Product: JusTea Fair Trade Purple Rain Tea
Price: $15 USD
Cause: Fair Trade
How They Give Back: Providing sustainable work to Kenyan tea farmers
Website: www.justea.com
JusTea is a fair trade brand working with tea farmers in Kenya to provide fresh, artisanal, handcrafted teas. They make a large variety of loose leaf teas including green, black, oolong, herbal, and purple teas. Yes, PURPLE tea!!
Tea is Big Business
As the second most widely consumed beverage in the world (after water), tea production is a multi-billion dollar industry. By 2021, it will be estimated to be worth $44 billion. That’s BILLION. with a B. Like many agriculturally-based industries, the tea industry suffers from low wages, unpredictable pricing, and over-farming. It’s yet another industry in which producers do not benefit from the high profits raked in by corporations.
Most tea farmers in Kenya sell their leaves to tea plantations at very low prices, which perpetuates poverty. JusTea’s founders took notice of the disparity between the physically demanding labor required to produce tea leaves and the low wages tea farmers received. They partnered with small-scale tea farmers in the Nandi Hills of Kenya. Together, they created a factory managed, staffed, and owned by these very farmers. In doing so, they founded the first Kenyan farmer-direct tea brand, which allowed these farmers to have more say over their livelihoods and the products they produce.
JusTea is fair trade certified by Fair Trade Federation, which means it has passed evaluations from third party auditors ensuring producers and workers are paid fairly for their goods and labor. It has been verified by the Non-GMO Project, which indicates that there are no genetically modified organisms in their products.
Who’s Ever Heard of Purple Tea?
What sold me on JusTea was their purple tea. Who’s ever heard of purple tea? Not me! This seemed intriguing, so I bought JusTea’s Purple Rain. Their loose leaf teas come in a reusable tin with a hand carved olive wood spoon. Love that you can re-order pouches and keep using the tin. Upon opening the lid, I immediately smell very strong juicy, tropical, floral notes. Strangely enough, it reminded me of Bubblicious grape bubblegum that I loved when I was a kid. That sounds weird, but I mean it in the best way possible!
Upon steeping a cup, the color is immediately noticeably different. Not neon purple or the color of Grimace from McDonald’s, but unmistakably purply pink. It tastes crisp, fruity, and bright. It’s a bit like tropical sunshine in a cup that can brighten up a dreary winter morning. It also happens to be very low in caffeine, which makes it for the perfect afternoon sip.
Made from purple tea leaves, purple tea is full of the antioxidants called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are the same antioxidants found blueberries, blackberries, beetroot, and pomegranates that give them a blue, purple or red hue. You may have heard that purple foods are good for you, so add this one to your list now!
Support Small Scale Farmers
If you love tea, consider supporting small scale tea farmers directly. Find brands, like JusTea, that partner with these farmers to help create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families. JusTea’s Purple Rain is fantastic for anyone who likes a fruity, bright tea. They have other purple teas including mint, chocolate, and jasmine! If purple isn’t your thing, Justea also carries black, green, oolong, and herbal teas. They have your tea habit covered.
Have I mentioned that purple is my favorite color? Well, now it happens to be my favorite tea too. Nothing makes me happier than finding a great product supporting a great cause.
Looking for more Fair Trade brands? check out the Fair Trade category in the Shop Social Good Directory!