Direct social sustainability paying off for Ajiri Tea
Ajiri Tea has carved out a niche market its products thanks to a novel approach to social sustainability. The company offers Kenyan coffee and tea packaged in bespoke packaging material and hand-decorated by local women. This allows Ajiri Tea to employ 63 women in Kenya, most of whom make $40 to $200 a month, compared to an average of $1 a day of pickers on tea farms. The products are then distributed through 500 retailers in the United States, Europe and Australia, with profits directed back to the Ajiri Foundation, which provides fudning for school fees and expenses for 29 orphans in the region, as well as to improve the quality of life of each worker. The company, currently bringing in $225,000 in annual sales and growing at a 30% rate, hopes to raise $40,000 via Kickstarter to fund a packaging upgrade, enabling it to expand into foodservice.