While aficionados sip on their favourite brew, many are unaware of the poor work conditions at tea plantations or unfair pricing to farmers.
But the owners of two local tea brands, HojichaYa and Uncang Tea, hope to change that. Rather than get their supplies through intermediaries, HojichaYa co-founders Cheng Mun Yan and Andri Ciang, and Uncang founder Jenny Ho deal directly with farmers.
Plucking tea leaves is backbreaking but low-paying work: an investigation by the Guardian last year revealed that tea pickers in Sri Lanka were required to pluck 18kg a day to earn the government-stipulated Rs1,000 (RM15.60) daily wage.
Workers reportedly complained of poor work conditions, wage theft, and an inability to escape the debt trap. Accusations of exploitation have hit many household names, including Tetley, Twinings and Lipton, in recent years.
Speaking in conjunction with International Tea Day last Tuesday, Cheng, Ciang and Ho said they have, therefore, made it their purpose to ensure their supplies are ethically sourced.
Rather than buy from intermediaries, they go directly to the farmers to ensure they receive a fair price. This also makes sure there is no third-party markup that can be passed on to the consumer.
Cheng and Ciang learnt the basics of harvesting and processing tea leaves firsthand by living on a farm in Japan for a few months.
“From that experience, we managed to gain what most people wouldn’t just by drinking tea or researching online. We got to know how hard they work, and how to enjoy tea,” Ciang said.
He added that HojichaYa sources some of its tea from Wazuka, a town not far from Kyoto with a population of 3,000 to 4,000. It produces 70% of tencha, a type of green tea used to make matcha in the Kyoto region.
However, the number of tea farmers in Wazuka is declining because the work is not appealing, Ciang noted.
HojichaYa also trades directly with Japanese tea farmers, thus allowing both the community and the farmers in Wazuka to enjoy a decent livelihood.
Meanwhile, Uncang Tea deals directly with specific farmers to curate its blends of tea, Ho said, explaining that roughly 80% of the company’s supplies are sourced from farms in Malaysia.
“This enables us to bypass middlemen and build strong, collaborative partnerships with our growers, allowing for mutual growth.
“We support our growers by offering them a fair price for their products, while they benefit from a wider market reach through co-labelling opportunities with us,” she said.
According to Ho, trading directly with tea farmers is the ideal way to support them, given that fair-trade certification is not widespread in Malaysia.
“We recognise the presence of migrant workers in the agricultural industry, and we ensure these workers receive fair wages and work under reasonable conditions,” she concluded.
Learn more about HojichaYa by clicking here, and find out more about Uncang Tea here.