Why our tea is ethically sourced...
All of our teas are sourced from members of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP). But why did we choose ethically sourced tea?
In short, because it is incredibly important to us that our tea comes from a really good place. One where the people and the communities as a whole are looked after and the environment that the tea is grown in is protected.
We are proud to say that our tea is from tea gardens and tea estates where the farmers and workers receive sustainable wages, have steady employment, access to housing, healthcare and education for them and their families. We know that these are the building blocks that helps to build communities and allow them to flourish.
The ETP works to improve tea sustainability, the lives and livelihoods of tea workers and small-scale farmers. Their aim is to have a thriving tea industry that is socially just and environmentally sustainable. The environmental provisions include soil and water conservation, energy use support and looking at the changing ecosystem including the impact of climate change. This is no small feat yet with social and environmental support, they have improved the lives of over 700,000 people in tea communities*.
A number of our teas can be traced to single estates for example, our Amazing Assam is from the Tarajulie Estate and our Delicious Darjeeling is from the Tukdah Estate, both in northern India. They have seen positive social change as a result of a collective effort to ensure the tea supply chain is fairer and more ethical and this is something that we want to support wholeheartedly.
Another area that the ETP assist with is to help tea producers including smaller estates and farmers to meet international standards and certifications. Very often, the methods used by the tea farmers are very similar to those needed to obtain soil and/or organic certifications.
So, you may ask, why would they not be certified organic? The simple answer can often come down to cost. The expense of getting the certification (that may involve a site visit fee and sometimes an annual renewal fee) often make it un-economical for small-scale farmers. The burden is too much despite the credentials of their methods being spot on.
The ETP put it best when they say:
“Today, our priority is to tackle complex, deep-rooted issues that can’t be addressed sufficiently through certification alone. Building on our pioneering history, we convene tea companies, development agencies, governmental and non-governmental organisations to improve the lives of people in tea communities. We work in partnership to tackle the underlying issues that are holding back the sustainability of the sector.”
So, now you know, we bring you the very best tea from the very best tea estates so that your cup is a cut above the rest!