Tea production in Kenya facts for kids
Tea is a very important crop grown in Kenya. It's like a super valuable product that Kenya sells to other countries. In fact, Kenyan tea has been the top earner for the country, bringing in lots of money from abroad.
Most of the tea made in Kenya is black tea. But some companies also make green tea, yellow tea, and white tea if someone orders them specially.
Contents
How Tea Started in Kenya
Tea first came to Kenya in 1903. A person named GWL Caine planted it in an area now called Limuru. Growing tea for business really began in 1924. Malcolm Fyers Bell was sent by a company called Brooke Bonds to set up the first big tea farms.
Since then, Kenya has become a huge producer of black tea. Today, Kenya is the second-largest tea exporter in the world, right after China. Kenyan tea is also one of the top ways Kenya earns money from other countries. Other important earners are tourism, growing flowers and vegetables, and Kenyan coffee.
Managing Tea Farms
The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) helps manage the smaller tea farms. Right now, KTDA has 66 tea factories. These factories serve over 500,000 small farmers. These farmers grow tea on more than 100,000 hectares of land. The KTDA farmers produce over 60% of all tea in Kenya. Big companies produce the rest.
How Tea is Grown
Kenya's tea-growing areas have perfect weather. They have tropical weather and rich, red soil from volcanoes. There's also plenty of rain, usually between 1200 mm and 1400 mm each year. Long, sunny days are also common.
Most of Kenya's tea farms are in the Kenyan Highlands. These areas are on both sides of the Great Rift Valley. One of the biggest tea farms in Africa is the Kericho tea plantation in Kenya. Tea has been grown there since 1924.
Tea is planted on more than 157,720 hectares of land. This produces about 345,817 metric tonnes of tea. Over 325,533 metric tonnes are sent to other countries. Tea is grown in two main ways. There are small family farms called smallholdings or shambas. Then there are large farms run by companies.
Farmers grow special types of tea plants that produce a lot of tea. These plants are strong and grow well in Kenya. The Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) has developed over 49 different kinds of tea plants. No harmful chemicals are used on the tea plants. Farmers regularly add plant food to the soil to keep it healthy.
How Tea is Processed
Most of the tea grown in Kenya is processed using a method called crush, tear, curl. This method makes tea that is good for mixing with other teas. This kind of tea is popular in places like India, Britain, and North America. CTC tea has a consistent taste. It has a strong, bold "tea" flavor. It's often the base for many breakfast teas.
Some higher-quality Kenyan teas are made using older methods. This involves carefully picking the young leaves and buds. These are then dried and allowed to change color and flavor naturally. These "single origin" whole-leaf teas are often very popular.
Big companies are using more machines to pick the green tea leaves. It takes about 4 kilograms of green leaves to make 1 kilogram of finished tea. However, smaller farms may still pick tea by hand. Kenyan teas are often sold in large amounts to companies that mix different teas together. They use Kenyan tea in black breakfast tea blends.
Different Types of Tea Products
When tea is processed, it's sorted into different types, called grades. Here are the main grades:
Leaves and Granules
- BP1: This type is called Broken Pekoe 1. It makes up about 12–14% of all tea produced. It has the largest pieces. The tea made from BP1 is a bit light but has a nice flavor.
- PF1: This is Pekoe Fanning 1. It makes up the biggest part of production, about 58–60%. It has small pieces of black tea and tiny fibers. PF1 is good for tea bags because it brews quickly. It also has a strong flavor and good color.
Fine Particles
- PD: This is Pekoe Dust. It makes up 10–12% of the tea produced. It's often black and finer than PF1. It makes a strong, thick tea with a good smell.
- Dust: This is made of tiny bits of broken leaves. It's used to make strong tea quickly and is popular for tea bags.
- Dust1: These are the smallest particles of tea. They make up about 4–6% of the total production.
Tea Production Numbers
In 2013, Kenya produced 432,400 tonnes of tea. They imported 12,934 tonnes and exported 451,028 tonnes. In 2018, Kenya was the world's largest exporter of black tea. They sold over $1.3 billion worth of tea in packages larger than 3 kilograms.
Selling Tea Around the World
Tea from Kenya is sold at a special public sale called an public auction in Mombasa. In October 2011, the average price for tea at this auction was $3.22 for every kilogram.
Organizations and Research
Different groups and government bodies manage tea in Kenya. They include:
- Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries: This government ministry is in charge of farming.
- Agriculture Fisheries and Food Authority -Tea Directorate: This group manages the tea industry for the government.
- Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA): This agency helps manage the small tea farms.
- East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA): This group helps with tea trading in East and Southern Africa.
- Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK): This foundation does research to improve tea in Kenya.
In 2011, the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) and Egerton University started working together. They wanted to make the tea industry in Kenya stronger. They created school programs to teach about tea. These programs offer different levels of study, including degrees and diplomas. Students can learn about growing and selling tea, and how to process and manage tea.
Images for kids
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Inside the auction house, where etiquette is strict, with ties required for brokers and collared shirts for buyers
