Analysis: A Farmer-Owned Tea Factory In The Himalayas Targets Systems Change
By Anne Field
In the Kumaon region of the Indian Himalayas, 4,000-6,000 feet above sea level, 11-year-old U.S.-based Young Mountain Tea is building something entirely new: Kumaon Tea, a farmer-owned tea factory and a partnership between Young Mountain and smallholder farmers, that, according to co-founder Raj Vable, can produce premium specialty tea likely to boost the income of farmers, while creating a new system representing a break from the industry’s colonial legacy. “We work with Himalayan farmers to help raise the quality of their tea, so they can raise the quality of their lives,” says Vable. “But ultimately, we’re trying create systems change.”
Photo courtesy of ashok acharya.
Source: Forbes (link opens in a new window)
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