Socially responsible company scoops best black tea award
Ajiri Tea, a small tea company with a social mission of creating employment in Kenya, has been awarded the best black tea award in the 2011 North American Tea Championship. The tea, which competed against nearly 200 teas in 18 different categories, won for best brewed color, aroma, flavor and harmony. Ajiri Tea sells Kenyan tea to provide jobs for Kenyan women and pay school fees for orphans in western Kenya through the nonprofit Ajiri Foundation. The product packaging is handcrafted by local women from dried banana leaves. A pack of loose tea retails for $10, whereas 16 tea bags cost $9. Ajiri Tea is sold in nearly 200 outlets in the US. Other notable winners from the 2011 North American Tea Championship include Teagschwendner and Rishi Tea.