Kenya is one of the oldest African tea producers. The evolution
of the Kenyan tea industry dates back to 1903 when C S L Caine
imported tea seeds from India and began to produce quality
tea on a 'tea-farm' two acres in size. The cultivation of
tea thus spread rapidly in Kenya and by 1928 Kenya was shipping
tea, albeit of modest quantity, for sale at the London auction.
The emergence of Kenya and East Africa as a major tea-producing
hub over the last thirty years has been a major development
in the Tea Industry worldwide. Today Kenya has emerged to
be the fourth largest tea producing nation thus contributing
8% of the global tea production.
Economic Significance
of Kenyian Tea Industry
Kenya is also the second largest tea exporter with a market
share of 19%Kenya is a very fertile country and its climate
is such that tea can be picked all year round. Tea is grown
on highland areas to the east and the west of the Rift valley.
Around 50% of the crop is produced on shambas or small holdings,
and estates under the auspices of the Kenya Tea Development
Authority.
Kenya teas are very bright and colourful - easily perceptible
from their Asian counterparts,- with a reddish or coppery tint
and a flavour which is pleasantly brisk.
General Information
Location
Eastern Africa,
bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania
Total Area
582,650 sq
km
Population
30,800,000
Currency
KenyanShilling
(KES)
Capital
Nairobi
Languages
English (official),
Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
30,800,000