From Day 1, people & planet have been at the very heart of Bird & Blend. We’ve always believed that business growth is positive because it means we can do more good in the world. This means a blend of many wonderful things, including creating a great place to work, championing local high streets, supporting causes close to our hearts across the UK, and having an impact in the communities we source from.
Across our limited edition collections & our iconic Tea Wall, some of our blends have an extra special story to tell. These are our blends where we have a partnership with an individual garden where some of the tea comes from, so that we can do good things in their local community.
Hear more from our Director of Tea & Sourcing Partnerships, Joyce.
“When we set up partnerships with tea gardens to create our blends, everyone benefits! We are able to select the right tea for that blend, making it richer, bolder, lighter or brighter depending on the tea experience we want to create.
Not only are our tea-loving community getting the best possible blend, at the same time we are funding projects directly within the communities we source from, supporting tea pluckers, their families & young children.”
A Taste of Rwanda: The Rutsiro Garden
Much-loved Tea Wall blends including Classic Chai, Pistachio Chocolate Truffle Tea, Mocha Chai & Dark Choc Chilli Chai include a very special black tea sourced directly from Rutsiro, a tea garden in Rwanda. The tea is light, bright & refreshing - the perfect match for many of our black tea blends.
Ripple Effects at Rutsiro, Rwanda
When it comes to having an impact, we believe that small but meaningful acts can make a big difference - and that certainly rings true in origin countries where finding a way to drive real change could feel insurmountable.
Across some of our limited edition collections & Tea Wall blends, we have begun sourcing a very special black tea from Rutsiro, a tea garden in Rwanda that’s part of the Rwanda Mountain Tea Group. The tea is light, bright & refreshing - the perfect match for many of our black tea blends like Classic Chai, Mocha Chai & Pistachio Chocolate Truffle Tea.
There’s something else that makes Rutsiro & Rwanda Mountain Tea special; the way they support their community of growers & pluckers. Some of the ways they are reimagining the tea supply chain include…
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Donating cows to growers, which is transformational in helping them create income & buy more land. They also reward the farmers & pluckers who are producing the highest quality leaf with prized items such as bicycles & mattresses.
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Working with a network of over 2,000 smallholders to support local tea farmers across the area, purchasing from them reliably & sustainably.
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Providing essential community benefits, including contributing to health insurance, home building for vulnerable families & clean water in the local areas. This has a powerful ripple effect across the community.
On-site at Rwanda Mountain Tea’s sites, there are Early Childhood Development Centres where over 400 children aged under three are cared for while their parents work at the tea garden. These young children are in safe hands, fed & gaining important early education, which especially empowers the women to work & gain essential income for their families.
When we went to visit Rutsiro during our supplier visits in Rwanda, we noticed that the Early Childhood Development Centre provided a fantastic base for the children, but that there was a need for some additional resources to bring more magic, learning & opportunities for play for them. As we began our sourcing partnership with Rutsiro, we were delighted to have also worked with our local communiTEA to gather donations of additional toys & learning materials to spread a little extra happiness to the children!
It was great to hear from Charles, a Manager at the Tea Garden who let us know the donation had been well received.
“We would like to take this opportunity again as RMT/Rutsiro Factory to thank you all at Bird & Blend Tea for the good and big gesture towards sending some toys and educational materials for the kids at our Rutsiro ECD. Kids were delighted and happy to play with the new toys.”
Explore our collection of impact teas which include our very special Rwandan black tea over on our Impact Teas page.
Building Bright Futures in Kenya
Our impact work also extends to broader community support where it is needed most. We believe that building relationships locally, seeking to understand the real challenges from those experiencing them & supporting structural gaps including governance, is the way to have the most impact.
While visiting suppliers in Kenya, our Co-Founder Mike & Director of Tea & Sourcing Partnerships Joyce identified a critical need at Karega Primary School, where essential building work had stalled due to lost funding.
Through our impact programme, we have been able to fund:
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The rebuild & refurbishment of essential toilet facilities.
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The installation of new guttering for much-needed water harvesting
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The construction of a new classroom to provide a thriving learning environment.
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The establishment of a board of governors to ensure long-term stability & governance.
Every Sip Makes a Difference
We are so proud to be at a stage in our growth where we can support these vital projects alongside the causes we champion closer to home. This journey wouldn't be possible without our amazing communiTEA. Every cup of tea you enjoy helps us write this story.
Thank you for being part of Bird & Blend & helping us brew a better world, one sip at a time.
Explore our collection of blends featuring the impact teas, here.
