Helping African Brands Enter the Chinese Market
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In the morning, the first thing most people do is make a cup of Green Tea – it’s always a refreshing way to start the day! But some people often buy whatever brand they find at their local supermarket, without a second thought. But do you know where your tea actually comes from? Or who produces it?
Kazi Yetu is an innovative, sustainable tea brand that are supporting Tanzania’s economic growth through keeping value-addition in the country. They offer a wide range of tea products, with six unique flavours available. Their teas are purely organic and full of anti-oxidants and herbs! Each blend is packed in biodegradable pyramid bags to keep environmental impact to a minimum. But Kazi Yetu’s teas are not just for boiling – you can do so much more with these products! On Kazi Yetu’s website and Instagram page, you’ll find ways to make tea ice-cream, cold brew and so much more!
So how are Kazi Yetu disrupting the traditional Tanzanian tea trade? All of Kazi Yetu’s natural, innovative products are traceable, organic and ethically sourced. They source their green tea, black tea, and oolong tea straight from farms in northern Tanzania. The whole leaf black and green teas are grown on a farm with rich soil on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Although Kilimanjaro is mostly a coffee-producing region, the tea is thriving as a result of the cooler, fresh climate, and the tea plantation is organic-certified. Kazi Yetu’s oolong tea is farmed and pan-roasted in the Usambara Mountains in Tanga, which has a tea farm of over 150 farmers. The tea plantation provides a stable, daily source of income for these farmers, which is key for their families’ quality of life. The tea plantation is Eco-Cert organic certified, as well as Fair Trade certified.
So how are Kazi Yetu disrupting the traditional Tanzanian tea trade? All of Kazi Yetu’s natural, innovative products are traceable, organic and ethically sourced. They source their green tea, black tea, and oolong tea straight from farms in northern Tanzania. The whole leaf black and green teas are grown on a farm with rich soil on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Although Kilimanjaro is mostly a coffee-producing region, the tea is thriving as a result of the cooler, fresh climate, and the tea plantation is organic-certified. Kazi Yetu’s oolong tea is farmed and pan-roasted in the Usambara Mountains in Tanga, which has a tea farm of over 150 farmers. The tea plantation provides a stable, daily source of income for these farmers, which is key for their families’ quality of life. The tea plantation is Eco-Cert organic certified, as well as Fair Trade certified.
So how are Kazi Yetu disrupting the traditional Tanzanian tea trade? All of Kazi Yetu’s natural, innovative products are traceable, organic and ethically sourced. They source their green tea, black tea, and oolong tea straight from farms in northern Tanzania. The whole leaf black and green teas are grown on a farm with rich soil on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Although Kilimanjaro is mostly a coffee-producing region, the tea is thriving as a result of the cooler, fresh climate, and the tea plantation is organic-certified. Kazi Yetu’s oolong tea is farmed and pan-roasted in the Usambara Mountains in Tanga, which has a tea farm of over 150 farmers. The tea plantation provides a stable, daily source of income for these farmers, which is key for their families’ quality of life. The tea plantation is Eco-Cert organic certified, as well as Fair Trade certified.
But why is Kazi Yetu looking to China to continue the brands success in order to bolster its positive impact? Firstly, China consumes almost 40% of the world’s tea! But is there room for more? Yes! Many Chinese consumers are looking for foreign tea brands that are eco-friendly and have a positive social impact. Kazi Yetu’s distinctive teas, which are rich in antioxidants and herbal blends – some of which are only found in Tanzania – makes the brand unique. That’s why in September, Africa Reimagined will be introducing Kazi Yetu to the Chinese market at the Second China-Africa Economic and Trade Fair in Changsha!
You can find out more about Kazi Yetu on their website
Helping African Brands Enter the Chinese Market
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Trevor Lwere is a Research and Coordination analyst at Development Reimagined with a background in Economics and Global Affairs. His interests include geopolitics, geoeconomics and economic development. He holds a Masters’ degree in Global Affairs fro Tsinghua University and a BA Economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Sena Voncujovi is a research and policy analyst at Development Reimagined. Voncujovi specializes in global health issues, Japan-Africa relations, and China-Africa relations. He served as the Editor-in-chief of Peking University’s Africa Think Tank (PATT) during his master’s in International Relations & Politics as a Yenching Scholar. Voncujovi previously advised the Ghanaian government for the 2019 TICAD 7 Conference held in Yokohama. He is the co-founder of Jaspora, Tokyo’s largest community of African diasporan diplomats, changemakers, professionals, students, and business people.
Yixin is a Junior Research Analyst and her focus areas is on public-private partnership and entrepreneurship. She has over three years of working experience in both private and public sectors in Ethiopia. She was the China Liaison Officer for project ‘Partnership for Investment and Growth in Africa’ at International Trade Centre, where she accumulated rich experience in investment and trade promotion.
Ivory is a Kenyan lawyer with experience in policy research and analysis. She also supports the communications team through liaising with African brands, creating graphic content and other external outputs at AR. Ivory speaks English, Swahili and French
Jinyu is a dual-degree Master’s student at Sciences Po & Peking University. At Africa Reimagined, Jinyu produces research to foster better mutual understanding between African clients and Chinese consumers.
Yike Fu is a Policy Analyst and has been responsible for leading numerous areas of work, including on debt analysis in Africa and beyond, and China-Africa trade and investment logistics and analysis. She is the co-author of “African Debt Guide”, in which she challenged the narrative that Africa is in the midst of a new debt crisis by analysing data back to the 1970s and adopting new metrics to present the real story behind the data. She also developed a benchmark to compare the financial distribution of development partners such as the UK, US, Japan, France and China in Africa. Prior to her role at DR she worked at the International Finance Corporation and African Union Representational Mission to the US. She holds a Masters in International Affairs from George Washington University.
Rosie is the Project Manager of Africa Reimagined (AR) at Development Reimagined (DR) where she supports high-end African brands with entering the Chinese market by operating services such as trademark protection, Chinese market research, Chinese partnership building, and Africa to China logistical support and import/export services. Rosie has worked with DR for over two years now with proven success in helping high-end African brands navigate the Chinese market. She is extremely passionate about her work because more African brands selling in the Chinese marketplace means African countries can export MORE value-added goods, create MORE jobs and foster MORE innovation in African countries.
Leah Lynch is Deputy Director of Development Reimagined (DR), and head of the China office. Leah has over 10 years of experience in development and has lived in China for over 8 years. Leah has also travelled extensively around Asia and Africa for research. Leah supports the strategic direction of the team across China, with a mission to deliver high quality research on sustainable development and poverty reduction. Leah is also Chair of the Sustainability Forum at the British Chamber of Commerce in China, providing direction on sustainability initiatives for British and Chinese business. Leah has also consulted on various evaluations on UK aid (ICAI) and is a specialist on development cooperation from the UK and China. Leah has also consulted on various UN projects, including providing support to the UN China team during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prior to DR, Leah was at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) China, supporting the UN’s portfolio on communication strategies, China’s South- South Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Before UNDP, Leah lived and worked in Kenya developing sustainable water policies for the Kenyan government.
Hannah Ryder is the Founder & CEO of Development Reimagined. A former diplomat and economist with 20 years of experience, named one of 100 most influential Africans in 2021, she is also Senior Associate for the Africa Program of the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), sits on the Board of the Environmental Defence Fund, and is a member of UAE’s International Advisory Council on the New Economy. Prior to her role at DR, Ms Ryder led the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s work with China to help it scale up and improve its cooperation with other developing countries, including in Africa. She has also played various advisory roles for the UN and OECD and co-authored the seminal Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change in 2006.
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