STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 35 and the remaining area is dedicated to housing with a tea nursery for vegetative propa- gation amid a forest of eucalyptus. Although the company does not yet have organic certification, the tea is grown organically with no pesticides and Emrok plans to apply for organic certification in the future. Workings of a modern factory The fresh leaf that comes into Emrok is grown by a network of approximately 3,000 neighboring smallholder farmers and on Emrok's Ogirgir estate, where the leaf is har- vested by between 300 and 500 pluckers, depending on the season. The farming area is divided into four zones that are overseen by managers who visit the farmers to train them in cultivation and plucking methods and, since Emrok is Rainforest Alliance, ETP (Ethical Tea Partnership) certified, and EU Compliant, to make sure they adhere to the necessary standards. The tea is all hand-plucked by pickers who are trained to selectively gather only the finest two leaves and a bud, or one leaf and a bud from the special hybrids used for the very tippy SFTGFOP1 grade. When the Keters acquired the business, fresh leaf from the region was being processed at a factory 21 kilometers away and this of course meant that the tea was not in the best condition when it reached the factory gates. Today, the leaf is transported quickly to the factory, where each delivery is carefully examined to make sure that the green leaf is of the required standard. The smallholders sell their leaf to Emrok for an agreed price but also get a bonus from the sale of the made tea. The factory can process between 16,000 and 20,000 kg of fresh leaf a day for orthodox tea or between 60,000 and 80,000 kg for CTC teas. When designing the Emrok factory, the Keters carefully examined all the essential stages of manufacture and re- searched suitable machinery that would allow a fully-automated production process and deliver a consistent quality product. The 6,000-sq. ft. factory, which employs 160 people, is only the second in Kenya to house a fully-automated production line. It has a high roof that is lined with foil and is fitted with a cy- clone system to ensure perfect tempera- ture control throughout the year. There are two main lines for CTC production, and two new orthodox production lines that were added in 2015 and 2016. One is used for the commercial orthodox teas and the other for the top of the range Emrok has mastered growing and processing a full range of specialty teas Emrok teas are hand sorted

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