By Antynet Ford
A Kirinyagi cooperative producing over 10 tonnes every week of uncommon purple tea throughout peak season is now focusing on gross sales to Zimbabwe, with its high-health Kipute Gold tea model, while spurning exports to the US, Europe and Center East as restrictive and diminishing.
The 150 members of the Kirinyaga Purple Tea Cooperative collectively farm greater than 30 acres of high-earning purple tea, which is way more worthwhile than conventional inexperienced tea. The coop is promoting every kilogramme of processed purple tea at Sh2,000, as a result of its medicinal worth. mentioned the founder and secretary Mbugua Wangari.
Purple tea is wealthy in anthocyanin, a robust antioxidant that helps chase away power illnesses, though restricted consciousness continues to have an effect on home uptake.
The Kirinyaga farmers began rising purple tea in 2014, however the tea authorities in had been initially reluctant to grant them a licence to start manufacturing, mentioned Mbugua
However in 2018, they started working with a processing associate. The out-growers now accumulate and ship their purple tea leaves to Gatanga Industries in Murang’a, which processes and packages the tea on their behalf.
“Gatanga industries additionally labels the tea for us and is ready to ship to us a completed product prepared for the market,” mentioned Mbugua.
With its industrial model Kipute Gold, quick for Kirinyaga Purple Tea Gold, the cooperative is now producing over 10,000 kilograms of purple tea per week throughout the peak season throughout and after the rains, which is when the standard of the brand new leaves is highest.
“Should you come to the farms presently, we’re not choosing purple tea as a result of it is extremely sunny. The season begins round March when the wet season begins. In every week, we a minimum of ship over ten thousand kilograms of tea to Gatanga industries the place the processing and the packaging is finished.”
The cooperative can also be now engaged on bettering its branding forward of regional growth.
“Earlier than the season begins in March, we will have rebranded our packaging. That is simply to draw extra prospects available in the market. We’re additionally wanting into getting extra prospects in Africa.”
“Advertising and marketing purple tea within the nation is a giant problem however we’re educating our folks on the advantages of the tea and the outcomes are encouraging.” However the cooperative will not be taken with exporting past Africa.
“I at all times really feel just like the export market is difficult to entry due to the restrictions, particularly the UK, the place you need to be licensed earlier than promoting. Right here within the nation and round Kirinyaga, folks know the advantage of purple tea by the schooling that we give by our farmers within the cooperative they usually purchase.”
“In future we’re wanting into exporting simply in Africa. We’re not taken with Europe, the USA or Center East. We wish to promote to Africans first. Within the USA, for instance, once we meet with folks from there, and provides them free samples, they by no means give suggestions or contacts for markets in future. That’s what makes it arduous for us to entry the market there.”
The coop is presently focusing on Zimbabwe, though it’s but to safe a market there.
To scale back manufacturing prices, it plans to accumulate its personal small processing machines, and already covers all the prices of transport, processing, laboratory companies and electrical energy. However advertising and marketing stays a problem.
Kirinyaga and Murang’a is thought for high quality soils and beneficial weather conditions, mentioned Mbugua, however comparable situations exist in different components of the nation too, and the Tea Directorate might be supporting advertising and marketing efforts. Nonetheless, it’s not.
