Launch of Breast Cancer Campaign Pink Love Elephant Caddy

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and to launch Williamson Teas partnership with Breast Cancer Campaign (BCC) and the release of our new Pink Love Elephant Caddy, the Williamson Tea team held a tea party in BCC's head office in Clifton Street, London.

With the full office in attendance, the BCC staff were able to sample Kenyan High Grown, Earl Grey and Pure Green teas, all fresh from Williamson Tea's farms in Kenya. To add to the atmosphere, the Hummingbird Bakery had made pink cupcakes, the perfect accompaniment to a Pink Love cup of tea!

Renewable Energy and Renewable Firewood Sourcing

In a lecture given at the Royal Agricultural College in 2012, Cirencester, Professor John Sulston, stated how the planet and its resources are finite and that it was no longer an option to invest in renewable energy sources but a necessity. A view that we agree whole heartily with.

For the past five years we have been actively engaged in securing our own source of firewood from gum plantations to enable us to operate our factories with the desired high voiumes of green leaf. The cycle of these gum plantations from planting to harvest is approximately 12 years. By the end of 2015 we hope to have secured sufficient areas on our own land to manage our factories responsibly with our own sources of gum trees. When we buy firewood, which is a costly operation, we only buy from mature sustainable gum plantations. Regrettably this is not always the case with our competitors. More factories in Kenya are opening and being granted manufacturing licenses. These factories do not have a secured supply of sustainable firewood and we often view immature and unseasoned wood from indigenous or unsustainable sources being sold, even on the roadsides.

This practice was recently highlighted by a quick witted journalist in a newspaper article and our trade body the KTGA has taken up the matter with the appropriate authorities. The lack of sustainable firewood to power our boilers and the lack of cost effective alternatives places a heavy restriction on the future growth of the Kenya Tea Industry.

The Commission of Sustainable Agriculture lists a number of essential reforms need to ensure the long term viability of operations and systems. Amongst these are the need to trap carbon and this combined with the rising cost of essential inputs such as electricity has meant that we have made the decision to invest into a large scale Solar Photovoltaic system at Changoi. The aim is to provide sufficient power to run the factory entirely from solar energy during daylight hours and we view this investment into solar technology as an essential part of our business operations to ensure it our sustainability. 

What does Sustainable Farming mean?

In recent years the prominence of environmental, social and economic challenges have raised, aggravated by climate change, population growth, soil degradation and destruction of wildlife habitat. Companies look harder into all aspects of their business to ensure long term viability not just for themselves but also the surrounding communities that their operations support.

Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The stewardship of both natural and human resources is paramount. Stewardship of land natural resources involves maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base for the long term, whilst stewardship of human resources includes consideration of social responsibilities such as working and living conditions of farm workers, the needs of the rural communities and consumer health and safety both in the present and the future.

So what does Sustainable Farming mean to Williamson Tea?

Williamson Tea has always held a long term view of agriculture and the running of our farms, we are a fifth generation farming family, so know about planning for the long term!

We take a whole system approach with an understanding of wider awareness that allows us to appreciated how each activity on the farms are connected not just to the farm but also the local ecosystem, with communities affected by the farming system both locally and globally.

We consider carefully the three basic elements of sustainability;

Environment Protection; The first and most basic point, we aim to protect the natural resource base on which our farming depends, in other words sustainability in its most literal and narrow sense. As farmers and custodians of the land we understand the importance of improving soil fertility, reducing erosion and preventing water pollution, as well as strengthening biodiversity, conservation and sourcing energy from renewal sources. We are actively investing in Photovoltaic Systems for our farms to enable our factories to be powered entirely by Solar energy, whilst we are also self sufficient in firewood, sourcing all our timber from our own Eucalyptus Gum plantations.

Social Responsibility; Our farms employ many hundreds of people, who together with their families live on the farms and surrounding areas. We have a huge social responsibility towards these dependents and provide not only a safe environment for them to work in, but free housing, health care, education, family planning and importantly a level of wages in excess of any other comparable agricultural job in Kenya.  We invest in our work force helping to improve their skills and the opportunities available to them and our farms in the future.

Economic Viability; Long term success of any business depends on its economic viability and with local communities dependent on the success of the farm it is not just are own employees that we are responsible for. Whilst independent charitable schemes have their place, we are committed to the long term development of our communities and business and therefore it is ‘Trade Not Aid’ that will ensure the sustainability of Williamson Tea and our communities for years to come.

Williamson Tea  Online Twitter Chat in support of Follow the Frog Week

How it works;

Tweeters can send questions to Williamson Tea on the topic of Sustainable Tea Farming, with particular reference to renewable energy sourcing and wildlife maintenance.

Williamson Tea will pick 6 questions at 10 minute intervals from 3-4pm.

Anyone can join the open discussion by posting their opinion and comments using the #sustainabletea. Tweeters can follow the conversation by searching for the #sustainabletea in their Twitter search box.

Tweeters are asked to announce themselves and their affiliations when joining the Twitter chat and Williamson Tea reserve the right to choose which questions are answered and delete inappropriate or unconnected comments or questions immediately.

The following questions are suggested to get the chat rolling;

•  What does Sustainable Agriculture mean?
•  What are the key factors in sustainable tea production?
• What works are currently undertaken by Williamson Tea to improve their sustainability.
• Where does Williamson Tea source its power? Do other companies do the same?
• What are the barriers to sustainable farming and sourcing renewable energy?
• What are our plans for the future?

Tea is not just for drinking!

Here in the Williamson Tea office, we're rather partial to accompanying our cup of Traditional Afternoon with a slice of cake and after many trials (not that anyone was complaining!) we found this recipe hits just the spot;

Earl Grey and Lemon Cake

Ingredients

150g Plain flour with ⅛tsp Baking powder well sifted.

150g Butter, softened

130g Icing Sugar

½ tbsp Glucose

3 Medium Eggs

Two pinches of salt

5g Williamson Fine Teas' Earl Grey Tea from 2 tea bags

15g Ground almond

1 tbsp Fresh whole milk

Lemon zest from 1 large lemon

Instructions;

• Preheat oven to 170C. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper.

• Beat butter, icing sugar and glucose together until light and very fluffy. Gradually add eggs and beat well, then add salt, tea dust, ground almonds, lemon zest and milk. Mix well.

• Add flour mixture and fold through completely using a spatula. The surface of the batter should be glossy and smooth.

• Pour the batter into prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

• Whilst the cake is baking make the lemon syrup by adding 50g sugar to 100g of very hot water, stir well and add 2 tbsp lemon juice, mix well again and set aside.

• When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and place onto a wire rack and peeling away the parchment paper. 

• To finish brush the cake with lemon syrup whilst still warm.

Tea Drinkers Have The Lowest Blood Pressure

"Tea and coffee drinkers have the lowest blood pressure" was the headline in the Daily Mail

Tea has long been heralded as a healthy drink and we were delighted to read in the national press that recent research by Bruno Pannier discovered that the flavonoids found in tea help to relax the blood vessels allowing blood to flow more easily throughout the body and lowering blood pressure. 

Described in the article as 'health boasting-plant compounds', flavonoids are naturally occurring in tea and are believed to be the secret behind the drinks healthy properties. 

Obviously we were also very pleased to also read that 'tea drinkers fared slightly better than coffee drinkers' in the research! We're off to get the kettle on!

What's In Your Cup? - Sustainable Firewood

What's In Your Cup? - Sustainable Firewood

At Williamson Tea Group we take both our commercial activities and Corporate Social Responsibilities very seriously. Our commitment to sustainable production has meant that for the past 5 years we have been actively engaged in securing our own source of firewood and by the end of 2015 we hope to have secured sufficient areas on our own land to manage our factories responsibly and sustainably for years to come soley with our own source of Eucalyptus Gum trees. 

Whilst not only providing sustainable power for our factories, Gum plantations also provide an important sink for Carbon, aiding our Carbon Footprint and providing habitat for local wildlife.

Regrettably this is not always the case with our competitors.  More factories in Kenya are opening and being granted manufacturing licenses.  These factories do not have a secured supply of sustainable firewood and we often view immature and unseasoned wood from indigenous or unsustainable sources being sold, even on the roadsides.  This practice was highlighted by a quick witted journalist in a recent newspaper article and our trade body the KTGA has taken up the matter with the appropriate authorities. The lack of sustainable firewood to power our boilers and the lack of current cost effective alternatives places a heavy restriction on the future growth of the Kenya Tea Industry.

Open Farm Sunday

Open Farm Sunday

On 9th June farms across the UK open their gates to the public for Open Farm Sunday. With guided tours, nature trails, tractor rides and food markets all for free, the aim is to promote British farms and their produce, as well as their essential role as guardians of the countryside. 

Whilst unfortunately we can't open the gates of our Kenyan farms to the UK public, as farmers we fully support this sunday's Open Farm event and are planning a virtual tour of our own farms to try and bring the unique position of the only tea farmers in the market place to the public. Other companies may be able to show you where they source their tea, but we grow ours! We know what's in our cup, do you know what's in yours?

For more information on Open Farm Sundays Visit; http://www.farmsunday.org/ofs12b/home.eb

What's in Your Cup; The Food Chain

What's in Your Cup; The Food Chain

With the global economy continuing to stutter, amidst falling personal incomes and ever rising costs, there is a continuing drive for the food chain to exact 'value for money', with a common perception that the consumer can continue to get more for less built around an often lengthy and industrialised food chain.

As farmers we are often at the receiving end of these drives to offer lower cost produce as economic pressures force retailers to look for the lowest cost of production, a scenario that is accelerated by many retailers using tea as a 'loss leading' product. The recent "Horsegate Scandal" proved how easily the food chain can be adulterated and in particular highlighted the issues of poorly labelled products and the principal issue of trust.

One of the real issues behind "Horsegate" is the question of what else could enter our food chain as part of 'cost cutting measures'? The perception of getting something for nothing cannot continue and it is surely time for a rethink.

As Tea Farmers we are keen to promote the benefits of sourcing fresh and sustainably produced teas and are supporting Rainforest Alliance's "Whats in your cup" campaign, asking consumers to consider if they truly know what's in their cup of tea?

Whilst recent Government and DEFRA surveys show an increasing number of consumers seeking to source local and farm fresh foods it remains a concern that the tea market is overlooked. At Williamson Tea we are very happy knowing that we are the only brand in the UK retail market that grows all of the tea in its products. By comparison many labels offer exciting and eye-catching headlines of sustainably sourced or farm fresh tea, but the small print reveals clever marketing, with not all the tea inside actually certified and many sourced from markets dotted around the globe.

This poses a number of key questions; 

• Do consumers really know what's in their cup?

• How can a product that contains teas sourced from varying global locations, each with their own associated food chains truly be sustainable and traceable?

These are interesting questions and with an increasing number of Chinese teas stopped from entering the UK due to pesticide and chemical levels over UK threshold levels it is something that needs to be considered before a "Teagate" occurs.

At Williamson Tea we are Tea Farmers and our philosophy of "Our Farms, Our Teas'  means that all our teas are grown solely on our own four farms in Kenya. This is a unique position, no other tea company on the UK shelves can claim to be the same and it is a position that we hope consumers can have confidence in. We know whats in our cup of tea, we can take you to the place on the farm its grown. We can show you where we grow the young tea bushes in our nurseries, show you where they are planted in the fields and show you the people that pick the tea on our farms. We know what's in our cup, do you know what's in yours?