Tea was first introduced in Kenya in 1903 by GWL Caine and was planted in present-day Limuru. Commercialisation of tea started in 1924 by Malcolm Fyers Bell, who was sent out by Brooke Bonds to start the first commercial estates. Since then the nation has become a major producer of black tea. Currently Kenya is ranked second after China in tea exports. Kenyan tea is also one of the top foreign exchange earners, alongside tourism, horticulture, and Kenyan coffee. The task of managing the small-scale holder lies with the Kenya Tea Development Agency. Currently the KTDA has 66 tea factories serving over 500,000 small-scale farmers cultivating over 100,000 ha. Of all tea produced in Kenya, KTDA members produce over 60% while the rest is produced by large-scale producers.
Labour
In most tea growing regions labor is manual. Tea plucking machines are currently being used by multinationals. Tea production has been reported to make use of child labor according to the U.S. Department of Labor's report on the worst forms of child labor in 2013 and more recently according to the Department's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.
Cultivation
Kenya's tea growing regions are endowed with ideal climate; tropical, volcanic red soils; well distributed rainfall ranging between 1200 mm to 1400mm per annum; long sunny days are some of the climatic features of the tea growing regions. One of the major tea plantation region in Kenya which is among the largest plantation in African which is Kericho tea plantation. It has been grown there since 1924. Tea is planted in an area of over 157,720 hectares, with production of about 345,817 metric tonnes made of tea. Over 325,533 metric tonnes exported. Vegetative propagation of high-yielding, well-adapted clones. Over 49 varieties so far developed by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya. No chemicals are used. Fertilizers are regularly added to replenish soil nutrients.
Processing
Much of the tea grown in Kenya is processed using the crush, tear, curl method, making it suitable for use in blends popular in most black-tea markets, including India, Britain and North America. CTC tea has a homogeneous taste and a strong generic, bold "tea" flavor and is the base of most Indian tea blends as well as a significant portion of breakfast teas. Higher-quality Kenyan teas are processed using traditional methods, and are often highly sought after "single origin" whole-leaf teas. Multinational companies increasingly use automation to pluck the green leaves, though smaller plantation estates may still pluck by hand.
Product
When processing the tea is graded into different grades. the major grades are; Leaves and granules
BP1: Broken Pekoe 1 forms about 12–14% of the total production. It has the largest size. The liquors are a bit light in body but with encouraging flavouring characteristics
PF1: Pekoe Fanning 1. This is about 58–60% and forms the bulk of the production. It is made up of black grainy particles slightly smaller in size than the BP1 grade.
Fngs1 : The mixture has traces of black tea and large amount of smallish cut fibers often sifted out of the primary grades. F1 forms about 3–4% of the production and quite useful in tea bags due to its quick brewing, strong flavor and good color.
Fine particles
PD: Pekoe Dust. It forms 10–12% of the production, often black and finer than the PF1 often with thick liquors and aroma.
Dust: Made up of tiny bits of broken leaf often used to brew strong tea quickly and popular for the tea bags.
Dust1: This is made up of the smallest particles and form about 4–6% of the total production.
Production
Production statistics in 2013:
Item
Value
unit
Production
432,400
tonnes
Import
12,934
tonnes
Export
451,028
tonnes
Stock Variation
85,000
tonnes
Domestic supply
79,306
tonnes
Area harvested
198,600
hectare
Domestic supply = Production + Import - Export + Stock Variation In 2018, Kenya was the world's largest exporter and producer of black tea, with a total export value of USD $1,355,994,000 in packings over 3 kilograms.
International prices
Tea is sold through automated public auction in Mombasa. In October 2011, the average price of the tea at auction was $3.22 per kilogram.
Institution and research
Tea in Kenya is controlled by different institutes and government bodies. They are:
Tea Research Foundation of Kenya : to facilitate tea research in Kenya
In 2011 the TBK and Egerton University entered into a partnership to strengthen tea industry in Kenya. They drafted a curriculum, that will offer undergraduate, post graduate, certificates and diplomas in tea production & marketing and tea processing technology & management.
