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Satemwa Tea Fields and Forest. Credit: Anette Kay – Satemwa (Malawi)
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Satemwa Misty Pluckers. Credit: Anette Kay – Satemwa (Malawi)
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Satemwa Tea Lady. Credit: Anette Kay – Satemwa (Malawi)
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Satemwa Tea Factory. Credit: Anette Kay – Satemwa (Malawi)
By Aravinda Anantharaman
“Nobody has heard of Malawi, let alone Malawi tea,” says Alexander Kay, third generation planter of the Satemwa Tea Estate, Malawi.
Fact is, Malawi is where Africa’s first commercial tea planting began. In 1886, Henry Brown arrived from Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) after failed attempts at coffee farming, to try his luck with tea. Today, Africa ranks fourth among tea producers, with Malawi third, after Kenya and Uganda, in production. The significance of tea to Malawi is export revenue (highest after tobacco), and employment, with about 50,000 people employed by the industry.
As with most of the colonial plantation countries, tea production in Malawi began with orthodox tea, and CTC (cut-tear-curl) took over in the 1970s. Malawi became a CTC producer, exporting almost its entire production, which became part of the blended black tea packed in Europe. And as happens with large-scale blending, the origin and its unique flavors are lost. What Malawi’s tea stood for was anybody’s guess.
However, the winds of change that have been sweeping across the world have also been blowing in Malawi. Globally, orthodox and specialty tea production has been slowly gaining ground, as more producers are carving a space for it. Volumes still remain small but, as Kay says, “The impact that orthodox and specialty tea can have on standards of living in Malawi is high. CTC is very competitive, and it’s about scale. The way we see it, tea is an important job creator, and will be for the next 20 years. We need them to be good jobs. Specialty tea can do that. For us, that’s a big part of what we can do, the difference we can make.”
In 2006-07, Kay bought some orthodox machines for Satemwa. Subsequently, experiments began with cultivars, processing techniques, withering times, oxidation temperatures, and drying circles — not to mention hours spent tasting tea. One of the last family-owned tea gardens in the Shire Highlands, Satemwa was started by Kay’s grandfather, Maclean Kay, in 1923. Alexander’s decision to revive orthodox tea production is part of a larger plan to have more revenue sources to sustain the estate. This includes tea tourism, a concept that has seen reasonable success in several tea-growing regions across the world.
“The relevance of CTC is decreasing,” says Kay. Orthodox and specialty tea offer the opportunity for high value despite low volume. The focus shifts on craft and quality, both of which are growing in interest among tea drinkers, irrespective of geography. Kay also speaks about China with its tens of thousands of tea makers. “That’s what is missing here,” he says, calling it the “democracy of tea” where every tea maker, big or small, can add value and create a quality product. At Satemwa, Kay has chosen to create a unique Malawian tea range, rather than recreate flavors of other famous teas. The estate has old chinary bushes and also assamica. There are a lot of hybrid cultivars, developed by the Malawi Tea Research Foundation, offering the Satemwa team a variety of plant types to choose from.
Initially, says Kay, people were surprised by the teas they were making. The tea range that began with orthodox black tea expanded to green, white, smoked, pu-erh style, and an oolong. But what makes it an uphill task is that buyers are not really looking for orthodox Malawi tea; few know that there is this category. At the moment, Satemwa is the only estate in Malawi producing orthodox tea. Auctions, which are mainstays for CTC sales, are not the avenue for orthodox and specialty tea distribution. Tech offers an option, with e-commerce allowing producers to connect directly with customers.
In 2015, Satemwa set up its own direct trade office in Europe. Located in Belgium, the office makes it easy for customers and resellers to buy small or big lots directly, and at an affordable price. The office focuses on building a market for Satemwa and Malawi teas. Among its customers include chefs Rene Redzepi, who serves Satemwa at Noma 2.0. The story of Satemwa and Malawi is very much a part of the conversation in building a market. “Being able to tell the stories is so important,” says Kay, echoing a need expressed often by producers of specialty tea.
A part of this story is invariably about the sustainability of the tea estate. As customers world over seek produce from origin, traceability, fair wages, and biodiversity protection are two areas that come up. With specialty tea production, better wages for a better tea offers almost immediate impact. Satemwa channels its social media to showcase these stories of their farm, produce, and people. A school on the estate serves close to 1,000 children, while a fully equipped clinic is available for medical services. One of the initiatives has been in bamboo cultivation for fuel and timber, in an attempt to protect forest cover.
In 2015, the Malawi Tea 2020 program was launched as a multi-stakeholder initiative to revitalize the country’s tea industry. It was driven by Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) and included The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), certification bodies like UTZ and Rainforest Alliance, and the Tea Association of Malawi, among others. All the stakeholders have come together, to work cohesively. As a leader in adopting certifications, Satemwa has been closely involved with the project. “Gender policies, training, and awareness aside, the program is also about making buyers aware of the economics and challenges that producers face. There is a big knowledge gap.” says Kay, adding the need for a new pricing model.” Climate change is also part of the conversation as hotter days and erratic rainfall patterns are common, and maintaining productivity in these conditions is already a growing challenge.
“Tea is a long term business,” says Kay. “At a minimum, we are thinking at least 10 years ahead.” Clearly, there’s a lot of work to do. “Tea from Malawi” is a conversation starter, as a less famous tea region but with its own legacy, history and stories — and now, innovation. As Kay and the Satemwa team continue in their endeavors to establish the Malawi orthodox and specialty tea category, there’s a lot riding on them — their success will offer an important roadmap for Malawi’s tea industry.
Satemwa at a glance
- Founded in 1923 by Maclean Kay
- Location: The Shire Highlands in Thyolo
- Altitude: 950-1200 m above sea level
- Area under tea cultivation: 900 ha
- Production: 2500 MT of CTC and 20-35 MT of orthodox teas & herbs
- Harvest seasons: September through to mid-October makes light aromatic tea December to March is the CTC season, Mid-February onwards is the traditional second flush, for quality black orthodox teas. May through July is cool and moist and suited for white tea making
- People employed: 1850 during low season, going up to 2000 in peak season
- Certifications: Fairtrade (first tea estate in Malawi) and Rainforest Alliance (one of two estates in Malawi)