On the 21st May, the world celebrates the International Tea Day. The history of tea dates back to 2737 BC when a Chinese herbalist named Emperor Shen Nung accidentally found that leaves from a certain plant of his garden when accidentally mixed in hot water creates something drinking worthy. And then in the 1700’s, a Dutch ship took tea leaves from China to Europe, and then from England to the rest of the world. In Rwanda, tea was introduced in 1950s by missionaries.
What contributes to the uniqueness of Rwandan tea is that its growing regions are endowed with ideal climate; tropical, volcanic soils and well distributed rainfall ranging between 1200 mm to 1400mm per annum. It is planted on hill sides at high altitude (between 1,900 and 2,500m), and on well drained marshes at an altitude between 1,550 and 1,800m.
Higher-quality Rwandan teas are processed using traditional methods, like picking of the tender leaves and bud cyclically, hence being allowed to dry and be "fermented" by enzymes. They are the often highly sought after "single origin" whole-leaf teas. The tea sector consists of 18 tea factories, with an annual production volume of over 30,000 metric tons of dry tea. The area under tea cultivation is approximately 26,000 hectares.
In the last fiscal year (2019-2020), the country exported 32,634,886Kg of made teas which gained USD93,652,438. Among major importers of Rwanda Tea, Pakistan is the leading country, followed by Egypt, UK, Kazakhstan, Sudan and Russia.
Rwanda Tea is sold under a national brand: “Rwanda Tea – A Natural Reawakening.” It encapsulates the identity of Rwandan tea industry, uniqueness and values and its credibility worldwide.
We hail the good work of more than 46,000 Rwandan tea farmers and thousands of hardworking men and women, who tirelessly do the very best to keep Rwanda Tea quality superior to others. Your continuous efforts will always make Rwanda proud of you!
Our heartfelt appreciation also goes to our most valued buyers. We shall continuously ensure consistency in the quality of our made teas.