While sipping your tea, have you ever wondered where it comes from? How it was planted, processed and packaged? Who the people are behind the harvesting and blending? In our daily life we consume countless goods without knowing anything about their origins.
At Kazi Yetu we believe that consumers should be curious about the journey of the products they buy. Therefore, we want to take a minute and tell you some things you may not know about our Tanzania Tea Collection.
In the meantime, you might want to put the kettle on the stove…
A new kind of Tea Trade
Did you know that agricultural products that are exported from African countries are often processed, packaged and branded abroad? This minimizes the economic benefit in the country of origin, even though every processing step from the field to the end-consumer could in fact mean additional jobs and higher profits.
With our brand Tanzania Tea Collection we want to change this. We believe in a redistribution of economic gain to Africa by manufacturing finished goods in Tanzania. Therefore, all of our tea blends are 100% sourced, blended and packaged in Tanzania. Around 68% of the final product brings direct jobs to Tanzania, whereas conventional tea brands often only purchase the raw products in Tanzania.
Local Value Addition
We source our ingredients from over 2,000 farmers whom we pay a premium price. We are constantly looking for opportunities to increase the value addition on the farmer level. We have invested, for instance, in a solar dryer on a credit basis with one of our herb suppliers. Producing herbs with a higher quality allows the farmer to sell them for a higher price.
In our all-women factory in Dar es Salaam, we currently employ 13 factory workers, one Sales Manager and one Operations Manager, creating valuable job opportunities for women across skill sets.
Sustainability
When it comes to the production process of our tea blends, we try to be as resource-saving and eco-friendly as possible. That is why we source all of our ingredients from farms and cooperatives that follow organic agriculture principles. In this way, we ensure that our teas are all natural and healthy. Due to the small size of some suppliers, not all of them are officially organic-certified yet according to certain European certificates – but we are working on that as we grow together.
We also put a focus on sustainable packaging material. Our pyramid tea bags are made out of corn starch, making them biodegradable. The retail tubes are made out of cardboard and are perfect for creative upcycling projects. Our customers tell us that they reuse our tins and tubes for everything from paint brush holders to sugar pots!
Traceability from farm to cup
We believe that consumers have the right to trace their products back to their source, knowing how their purchases have positive impact on society and the environment. We are currently developing a transparent supply chain model, which you will find on our website – stay tuned for updates.
If you want to be part of our journey transforming tea trade, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook, sign up for our newsletter (link below!) and tell your friends about us!
This blog was written by Katharina, who is working as a marketing & sales consultant for Kazi Yetu Germany. Katharina spent time in Tanzania doing communications work for one of Kazi Yetu´s suppliers. Through her work she ended up meeting the team of Kazi Yetu, got addicted to the tea and started supporting Kazi Yetu entering the European market. For any questions, reach out to Katharina on hello@kazi-yetu.com!
