The management of the Kiru Tea factory in Mathioya, Murang’a County, has said the factory is now focusing on strengthening direct markets for their tea.
Kiru Chairman, Chege Kirundi, speaking during a tour of the factory when he hosted tea buyers from the United Kingdom and members of Ethical Tea Partnerships (ETP), said that partnering with the buyers and ETP is the way to go as part of the factory’s strategy to focus on marketing.
The chairman, who noted that the factory intends to move over 25 percent of their production to orthodox tea, took the buyers on a tour of the factory, where they were shown the capacity of the factory and the measures put in place to increase tea production.
“We have achieved our production goals, and now we are going to focus on marketing.” He said.
“We have an oversupply of tea, and now is the time for us to particularise the segment we want to deal with.” Kirundi added.
He noted that the UK is one of the best buyers of their premium tea and therefore a market the factory cannot afford to lose.
He stated that the partnership with the buyers from the UK and other countries has been ongoing, affirming the intentions to deepen it.
“We are pleased to have people we can deal with, especially when opening up channels for marketing our tea.” He said.
Kirundi said that direct interactions with buyers should be encouraged, as factories should focus on where their money comes, and he noted that these partnerships benefit the people.
“I call upon all Kenyan farmers to continue growing tea as more markets for their produce are opening up,” he said.
Money from every kilo that we sell to the UK goes directly to our farmers and therefore benefits their families.” He added.
He called upon the government to negotiate for better treaties and tariffs between Kenya and other governments in order to make trade easier for both buyers and sellers.
The Interim Executive Director of ETP, Martin Short, said the membership-based organisation is interested in eradicating poverty, access to services, deforestation, and human rights.
“We are here to listen and understand the complexities of the supply chain so as to know what we can do to make the efficiency of the supply chain better.” Short said.
“We are happy to see this factory expand to production of orthodox tea in the coming weeks.” He added.
He explained that ETP is not a direct buyer of tea; however, they channel money from members such as the British and German governments to mitigate any challenges in the supply chain.
The Managing Director of Taylors of Harrogate, Andy Brown, on his part, said the tea packers from the UK have Kenyan tea as the largest constituent of their popular brand Yorkshire tea.
He noted the Kenyan tea they use is mostly sourced from the Kenya Tea Development Agency and divulged that they have purchased over 8 million kilos of tea over the course of this year.
“The teas from Kenya are popular for their flavour profile and the brightness they bring to Yorkshire tea.” Brown said.
He said that his organisation likes to work with people who have sustainable business models, and the visit to Kiru has enabled them to see the work the factory is doing on the environment and the work towards carbon-neutral tea.
“UK tea consumers are keen on ensuring tea is environmentally friendly and socially friendly by taking care of the environment and of farmers.” He said.
The factory management hopes to partner with more direct buyers in a bid to ensure the farmers operate in a friendly environment which is sustainable and improves their earnings.
By Purity Mugo