Tea
Camellia’s tea interests span two continents and four countries, Kenya, Malawi, India and Bangladesh. We produce in excess of 90,000 tonnes of tea annually making us the second largest, private tea producer in the world. Our tea companies are well known; Eastern Produce in Kenya and Malawi, Goodricke in India and Duncan Brothers in Bangladesh; businesses that have been in existence for generations. Given our geographic spread we are able to supply our customers with a vast range of teas to suit most requirements. In India we have estates in Dooars, Cachar, Assam and Darjeeling, adding further to customer choice. Our Darjeeling gardens have a global reputation for quality and include such famous names as Margaret’s Hope, Castleton, Thurbo, Badamtam and Barnesbeg. Dooars is also the site of our Instant Tea Plant capable of producing high quality hot and cold soluble product from black or green leaf.
Our management and technical expertise is second to none. Our expertise comes from hard-earned experience and we are immensely proud of the fact that second or third generations working on and managing our estates is not uncommon.
Our range and quality of teas, backed by world-class expertise, is a tradition that will sustain our ability to support our customers into the future.
Customer Value Addition
Over the past decade there has been growth in global demand for Fair Trade tea. In response to this we accredited our factories in Kenya and Malawi as Fair Trade processors and exporters. In Kenya, to ensure smallholders reap the total benefit of the Fair Trade initiative, we established an independent company in which smallholders already own a substantial shareholding. We also provide technical expertise to smallholders. Not only have we been able to support our customers, we have helped to ensure transparent flow of funds into local community projects.
- Small holders are important to us, helping to develop sound relations and stability with surrounding communities and increasing the throughput in our factories
- The small holders Eastern Produce work with have farms varying in size from 0.1 to 500 hectares
- Currently there are 7,819 & 3,700 small holders respectively in Kenya & Malawi supplying leaf to our factories
- 33% & 8% of Green leaf processed in our factories comes from small holders in Kenya & Malawi respectively
- We have small holder Green Leaf Agreements covering quality, business relationships & food safety
Sustainable farming has been the cornerstone of our tea manufacturing operations in pursuit of development and meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Rainforest Alliance certification works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. We commenced working on environmental and social initiatives in 2000. Accreditation by Rainforest Alliance of our tea estates in Kenya, Malawi, Assam, Cachar and Darjeeling is a welcome reinforcement of our sustainable farming practices and we are delighted to be able to offer this to our customers.
With tea estates in Kenya, Malawi, India and Bangladesh and with on-the-ground expertise managing the entire supply chain in these countries, we are uniquely placed to offer blended product solutions. Our customers value this expertise in adding value to their product and facilitating logistics management.