By Tahira, Annabel and Itzel published on Earth Day 2025
We were three women from different corners of the world — Annabel from Germany, founder of Tea Rebellion; Tahira from Tanzania and Canada, founder of Kazi Yetu; and Itzel, who leads digital marketing for Kazi Yetu. What brought us together wasn’t just tea, but a shared curiosity about sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and creating meaningful social impact. And so, with backpacks, notebooks, and open minds, we set off into rural Tanzania to visit Sakare Specialty Tea Co — a farmer-owned tea company working in partnership with Kazi Yetu.
It was a misty morning as we left Korogwe, winding our way up into the Usambara Mountains. At first, we thought it was fog, but soon realized we were actually driving through clouds — thin, silvery layers suspended in cool air. Each turn of the road took us higher, and the heat of March in Korogwe gave way to a refreshing chill. Along the way, we passed farmers tending to their land, quietly preparing for the coming rains. The energy in the fields felt both peaceful and purposeful.
The landscape was nothing short of breathtaking. Mango and orange trees lined the road, interspersed with sisal, coffee, maize, and vegetables. The region benefits from the rich volcanic soils of Mount Kilimanjaro — you could feel the fertility in every shade of green that surrounded us, from lemongrass light green to minty emerald green to a royal verbena dark green. At one point, all four of us in the car went quiet, just taking in the endless layers of green that seemed to roll on forever.
After about an hour and a half — a quick stop at a waterfall, a few snapshots from mountain viewpoints — we arrived at the Sakare Cooperative tea farm. The land was divided into two tea plots, with a small forest of eucalyptus and acacia trees separating them. A tea nursery stood nearby, and at the edge of the property, an old, abandoned colonial-era house from the 1920s still stood, complete with its original fireplace — a quiet, haunting reminder of Tanzania’s layered history with tea.
The tea itself is Camellia Assamica — a variety that thrives in these tropical, high-altitude conditions with long hours of sunlight and consistent rain. The leaves here grow large and thick, perfect for producing strong, full-bodied tea. As we walked through the fields, birds darted through the treetops and insects buzzed around our feet — clear signs of a living, breathing ecosystem. Biodiversity isn’t just an idea here; it’s audible, visible, tangible.
We climbed up through the trees to reach Field 2, a recently rehabilitated section of the farm. The tea farmers had recently threshed the weeds intertwined in the fields, creating a cover crop and a layer of mulch. This improves soil moisture, protects the earth from erosion, returns the nutrients back into the ground, and prevents snake infestation. This simple, circular practice is just one example of regenerative agriculture in action — using what's already there to heal and replenish the land. It is also a more resilient alternative to chemical herbicides that would have deteriorated the plant and soil.
Down the hill, we watched the women tea pluckers move with ease and precision between the rows. Their baskets were strapped to their backs, and their hands danced across the tea bushes as they chatted quietly. They pluck every two weeks to maintain the ideal “table” shape of the bushes — rotating between fields to give each area time to rest. There's a rhythm to it all — human and environmental cycles overlapping in harmony.
Sakare farm, shaped like a bowl in the valley between the mountains, has also managed the natural water sources to flow softer down through the fields through a plateauing of the middle part of the land. This innovative technique has proven very effective at retaining soil fertility, a key objective of regenerative agriculture as its, reducing any washing away of soil nutrients.
As we stood on the edge of the field, with the sound of laughter from the pluckers behind us and birds overhead, we found ourselves reflecting: what if this is what the future of farming looks like? Not just organic, not just sustainable — but regenerative. A future where soil is nurtured, ecosystems are restored, and farming communities are empowered to lead the way. There's still so much to understand, and many questions we left with. But there’s also a quiet confidence that grows from places like Sakare — a feeling that something better is not only possible, but already taking root.
Want to learn more about regenerative tea farming?
Follow our journey on Instagram @kazi.yetu to meet the people behind your tea and see what’s brewing next.
Follow Annabel’s journey on @tearebellion and learn more about her global initiative, Regenerative Tea Action Project.
Shop our tea from regenerative agriculture!
