A PROUD MEMBER OF THE ETHICAL TEA PARTNERSHIP
A NOT FOR PROFIT MEMBERSHIP ORGANISATION DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TEA PRODUCTION
GROWING TEA WITH CARE
One of our guiding principles is to work closely with tea estates to grow, process, and create unique teas. An integral part of this process is looking after the people, land, and environment which provide us with our teas. In becoming a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), we felt that we could help shape and influence the tea industry on a far larger scale, working with an organisation that shares our core philosophy, works at the estate level, and whose vision is to create a thriving tea industry that is socially just and environmentally sustainable.
PEOPLE
Good conditions. Fair treatment. The ETP help to make sure that workers are treated well and fairly in terms of equal opportunities and the working environment.
• Ensuring workers are treated fairly and that good employment practices are in place
• Promoting equal employment opportunities for men and women
HEALTH & QUALITY
The ETP help to improve working conditions on tea estates and at tea processing factories by
• Making factories better, safer, healthier places to work
• Preventing harm to the environment by improving pest management controls
SUSTAINABILITY
The ETP help producers and workers protect wildlife and the environment, and prepare for the effects of climate change.
• Training on soil and water management and conservation
• Implementing programmes to minimise the effects that climate change could have on tea production
ESTATE SPOTLIGHT: LUMBINI
The Lumbini estate in Sri Lanka is an example of the work being done to promote worker welfare. Two programs which resonate with us are the educational scholarship program to send children of tea estate workers on to higher education, and the annual staff outing, where every employee from the estate goes on holiday together for three to four days, funded by the estate. The programs are effective in creating a framework of merit and value, and the positive feeling is reflected throughout the garden. The level of care and focus is clearly evident in each cup of our Rainforest Lumbini, which has been a benchmark for quality and consistency since we first created it together in 2010.
