Tea

90% of the Western tea market is controlled by 7 conventional transnational corporations. These companies dominate the many steps along tea's supply chain - from harvest to distribution. Fair Trade has been providing an alternative for the past decade.

Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world after water. Although tea has been popular in China for thousands of years, it didn’t become a major global commodity until the 17th century. By the 19th century, the British had developed such a taste for tea that they established plantations in colonial India and Sri Lanka to better control their access to the plant.

Today, tea is grown on 2.5 million hectares of land in Asia and Africa, mostly on the large plantations that were originally established by the British Empire. China and India are by far the biggest producers of tea in the world, but the majority of the tea they produce is consumed locally. In 2003, Kenya was the biggest tea exporter in the world, surpassing China by over 30,000 tons.

                                                         Photo by Eric St. Pierre

Fancy a cuppa?

The tea sector is dominated by a few companies; on the conventional market tea is sold to the highest bidder. A system of auctions regulates this market. Prices vary greatly depending on the quality and type of tea, production methods used, and geographic origin.

In the last thirty years, producers have seen their incomes fall by one half; there have been large downward trends in the past five years. In this volatile environment, working conditions, especially those on plantations, is worsening.

Tea is primarily grown on plantations, although the presence of smallholder tea growers has been increasing over the past decade. Although plantations are very efficient for producing large quantities of tea, there are numerous problems associated with this mode of production. They include low wages, poor working conditions, and environmental degradation.

Conventional tea production is also characterized by a gendered division of labour. Women typically work in the fields while the men supervise. In addition, women frequently work longer hours than men for the same wages.

The production of tea is not spared by climate change. Rises in global temperatures have had a negative impact on tea trees. Drought has also had a major impact; Kenya and Sri Lanka’s production decreased by over 5% in 2008.

Brewing Fair Trade

Fair Trade Certified tea meets the international standards set by the umbrella body Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). It is purchased directly from plantations, or co-operatives of small producers, who practice sustainable farming methods. The price paid for tea must cover the costs of production and offer a premium of US$0.50 to US$1 a kilo, depending on the processing method.

Standards for Tea Plantations:

• A committee,  called a Joint Body, composed of workers’ representatives and representatives of the management, is made responsible for the management of the Fair Trade premium money.
• Forced labour and child labour of children under 15 years old is prohibited. Children aged 15 and above cannot  work if it could compromise their health or education.
• Workers have a right to establish or join an independent union, elect their advisors and design their own programs.
• Salaries should be equal or higher than the regional average or than the minimum wage in effect. 
• Health and safety measures should be established in order to avoid work injuries.

Standards for small farmers’ tea organizations also guarantee that:

• Profits generated by Fair Trade sales should be equally distributed among producer members.
• All members have a voice in the decision-making process and in the group organization. Small producer organizations should manage the Fair Trade premium democratically and reinvest it according to community needs.

                                                        Photo by Eric St. Pierre

It's all from the same plant?

Tea is a shrub that grows in the humid tropics and subtropics. Whether green, black, white, yellow, or blue, all teas come from the same plant: Camellia Sinensis. The exception is Rooibos red tea, which is from a different tree.

All teas are obtained after different treatments of leaves and buds. These treatments involve wilting, rolling, screening, fermentation, roasting, and drying. The same tea leaves can give a different product by fermentation method chosen. There are 3 main categories of tea:

1. Green tea, unfermented
2. Black tea, fermented after picking
3. Oolong tea, semi-fermented

Technically, only beverages containing Camillia Synensis are classified as “tea.” The term “herbal tea” generally refers to an infusion or a tisane of herbs or fruit. White teas are made from tea leaf buds which are completely covered with white hairs, and are only allowed to oxidize slightly.

The processing of tea leaves begins within 36 hours after harvest. Tea is produced using either the Crush-Tear-Curl (CTC) or orthodox methods. CTC describes the machinery which mechanically chops up leaves, buds and stems from the plant to create a finely ground tea that is mostly used in tea bags. The orthodox method is much more labour intensive, since it involves the selection of high quality leaves and buds. Teas produced using orthodox methods are usually loose, rather than in tea bags.