STiR coffee and tea magazine

18 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 2, 2017 (April/May) ice and cold water over a long period. Ito En says that this "draws out a more nuanced and pure flavor." The new brews include two matcha Love varieties (unsweetened Matcha + Green Tea, and slightly sweetened Lemon Matcha + Green Tea); and two Teas' Tea organic blends (unsweetened pure green tea, and raspberry black tea). Cold brew teas are relatively untested in the US but, says Hoagland, "We just think now's the right time for us to launch a cold brew because the coffee category has really educated consumers about the benefits of cold brew. We want to build on that education and that momentum launching cold brew teas." KENYA Improving Farmers' Lives In late January, the Kenya Tea Develop- ment Agency Management Services (KTDA-MS), Unilever, and IDH (the Sustainable Trade Initiative) marked the conclusion of a collaborative initiative called 'Upscaling and Embedding Sustainability for Smallholder Tea Farmers'. This project has been working to improve the livelihood of thousands of small-scale tea farmers trained in sustainable agricultural practices under a farmer field school (FFS). "Starting off with 700 farmers we have now reached over 85,000 farmers in eight years though FFS, and by integrating the training with Rainforest Alliance certification," said Jordy van Honk, program director tea at IDH. "The project improved the relationship between farmers and KTDA, increased the number of women in leadership capacity, and led to improved nutrition and diversification of FFS farmers, an unprecedented achievement at scale." And Sylvia Ten Den, procurement director Tea Africa at Unilever, added, "The farmer field schools have not only given the farmers the opportunity to learn how to improve tea quality but also delivered social benefits – such as income diversification, health and improved food and nutrition. "It has been a real privilege for Unilever to support such a worthy program that is deeply connected to our sustainable living plan and in particular, our aim to enhance the livelihoods of millions of people in our supply chain and beyond." KTDA will now proceed on its own with the program; with trained farmers now training their fellow growers until more than 560,000 farmers will have been trained in the beneficial practices. Reduced Earnings for KTDA Ongoing dry weather and relatively low world prices mean that Kenya's tea earnings will probably be down for the financial year for 2016/2017. Peter Kanyago, KTDA chairman, explained; "While there are still a few months remaining in the year, there is a slim likelihood that we shall beat last year's record." Kanyago said that farmers and factories were being challenged by high production costs, fluctuating exchange rates and auction prices, reduced individual holdings, and the high cost of credit. He called on KTDA directors to continue farmer education and training, particularly in sustainable agriculture, in order to ensure growth for the future. In recent years, earnings have improved for KTDA and during the 2015/2016 financial year, farmers took home Sh44.72 billion ($4.35 billion) in second payment, an average of Sh36.26 (35-cents) per kilo of green leaf com- pared to Sh27.61 paid out the previous year. But the ongoing drought in Kenya means that production is likely to decrease by around 12% compared to last year's figure. The record high for 2016 was 473 million kg, and estimates for 2017 stand at only 416 m.kg. But Kanyago said, "All 560,000 smallholder farmers working together under KTDA umbrella have given us a lot of leeway in negotiation both locally and globally," said Kanyago. "Fundamentally, through KTDA arrangement, our farmers enjoy econo- mies of scale and shield each other against economic and political shocks." NEPAL Tea Helps Chaurpatal The non-profit Himalayan Homes Trust supports the remote village of Chaurpa- tal Village in Nepal, a region badly affected by the April 2015 earthquake. Funds have been raised in several different ways but one project is to serve and sell Nepalese teas at events held by the trust in the UK. Last year the money raised funded the training of the village community in an earthquake safe method of building known as 'Earthbag Technology'. This provided employment for villagers and hands-on experience in building homes that can withstand natural disasters. The women who set up and run the trust, Jenny Sherpa (whose husband is from Chaurpatal) and her sister Joanne Carrigan, have also recently run a winter clothing appeal which was supported by the parents and children of St. Mary's Catholic Federation, school in Carshalton, London, who donated warm clothing and school uniforms for the village children. Most families in Chaurpatal cannot afford to buy a uniform, so many of the children have to attend school in their Japan Ito En cold brew Kenya reduced earnings Kenya sustainability Nepal Tea helps Chaurpatal

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