DAMMANN Frères scrupulously ensures the compliance with regulations for all products referenced and sold in all networks and continually monitors regulations.

The production process - an operations-based structure:

All products are packaged by DAMMANN Frères in our factory in Dreux. The entire production workforce receives ongoing training on hygiene, quality practices, safety measures and crisis management. Specific training is given on ensuring the absence of foreign bodies throughout the process - in our product unit, our suppliers and during transport.

Every day, factory workers carry out manual sorting of at-risk ingredients and systematically remove dust from the tea.

(For 1,000 tons of tea released, 7 tons are rejected).

Our traceability system is extremely effective and constantly being improved.

Our raw ingredients are guaranteed to be GMO-free and our site allergen-free.

Organic products, natural products and conventional products:

What’s the difference?

"Organic" products are certified products that comply with the framework of the European regulation (CE) no.889/2008. Some certifying organizations in various countries in the EU may nonetheless differ in terms of their pesticide detection processes.

"Natural" products are products produced only by nature.

"DAMMANN Frères brand" products are products that strictly comply with all regulations in force, with, in most cases, additional requirements made by Dammann Frères in its specifications and checks.

They are products produced at DAMMANN Frères which offer all the guarantees consumers need in terms of food safety and organoleptic quality.