Ginger. Extremely strong on the nose and taste buds, you can feel its sharp, fiery effect not only on your palate but also in your body. It awakens you, grounds you, and heals you.
It’s that good, which is why it’s found in four of our blends: Zanzibar Chai, Ginger Mint Fusion, Hibiscus Star, Citrus Verbena.
But our ginger in Tanzania does not have just one flavor profile. It’s wild. Some batches are naturally sweeter, while others have a spicier kick. The difference lies in the season and location – we work with farmers in the south (around Mbeya) during off-seasons and with farmers in the north (Tanga and Morogoro) during the peak harvests. Each area gives the ginger its own characteristics, shaped by rainfall, soil, and sun.
I remember the first time we met the farmers in Bumbuli. We were visiting with CARE International under our “Her Money, Her Life” project, exploring how CARE could establish Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) with farmers who might one day supply Kazi Yetu.
We parked our four-wheel drive at the base of a mountain and trekked up to the village center, where a group of farmers waited for us. We had come to talk about herbs, such as peppermint, lemongrass, and lemon verbena. But before we even reached the top, we started to notice long stretches of spiky green leaves along the path.
“Is that lemongrass? Elephant grass?” we asked.
The farmers smiled. “No, that’s ginger.”
When we asked where they sold it, they told us: “We wait for traders to come up here to buy it from us.” They explained how uncertain it was - traders didn’t always show up, and when they did, they set the prices. There was no reliability, no consistency, and no bargaining power. The farmers couldn’t carry the heavy sacks down the mountain easily, so when no buyers came, the ginger would sit and mould.
Standing there, surrounded by the sharp scent of fresh ginger and the green slopes of Bumbuli, I thought, this is a gold mine. Not the kind that glitters, but one that grows. To some, treasure looks like piles of coins or bars of gold. To us, treasure is in the soil, in ingredients like this ginger, and in the livelihoods that grow with it.
So we began.
We set up demonstration plots, trained the farmers on regenerative and organic agriculture, and taught them how to make their own compost from crop waste and livestock manure. We introduced solar dryers to help them process the ginger hygienically and efficiently, preventing spoilage and adding value locally.
Today, that same ginger from the mountains of Bumbuli has become one of our most loved and flavorful ingredients. When you sip one of our teas - Zanzibar Chai, Ginger Mint Fusion, Hibiscus Star, Citrus Verbena - you’re tasting more than just spice. You’re tasting the story of that mountain, those farmers, and the soil that sustains them.
What makes our ginger truly special, though, is the way it’s grown. It thrives through regenerative agriculture, beneath avocado trees and spice trees - cardamom and cinnamon - in rich, shaded soils that stay moist and alive year-round. These intercropped systems mimic natural agro-forests, protecting the soil from erosion, feeding it with organic matter from falling leaves, and creating a microclimate that lets biodiversity flourish.
It’s a flavor that’s alive - sharp, real, and rooted in regeneration.
Try our wildly delicious ginger-infused blends!
