Annie and I spent a good few days earlier this year on a source trip to Tanzania where almost half of the black Fairtrade tea we bring in to make up the Suki Fairtrade Belfast Brew and Suki Fairtrade Breakfast Tea. 

We wanted to find out if Fairtrade really meant to the people actually picking the tea and learn about the tea process in more depth. 

Here are a few photo's from our trip. ( i need to learn how to upload these so they will be added later)

1)Half woman, half tea

Annie waist deep in bright green tea bushes. The tea in this picture is ready for plucking and these bushes would be the originals planted over 50 years ago in the Luponde Estate (as opposed to the more uniform clonal varieties).

2)Step #2 – Withering

Miles of freshly-plucked tea being loaded off brightly-coloured trucks and distributed carefully and evenly. Hot air is pumped underneath the leaves to commence the withering process (approx. 18 hours)

3)Belfast Brew is well-travelled

A bag of Fairtrade Belfast Brew enjoying the view from a small 12-seater plane in the never-ending African skies high above the Livingstonia Mountains, Tanzania.

4)Deep in discussion

Tastings at the Fairtrade Luponde Tea Gardens. Annie and Robin discussing the finer details of our finest teas.

5)

With a Camillia Sinensis flower tucked behind my ear and twirling my first ever hand-picked tea between my fingers... well ... the smile says it all!

6)

Kibena Tea Estate was the last stop for us. The most modern tea garden of Mufindi Teas, this vast estate is planted on the plains with tea as far as the eye can see.  They only produce tea destined for teabags here at this garden but it was interesting to see the processes involved and, of course, taste  more tea with Robin and the managers,