Sustainable tea in Guria
Guria is a rural area which has a long tradition of tea production. Yet it is also a place with over 30% unemployment, with much of local youth leaving to cities to find job opportunities. Local tea sector is traditional, which also means it is focused on one type of product with resistance to change, even in spite of decreasing price on the market.
A Czech tea manufacturer and distributer Petr Sic company has been active in Guria for over a decade. It currently works with 120 small family-owned tea production places. Yearly, approximately 100 kilograms of tea are purchased from each family. This Challenge Fund project seeks to increase local eco-production from 0.5 ha to 3 ha, with focus on higher added value tea and to develop a roadmap for organic tea certification. This certification will allow local producers to sell their tea to larger customers which will have positive impact on local economy.
The project’s beneficiaries are therefore local small-scale tea producers, who will be able to increase their profit. The organic production will also create new job opportunities since organic tea making is more time-consuming and requires more workforce. Ultimately, organic production is more considerate to the environment.
Deliverables: