Utz Update

Satemwa has just sold its first Utz Certified tea this week – this is a forward sale for January shipment as Satemwa is largely sold out of tea for December production! This sale follows on a recent trip by Christopher Mazombwe (Satemwa’s Senior Estates Manager) to attend a seminar arranged by Utz in Kenya to train on, discuss and debate the Utz program and visit some KTDA operations there. Read more about the Utz program at www.utzcertified.org/tea

Star Cuppers On Satemwa

Mark Gomani (Coffee Unit Manager) and Chisomo Kastomu ( Tea Maker and Coffee Roaster ) recently attended a weeks training course organised by the Coffee Association of Malawi in conjunction with the East African Fine Coffee’s Association and the Coffee Quality Institute of the US.

This resulted in both these Gents being awarded ‘Star Cupper’ status under the Coffee Quality Institute’s program. A great achievement and a milestone in our journey towards speciality coffee production at Satemwa.

Rain & such

It has been very hot these last few days 31.5 degrees centigrade. We are just getting some much needed rain. The forecast was for 3.5mm, but looks like we will get more than that in places. We need 10mm + to carry on a flush that was initiated 2 weeks ago. This will mark the start of the season for us – always exciting and hectic as we gear up for a Tsunami of green leaf!

The last few days has also seen us hunting around for diesel. Malawi is being crippled by serious diesel shortages. If this isn’t resolved soon, we will be unable to bring the new flush in for processing. The implications of which don’t bear thinking about at the moment. As it is, the Satemwa ambulance is out of operation leaving the very sick stranded with only the humble facilities of the Satemwa clinics to rely on.

Mmm.. rain over now, doesn't look like we got our 10mm.

Satemwa Outgrowers Receive Electronic Payments

On Friday 9th October, some members of Msuwadzi Smallholder Farmers Association received electronic payments instead of usual monthly cash payments. This is part of a pilot scheme between Satemwa, Msuwadzi and Opportunity International Bank of Malawi (OIBM) whereby monthly green leaf payments are paid electronically by Satemwa into farmers bank accounts (all recently opened for this purpose). OIBM arrange a mobile banking facility to visit a central place every two weeks where famers can withdraw their cash or organise other services such as loans etc

This is a first in Malawi in the tea industry and the pilot is also being conducted by Sukumbezi Association and Lujeri Tea Estate. Not all the farmers opened bank accounts, but judging from the enthusiastic reception, it won’t be long before all farmers step into the 21st Century.

This is the first step in a wider intervention to improve the number of services available to the farmers, thereby improving their cashflow, access to relatively affordable credit (the cheapest credit available in Malawi from commerical banks at this time is about 19%, loan sharks can charge in excess of 50% per month), and overall tea farming practices.

The mobile unit had to use a generator as much of these areas are off the grid.

Certification news

We recieved our Utz certified certificate for tea production this month. This is the latest development in our participation in the Utz certified pilot scheme for tea.

The Satemwa Smallholders recieved their FairTrade certificate in August. They are very excited about this and have been working with Satemwa management for some time to achieve this standard. The smallholders now have a VSO who is helping them to navigate the complexities of the FT standard and ensure that they continue to meet the improving standard. Satemwa is now looking for buyers who could partner in marketing this tea.

Coffee Tours

As part of our ongoing program to make Satemwa more accessible to visitors, we have just started conducting tours of the Coffee division. This involves a +/- 1.5hour guided tour either by self drive, quads, horses or walking. The tour highlights all the activities going on at that particular time and ends with a coffee tasting at the pulpery. Visitors should get a good understanding of how coffee is produced from seedling to cup and also get the oppurtunity to take some green beans home for some kitchen roasting!

Positive Feedback

Recent visits and audits by labelling organisations whilst also highlighting areas for us to work on, left us with an overall positive reassurance that we have some thing to be proud of.

Winfed Maniki of Rainforest Alliance commended our conservation area, describing it as ‘exemplary’. Our coffee management system incorporating; shade, wildlife corridors, minimum tillage etc also impressed her! Winfred as also able to allay our fears on the rigidity of the Rainforest Alliance standards.

Kennedy Chakanyuka from FLO-cert is a tough man to please! but he applauded the Joint Body’s fairtrade program and seemed particularly moved by the adult literacy classes he witnessed. It was good to get his feedback on our progress since his visit last year. We do indeed believe that Satemwa is breaking new ground in the management of fairtrade funds and has taken a unique (and successful if we may add!) approach to the very challenging system of the ‘Fairtrade Joint Body’ We hope that FLO-ev are able to learn from and appreciate what is going on on the ground in order to make best use of premium funds received from Fair-trade tea sales.

Certification Updates

We have just had a busy three weeks with a visit from Rainforest Alliance, an audit by Africert for Utz Certified and a two week audit by FLO cert of Satemwa and Satemwa Smallholders (Msuwadzi Association) for Fairtrade certification.

Quite a time consuming but positive process which sees a continuous improvement in our operations from one year to the next. It is interesting from our producers perspective to see the different approach the various labelling organisations have. We certainly learn from each of them, despite the many frustrations we have with dealing with the very in depth and pedantic standards.

Satemwa has decided to back all three of the big labelling organisations despite the costs of doing so. One has to assume that at some point there will be some losers and or harmonizing of the various standards.

Tea Research Foundation (CA) Field Day

Last week we attending the annual TRF(CA) field day in Mimosa, Mulanje. Of particular interest was a visit to some plots of the next generation of cultivars that have been developed by the TRF. One in particular 95/4-43 was see to be more vigorous than the current variety favoured by growers in Malawi for replanting – PC168.

At the research committee meeting which met on the 29th May, one of the topics was ‘climate change’ and how we can adapt to the changes that we can expect over the next 50 years. As tea is such a long term crop, with an expected life span in this area of >100 years, developing cultivars that can deal with hotter, drier conditions is an important part of our response to climate change.

One of the options Satemwa is looking at to reduce the effect of medium term climate change is to plant shade trees. This will start in our lower altitude gardens. At the moment we are still reviewing which species might be most suitable for our needs

Visit from the Rare Tea Company

Henrietta Lovell from the Rare Tea Company chatting to a Satemwa plucker during her recent quest to find Africa’s finest teas!

Master Tea Blender In Training

Teolinda Kay – master tea blender in training

at the Satemwa Tea Factory tasting room shown

here creating a fusion of black, green and white

fair-trade certified, insecticide free teas!

Thyolo to Las Vegas!

Satemwa attended the World Tea Expo in early May.

Our White Tea’s were profiled in a ‘rare tea’ tasting held

by Jane Pettigrew, along with teas from Korea, Thailand,

Bolivia and the UK!

Satemwa coffee

Prunning has started

After pruning sample inspections took place over the last 2 weeks when decisions were made as to the pruning height of individual fields for the year and the timming of the prune for each field, actual pruning has begun in earnest this week. The program should be over by mid May in order to allow for good recovery of the bushes before stress sets in at the onset of the dry season.

So far, we have had decent rains in march and growing conditions remain positive. After the debilitating drought in 2008, we need some decent winter rains this year to help recover health of the bushes.

Praise for Satemwa White Tea

I recently came across this forum discussing the fabulous qualities of Satemwa's White Tea!!

Satemwa makes Time Magazine

Satemwa has made a mention in Time Magazine, and in the US inaugural edition no less! One of our black teas is described as having 'robust, olive tones'.

Green-Backed Honey Guide

An interesting siting on the Guest House lawn this past weekend by one of the guests http://birdsoftheworldonline.com/green-backed-honeyguide-prodotiscus-zambesiae Seems to be quite a rare site according to the blog, so you keen types know where to come to tick this one off!

Government Visit

We were visited yesterday by a government offical whose purpose was to find out more information about how we market our teas. He was under the impression 'that whilst Malawi teas are amongst the best in the world, we recieve the lowest prices'. This visit followed a letter to various producers which suggested that Malawi teas were not attaining their potential value as they were being sold in the London tea auction - an institution that closed down over 20 years ago - both sad and hilarious that an interested stakeholder should be so out of touch.

Satemwa chosen for CSR case study

The german government through GTZ have commissioned Imani Development to gather information on Corporate Social Responsibility programs in Southern Africa. Satemwa has been chosen as one of the companies in Malawi to particpate in the survey due to our "prominence and impact as a business enterprise in Malawi's economy" The information will be used to develop an understanding of CSR in southern africa and gather views as to how better provide an enabling environment for CSR