• JDE Peet’s Will Withdraw Global Tea and Coffee Brands from Russian Market

    Dr. Roshan Rajadurai
    Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Dr. Roshan Rajadurai addresses the International Plantations Sustainability Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka
    Tea News for the week ending Aug 4

    | Sustainable Practices are Correlated to Brand Loyalty
    | JDE Peet’s Will Halt Sales of its Best-Known Tea Brands in Russia
    | The UN Global Peace Council Honors WomenServe Founder Nioma Narissa Sadler

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    Hear the Headlines | Seven-minute Tea News Recap

    The recently concluded International Plantations Sustainability Summit hosted by The World of Hayleys in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last week encouraged tea professionals to visualize “Reimagined | Redesigned | Resilient” large-scale tea plantations in Sri Lanka and beyond. Forum attendees, at the invitation of Hayleys Plantations Managing Director, Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, forged new pathways for collaboration and integration of Sustainable Development Goals into modern plantation strategies. 

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    Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Dr. Roshan Rajadurai with Anuruddha Gamage, General Manager of Human Relations & Corporate Sustainability at Kelani Valley Plantations

    Forum Offers Long-term Solutions for Tea Plantations

    By Rasika Galhena | PMD Tea

    Anuruddha Gamage, the General Manager of Human Relations & Corporate Sustainability at Kelani Valley Plantations, spent the past two years identifying ways to integrate the BIO (Biosphere), GEO (Geosphere), SOCIO (Social), and ECONO (Economy) elements of sustainable tea. Participants, drawn from government, academia, NGOs, and research institutes, met in pre-summit workshops to identify the unique, sustainable factors that define the long-term solutions for current challenges. He reports that climate change was top of mind.

    As the architect of the summit, Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Dr. Roshan Rajadurai seized what he called “a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders to share best practices and drive long-term change.”

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  • Trustea Celebrates 10th Anniversary

    Sr. Manager Assurance, Anandita Ray Mukherjee
    Sr. Manager (System Assurance) Anandita Ray Mukherjee listens to women workers at a trustea member tea garden.
    Tea News for the week ending July 28

    | Kenya’s KTDA Chair Resigns Following Tea Reforms Conference
    | Nestle Announces Cost-Effective Sugar Reduction Technology
    | AriZona Unveils a Hard Iced Tea – Monster Tea is Next

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    Hear the Headlines | Seven-Minute Tea News Recap

    Trustea was launched in 2013 by tea industry stakeholders, and producers determined to elevate the quality of India’s domestic tea. Today 65% of the tea produced in India adheres to the trustea Code. This month, trustea celebrates ten years of service, improving the competitiveness of tea gardens by positively influencing the practices and scale of production, farm organization, processing, new technologies, and supply chain development. We invited Rajesh Bhuyan, Director of the trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation, to describe’s trustea’s impact and plans for the decade ahead, including a Seal on Pack label to inform consumers of brand compliance with the code.

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    Rajesh Bhuyan, trustea

    KTDA David Ichoho Withdraws Lawsuit Alleging His Resignation Was Forced

    By Dan Bolton

    The reason for the abrupt resignation of Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) chairman David Muni Ichoho effective July 14, remains a matter of speculation.

    Ichoho submitted a one-sentence handwritten letter of resignation on July 13, shortly after the conclusion of a Tea Reforms Conference chaired by Kenya Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. No reason was cited. Ichoho was elected to the post two years ago and awarded a contract that expires in June 2024.

    Ichoho immediately filed a lawsuit alleging he was coerced to resign. Several KTDA board members, the agency’s secretary, and CEO, joined the suit supporting Ichoho.  The Kiambu tea factory directors called the ouster an “unprocedural dethronement.” The High Court agreed and temporarily barred the suspension of his contract.

    Enos Njiru Njeru was named Chairman the following Monday.

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