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Zawadi African Tea Story
[About Us]
My name is Robert Kihanya. I grew up
in Kenya and my father was a tea and coffee farmer. Like most
Kenyans, I drink black tea everyday.
The idea for Zawadi
African Tea began when I returned to my homeland of Kenya with my
American born daughter Wanjku after almost 20 years of living in
America. Arriving in Kamuchege, the village where I was born and
raised, everyone celebrated my return well into the night. The
Wazee, seven of the most respected and wise people in my village,
spoke with pride and dignity of how their fathers and grandfathers
had tilled the land year after year, putting their hearts and souls
into producing the best tea from the best soil and the perfect
climate.
The Wazee spoke of ancient times when our tribe's
Kikuyu warriors, who dedicated their lives to preserving our land,
our ancestry, and our heritage, ceremonially drank our tribal tea.
The Kikuyu warriors battled the encroaching Massai Warriors to
protect the ways of our tribe for future generations.
The
elders spoke of the frustration of still being under the economic
repression of the English tea monopoly for years, even after Kenya
was liberated. Now Kenya is free to sell its tea to the world, but
not enough people are familiar with Kenyan tea.
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Kenyan Flag:
The shield and crossed
spears represent the defense of freedom. The black bar
symbolizes the people of Kenya. The red bar symbolizes the
blood shed in the struggle for independence. The green bar
symbolizes Kenya's natural resources. The two narrow white
bars symbolize peace and unity. |
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Traveling back
to the city of Nairobi, I contemplated how the rest of the world is
moving forward economically, but Africa continues to move backwards.
People work so hard yet they don't have enough to eat. I was
searching for a way to help my people. All I could see was poverty,
malnutrition and the darkness and the shame of AIDS.
AIDS is
as rampant in Kenya as it is in other African nations. According to
the United Nations, more than 30 million Africans live with
HIV/AIDS, 2.5 million of them in Kenya. Nearly 700 Kenyans are
infected each day. And what about the children? Over 1.5 million
Kenyans have died of AIDS, leaving over 1 million orphans.
Suddenly, I realized, I could make a difference! I could
bring Kenyan tea to the American people. I would buy directly from
the farmers' cooperative to economically empower Kenyan farmers.
Zawadi African Tea is a gift: from the farmers of Kenya to
the people of the world, but more importantly it is the greatest
gift ever − the gift of hope for a brighter future for the children
of Kenya.
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Kenya is the largest exporter of tea
in the world with most Kenyans involved in the growing, processing
and distribution. The leaf is Kenya's major economic resource, but
most Kenyan people still live in poverty.
Zawadi African Tea
grows in rich volcanic soil in a high-temperature climate ideal for
producing the best tea in the world. Continuously tested and graded,
Zawadi African Tea is the highest-grade tea in the world.
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Zawadi African Tea is strong enough
for people who drink coffee; in Kenya it is an alternative to
coffee. In America, the tide has been shifting from coffee to tea as
health-conscious Americans realize the health benefits derived from
drinking tea and work to lower their caffeine consumption as well.
Zawadi has a "pick-me-up" but with far less caffeine. It is widely
recognized that black and green teas are antioxidants that can
prevent cancer, help people lose weight, improve skin condition, and
have a calming effect.
For regular tea-drinkers, Zawadi
African tea is moderately brewed to their taste. Zawadi African Tea
makes a delicious chai when blended with milk, and spices.
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© 2004, Zawadi African
Tea. | |
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Zawadi African Tea Story