Emrok’s Modern Approach to Orthodox

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Features

The world’s largest tea auction is located in Mombasa and for the first time offers purple, green, and orthodox lots in its weekly auctions this year. Demand for specialty loose leaf teas globally has led a few East Africa producers to add orthodox black, green, and white varieties to their range. Emrok Tea Factory, one of the most modern in Kenya, is attracting a good deal of attention with its prize-winning whole leaf teas.

NANDI HILLS, Kenya

By Jane Pettigrew

At the Gold Medal Tea Competition for specialty teas held in San Antonio, Texas, in 2015 organized by the American Tea Association and the Canadian Tea Association, Kenyan tea makers Emrok Tea’s special finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe 1 (SFTGFOP1) black orthodox tea made from one bud and a leaf was awarded best specialty tea from Kenya. An impressive achievement for a factory in a country where cut, tear, and curl (CTC) black teas have dominated since the 1950s.

Emrok Tea is owned and operated by Robert and Emily Keter, whose family has decades of experience making tea in Kenya, and who were told for years that Kenya would never be able to produce high-grade orthodox teas. But with a state-of-the-art factory, a skilled manager from India, well-plucked leaf, and focused, determined work, the factory is now making a full selection of whole leaf black teas ranging from neat, well-twisted pekoes to SFTGFOP tippy teas with flashes of golden and silver buds. These teas earn between $7 and $55 per kg, as against an average of $2.75 for Kenyan CTC black teas. Given the glut of teabag-type CTC teas on the world market and the low prices fetched by them, the Keters recognized the value of producing quality specialty teas for a growing global market.

Emrok, with its surrounding Ogirgir Tea Estate, is situated in Nandi County in Kenya’s Rift Valley region at an altitude of 6,561 feet (2,000 meters) above sea level where the cool climate and rich volcanic soil is perfect for tea cultivation. Ogirgir was founded in 1960 by Finlay Compell but was sold shortly after to Henry Kenneth Barrows from Tanzania who extended the farm to 1,000 acres planted with clonal cuttings from Tanzania. In 1979 Barrows sold the land, and the estate was sold again in 2002 to the Keters. The new Emrok factory was built in 2012 and is today one of the most modern tea factories in the African region. Of the 1,000 acres, 836 are planted with tea and the remaining area is dedicated to housing with a tea nursery for vegetative propagation amid a forest of eucalyptus. Although the company does not yet have organic certification, the tea is grown organically with no pesticides and Emrok plans to apply for organic certification in the future.

Workings of a modern factory

The fresh leaf that comes into Emrok is grown by a network of approximately 3,000 neighboring smallholder farmers and on Emrok’s Ogirgir estate, where the leaf is harvested by between 300 and 500 pluckers, depending on the season. The farming area is divided into four zones that are overseen by managers who visit the farmers to train them in cultivation and plucking methods and, since Emrok is Rainforest Alliance, ETP (Ethical Tea Partnership) certified, and EU Compliant, to make sure they adhere to the necessary standards.

The tea is all hand-plucked by pickers who are trained to selectively gather only the finest two leaves and a bud, or one leaf and a bud from the special hybrids used for the very tippy SFTGFOP1 grade. When the Keters acquired the business, fresh leaf from the region was being processed at a factory 21 kilometers away and this of course meant that the tea was not in the best condition when it reached the factory gates. Today, the leaf is transported quickly to the factory, where each delivery is carefully examined to make sure that the green leaf is of the required standard. The smallholders sell their leaf to Emrok for an agreed price but also get a bonus from the sale of the made tea. The factory can process between 16,000 and 20,000 kg of fresh leaf a day for orthodox tea or between 60,000 and 80,000 kg for CTC teas.

When designing the Emrok factory, the Keters carefully examined all the essential stages of manufacture and researched suitable machinery that would allow a fully-automated production process and deliver a consistent quality product. The 6,000-sq. ft. factory, which employs 160 people, is only the second in Kenya to house a fully-automated production line. It has a high roof that is lined with foil and is fitted with a cyclone system to ensure perfect temperature control throughout the year. There are two main lines for CTC production and two new orthodox production lines that were added in 2015 and 2016. One is used for the commercial orthodox teas and the other for the top of the range SFTGFOP1 and ‘Purple Mist’, made from purple tea cultivars.

The first stage of the process for both CTC and orthodox teas is withering and, whereas most factories spread the tea out by hand in long troughs and then leave it to evaporate a percentage of its water content in uncontrollable ambient conditions that can vary according to the climate and time of year, Emrok uses an automated bulk withering machine. This allows controlled withering, regardless of climate and ambient humidity and temperature, and ensures consistently bright liquors. The machine is mechanically loaded and holds the leaf for about 14 hours in an enclosed tunnel where the initial process, involving controlled air passage and critical temperature monitoring, achieves the chemical aspects of the leaf’s wither. This is followed by a rapid moisture loss process that achieves a predetermined moisture level in the green leaf. For the CTC teas, the moisture level is reduced to 68% and for orthodox to 58-60%, while shufflers inside the tunnel tumble the leaf to ensure an even wither.

From the withering tunnel, the leaf is passed along conveyor belts to either the CTC cutters or the orthodox rolling machines. Anand Varma, technical consultant for specialty tea manufacture at Emrok, designed the layout, has taught staff aspects of orthodox tea manufacture that they previously did not think were possible, and he oversees the continuous batch processing of the orthodox leaf. Handling of the leaf is kept to a minimum and, after rolling and oxidation, the tea goes into a vibrating fluid bed dryer that has an output of 400kg per hour. Finally, the dry leaf is sorted into 13 different grades by an automated color sorter.

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Emrok’s Modern Approach to Orthodox

Fully automated orthodox manufacturing production line.

Purple tea

As in other parts of Kenya, farmers are now growing the purple cultivar that has been bred for its high levels of antioxidant anthocyanin, a polyphenol found in purple foods such as blueberries, purple sweet potatoes, black grapes red cabbage, and now also in this new tea clone. The ‘purple’ cultivar (TRFK 306) was developed more than 25 years by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) and was released to farmers in 2011. The biggest challenge faced by growers and processors when they first grew it was the very bitter and astringent taste of the tea liquors caused by the high level of polyphenols in the green leaf. Emrok has planted a division of the Ogirgir estate with the cultivar and the factory has a separate section for the processing of the fresh leaf. Purple tea is only made to order since a mainstream market for the new tea is not yet established, and Emrok only produces between 100 kg and 200 kg per day. Robert Keter believes that production of this type of tea is “the way to go to secure Kenya’s tea industry. There is a market for purple tea. It’s particularly well received in Asia.” There is also a growing market for the use of purple tea in ready-to-drink bottled teas. Emrok can use the same equipment to manufacture products for these different markets.

To combat the bitterness in the leaf, Varma has devised a manufacturing process to turn the fresh leaf into a green tea that is more palatable. The harvested leaf is two leaves and a bud, and the fresh shoots must be processed as soon after plucking as possible. Upon arrival into the factory, they are immediately heat-treated in Chinese style inside a rotary panning machine for five minutes at 60-65˚ C. The purpose of this stage is to denature the leaf and stop any enzyme activity so that the leaf stays green; it also reduces the moisture level to between 58% and 62% and makes the leaf flaccid so that it can be more easily rolled and twisted. The panned leaf is cooled and then rolled in the orthodox rollers once or twice for about an hour, and then dried in a tray dryer for 20 - 21 minutes at 110-115˚ C. Finally, the tea is sorted, stalk and fiber are removed, and the tea is packed ready for dispatch.

Finding a market

Come Laguë, Emrok’s director of specialty tea at Emrok, has been responsible for finding customers for the new teas. Whereas the factory had an established market for the CTC black teas for more than two decades, Kenyan orthodox teas were new to customers and needed a concerted program of marketing to find new customers. Laguë began his efforts in the United States by approaching the smaller tea shops and tea rooms who served and sold specialty teas, but this was not easy since many companies are perfectly happy with the list of teas they already offer and are often reluctant to make changes. Gradually he also started approaching larger companies, brokers and wholesalers in the US, Germany, and the UK, made sure the teas were tested, checked and certified to meet pesticide residue levels etc. in the different markets, and gradually connected with buyers in Russia, Dubai, Japan, and Iran, where some customers were already familiar with orthodox Kenyan teas made by the Kenyan Tea Development Agency (KTDA). 

When Emrok teas received two awards in one year (the award for best specialty tea from Kenya mentioned above, and a gold medal for best social sustainability initiative at the 7th North American Tea Conference at Niagara Falls, Canada) Laguë’s job became a little easier, and the success of the teas led to the establishment of some very good relationships around the tea world. The fact that Emrok is happy to deal direct with buyers around the world rather than only sell through the auctions, and the fact that they can assure customers of consistent quality due the factory’s automated, controlled manufacturing system also makes it easier to attract new buyers. Recent visits to World Tea Expo and to the Global Dubai Tea Forum in Dubai, spread the word further, and Lague is now targeting restaurants, hotels, and buyers in the different markets for purple tea, tea extracts, and health and beauty products. The company is also moving towards packing some of the teas in pyramid fuso teabags and to creating value-added flavored blends using locally grown herbs such as mint, and fruits such as passion fruit.

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Emrok’s Modern Approach to Orthodox

New Ngererit Primary School initiative financed construction and school operations from a combination of tea sales and private donations.

The Emrok community

The gold medal received by Emrok in 2015 for best social sustainability initiative highlighted the concern the Keters have for the local community. There is an energetic football team that regularly plays against neighboring communities. And the estate runs a crèche, and the Ngererit Primary School for 4- to 12-year-olds. When the Keters took over the estate, the wood and corrugated iron school building was in a sorry state and Robert, who had himself attended the school as a child, dreamt of providing better facilities. So, with profits from sales of tea and private donations, enough money was raised to build a new school which opened in 2011 for the 400 students, an equal mix of girls and boys. d school had a problem keeping up to date with all the books it needed for teachers and pupils and so, Emrok partnered with Worldreader, a digital ebook system, to provide a solution. Electronic tablets (e-readers) which can be loaded with 100 books selected from a digital library of 40,000 books and training materials in 43 languages, and can be constantly updated were purchased with donations totaling $20,000. The long-term goal is to provide every child with a dedicated World ereader. The school also has computers, helps fund extra tuition for those who need it, and (because the state offers no support) pays school fees for secondary education. And education continues out in the nearby farms to ensure that tea farmers follow best agricultural practices.

The community also has a SACCO (savings and credit co-operative society) which is run like a bank into which workers can pay their savings. This system of licensed saving was established in Africa in the 1970s with the objective of uplifting members’ social economic wellbeing and to offer banking services to its members. Because Emrok is situated within an export processing zone (EPZ), there are tax incentives for the company and savings are channeled into a SACCO for the benefit of the workers. This allows them to make real gains by better utilizing their land in new projects such as the cultivation of herbs and fruits that can be sold back to the factory for use in tea blends, dairy farming, and chicken rearing. As well as providing financial support, SACCO connects growers and farmers with buyers so that the individual families increase their earnings in a long-term sustainable way.

Emrok is more than just a tea estate. It was planned and established by the Keters with efficiency, quality, sustainability, and profitability in mind, with the intention of manufacturing quality specialty teas, but also with the goal of giving employees and the local smallholder farmers a better life in the future.