Why Choose Organic Tea?

As organic tea becomes more mainstream, we need to understand what is organic farming?

Organic farming is a system of farming based on ecological principles, using nature as its model. Organic farming is not new. It was the way food was produced for thousands of years before chemicals and cheap pesticides made their way into the farming world. Recalls on fruits and vegetables are quite common today. That may explain our increased level of consciousness when we select the food we eat and realize that our choices impact our environment.

When choosing organic, our favourite brew tea is no exception. There is organic black tea, green organic tea, organic green rooibos tea, organic white tea and the list goes on. Tea has so much goodness to it but when it’s been cultivated using pesticides and chemicals, it takes away some of that health benefits I associate with tea.

Organic tea consumption has grown by about 10% globally each year since 1980. Tea is certified organic only when environmentally friendly techniques are employed in its production – where it’s cultivated using natural products for manure and pest control.


Why should I choose Organic?

* There are no pesticides used

* It’s a natural product

* The end product, in this case tea is fuller and richer in taste

* It’s healthier for consumption


Challenges faced by farmers in organic production

Despite the rise in popularity for organic products, I think we as consumers are sometime uninformed about some of the challenges faced by framers. The tea farmers have their own hurdles to cross when they switch to organic.

High labour requirement. The plantations have to be weeded and this is done manually since no pesticides are used. It’s very labour intensive which results in higher costs.

Building nutrient levels. To establish organic fields, the farmers have to build the nutrient levels in the soils and reduce the effect of chemicals that may have been used previously. This may take a few years and again it’s labour intensive

Marketing. The absence of good marketing that pays farmers a fair price for their tea. Sometime organic products can be a little more expensive due to the higher cost associated with farming but as more people consume organic and demand increases, prices will reflect that increased demand.

So, where possible, choose organic.

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