UK, Ethiopia
Posted 2 years ago

KIB TEA: What is it?

Nothing quite beats a good cup of tea, right? Kib Tea promise us a cuppa that is good for the soul, people and the planet.

With the tagline “planet-positive and flavour-forward,” they are stepping up the tea game with their variety of soothing, fresh smelling and well-balanced herbal teas – from a chamomile, lemon balm and lavender mix, to mint, lemongrass and moringa. All their delightful blends can be enjoyed either hot or cold, all year round.

Central to their teas are herbs grown in a way that “creates better soil, better plants, and better flavour”. Their herbs are that good, they don’t have to add anything but the teabag.

KIB TEA: How sustainable is it?

Circularity is at the core of Kib Tea’s business model.

The farms supplying their herbal ingredients employ organic and regenerative methods of growing. The innovative approaches of Kib Tea’s partner farmers in Ethiopia were the original motivation behind starting Kib Tea. Working with Green Way Farms, these farmers grow herbs regeneratively in ‘food forests’: densely and diversely sown plants that mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature.

Setting out on a mission to expand the market for their partner farmers’ herbs and also support more farmers around the world to similarly grow, Kib Tea was born.

By April this year, all of Green Way Farms’ workers will be paid a living wage. All are already provided benefits including medical insurance, financial aid, paid maternity leave and professional development and training.

Kib Tea partners with Organic Herb Trading Company (OHTC) in the UK who help to ethically and sustainably source herbs or spices unable to be sourced in Ethiopia. OHTC value organic, regenerative and fair trade sourcing. They also operate as circular a business model as possible: they use a 100% renewable energy supplier, manage a small organic herb farm and enforce compressive recycling and zero to landfill waste streams.

For packaging, Kib Tea work with Infusion GB, an innovative and environmentally-forward UK packaging company. They produce their tea bags to be plastic-free, GMO-free and home compostable. Kib Tea’s Cartons are also home compostable and FSC certified. They use recyclable cases for storage and shipping and recyclable envelopes.

Both manufacturers hold a BRC Food Safety certification and are audited regularly by their local councils, as well as annually for BRC and Organic.

Most brands would class their supply chain as 100% sustainable, as all the herbs they use are grown organically, in compliance with EU organic standards. The herbs sourced from Organic Herb Trading Company are certified organic. Some of their ingredients are also certified Fairtrade. However, Kib Tea assesses their ingredients as being 70% sustainable sourced.

Commercial Manager Andrew Weiler explains:

“‘Sustainable’ means that, yes, all the herbs are grown organically. But for us, ‘sustainable’ also means that we or OHTC also have direct relationships with the farmers growing the herbs. These partnerships enable us to ensure they’re treating workers ethically and support them in implementing regenerative growing systems.”

They are conscious of areas in need of improvement within both their ingredients list, and wider business model and are continuously pushing to be more sustainable.

“As Kib grows, we aim to be part of a movement that’s re-imagining life on this planet by embracing circular systems and ways of growing that give back as much as they take,” says Weiler.

They are part of In the Loop, a new group of businesses aiming to build a more circular economy. They have joined 1% for the Planet and this year hope to become organic, B Corp and Carbon Neutral certified.