Satemwa News

Life on Satemwa

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:47:00 +0000

As part of our ongoing environmental plan, Satemwa commissioned a local team to conduct a review of biodiversity and plant species found in our tea and coffee plots towards the end of 2010.

Now that we have our hands on the final report we pleased to share the findings with you. The comprehensive reports have provided us with an excellent resource for planning our future environmental strategy.

Satemwa Biodiversity Report (1.2MB)

Satemwa Plant Species List (196KB)

Tea Review

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:32:00 +0000

Read an unsolicited review of our Zomba Pearls by a Polish Wine Writer http://blog.polishwineguide.com/2010/12/30/white-tea-from-malawi/ It really is such an awesome tea. I haven’t had some for a while now – Saturday late morning, think it might just be the right time to enjoy a cup of Malawi’s finest!

Environment Update

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:19:00 +0000

We had a visit from Imani Consultants this week. They wanted to get an idea of our environmental management program and to get ideas of how we could work together on issues of Climate Change mitigation. One of the issues we discussed was how they could partner with Satemwa in the existing program we have for outgrowers in encouraging them to plant trees.

Our program with the outgrowers this year was rather humble, yet we managed to get the following trees planted out on their smallholdings; 622 Avocado Pears, 5,380 Eucalyptus spp, 27 other allsorted species. This was alongside their tea expansion program which saw 13,330 tea plants being put out by a number of growers.

The program for 2011 /12 season is yet to be defined in terms of the number of agroforestry species and fruit trees. However, Satemwa is preparing nurseries that will allow for 100,000 tea plants to go out to smallholder farmers.

Outgowers Update

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:00 +0000

Yesterday we had a meeting with Mr. Wilfred Kustomu, the Chairman of Msuwadzi Tea Growers Association whose members Satemwa buys green leaf from. The main purpose of the meeting was discuss some funding from the Farm Income Diversification Program (FIDIP) that has been identified to fund expansion and rehabilitation of smallholder tea fields.

We will be meeting again with FIDIP to try and work out the technicalities of this support program, with a view to the first plants being planted in May / June 2012.

Rainforest Alliance Certification

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 07:23:00 +0000

This morning we received our Rainforest Alliance certificate, certifying Satemwa for tea production. Unfortunately the auditors visited in October when we were not harvesting coffee as a result they were unable to do their ‘chain of custody’ audit and we can’t be certified for coffee production at this stage.

This will compliment our existing Utz and Fairtrade certificates both in different markets, but also our operations on the ground. Rainforest as the name suggests, as well as covering workers rights issues, health and safety etc has a bias towards protection of the environment. This is expressed in strict waste management standards etc

Still waiting for the little frog logo that we can include on our site!

Tea Makes warm Feelings

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 07:04:00 +0000

Other than those health benefits of the antioxidants and theanine in tea, research as showed emotional well being too! Read more at http://www.simplygreen.co.za/international-news/lifestyle-and-food/tea-makes-warm-feelings.html

General news

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:12:00 +0000

The last few weeks have seen us trying to finish off a number of projects before the season begins. This week having seen 3 consecutive days of rain starts the countdown to our first big flush of the season which we will expect in 6 weeks time.

At the beginning of November we had our first Rainforest Alliance audit which went well. We now await feedback from the certifiers and hope to have our certificate in place before the end of December.

This period also sees lots of visits from buyers who come to talk price, volume and delivery schedules for the months ahead

Fauna & Flora

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:48:00 +0000

We have this past week had a small team going through all our forests and wildlife corridors doing a survey of birds, tree and insect species found in them. The team is led by Tiwonge Mzumara and she will be producing a report listing all the different species found, the health of the forests and guiding us as to how we can manage these areas in future to best preserve them and the bird species within them.

The Journey of a Cuppa

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:04:00 +0000

We have been getting some very welcome winter rain the last week or so. This is setting the fields up well for an August / September flush – we don’t get this every year, but is important to us for cashflow reasons and because it is a time of year when we can make some of our best quality teas.

We receive our winter rain in the form of days of very light precipitation with complete cloud cover and no sun for days at a time. This unfortunately makes our roads a bit of a hazard – here are a few snaps of a container load of tea bound for the UK market that almost overturned as the truck slid off the road – if the top of the container hadn’t hit the bank, the truck would have ended up on its side.

Earlier in the morning, the truck was leaning against this bank. See the tea bushes roots sticking out of the bank. We hooked a chain to the top of the LHS of the container and pulled it straight with a tractor.

This set of tyres was 30cms off the ground.

We eventually managed to tow the trailer out backwards with a tractor – hope you enjoy the tea!

Audit Season

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:05:00 +0000

We have fairtrade auditors around for the next 2 weeks. 1 week at Satemwa and 1 week at Msuwadzi smallholders association. This involves a great deal of paperwork and ties up several people for the duration.

This year is a year 2 check which is an interim audit – this monitors our progress against the standard, to help ensure that we are ready for the year 3 audit which is a full audit. The auditor will also be checking our weak areas that have been highlighted in past years to ensure we have dealt with them effectively.

Next month we have our second Utz audit which will be done by Africert. Tomorrow we also have members from the Utz Kenya office who will be going through our pre-audit checklist with us to ensure we are well prepared.

Coffee Harvest & other news

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:58:00 +0000

The coffee harvest is now in full swing, with about half our estimated crop picked.

As well as the usual washed style of coffee, Mark Gomani has been experimenting with some pulped natural coffees. We are just getting the first of these coffees through for tasting with some interesting results – more on this later.

Work on improving soil and general environment continues. Both Rob Emmott and Mark Gomani notice a significant increase in earth worm activity in the coffee fields compared to past years. The action of the earthworms will improve soil structure which will definitely impact on plant health and cup quality.

We exported our first consignment of roast and ground coffee to Zimbabwe in May. It seems to have been well received and will be sending the next lot in early July.

Feedback

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:16:00 +0000

Please give us feedback on the sort of subject manner you would like to see appear on our blog!

Change of Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Sat, 08 May 2010 08:55:00 +0000

After a hot and wet last week of April, this first week of May has seen typical breezy champagne clear days and cool nights. This is one of the best times of year in this part of the world and both the tea and coffee gardens glow with health.

On the coffee side, the harvest has begun, with a few hundred kg’s of the early ripening cherries being picked each day. We will start harvesting the main and better quality crop towards the end of the month.

The tea factory is still full and will be so for the next 2 weeks or so, after which the effects of the cooler drier weather will kick in and volumes will drop.

This next few months is a period of tidying up, budgeting, planning for the next season, servicing machinery, and making improvements.

More Health Tips

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:53:00 +0000

Satemwa is embarking on another study with University of the Marche in Ancona, Italy. This time analysing how 5 different Chinese teas and a Satemwa white react when prepared in hot and cold water. Initial results are confirming what has been shown in previous studies in that white tea has a much higher antioxidant activity where prepared using cold water.

Satemwa white’s are ranking among the top together with two other white teas.

Have you had your cup of Satemwa White today?

Antioxidants

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:42:00 +0000

Satemwa has been working with the University of the Marche in Ancona, Italy in monitoring how the manufacturing process affects antioxidant activity in tea.

Dr. Elisabetta Damiani and her team have just submitted an article for peer review on the findings of the initial work done. They found that the general trend of antioxidant activity for tea made from the same cultivar was highest in green tea and followed the following pattern; green tea > decaffeinated green tea > white tea > black orthodox tea > black CTC tea.

They also found some seasonal variation as would be expected, indicating that tea harvested in September ( Spring flush for Satemwa teas )appears to have higher antioxidant
potency.

The study also included teas from Asian origins and results ‘suggest’ the ‘significant antioxidant activity’ of the Satemwa teas could ‘rival more common green and white teas from Asian countries.’

Drink up!

Satemwa on the BBC

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:53:00 +0000

BBC radio 4 is currently running a programme in their food series on speciality tea. Satemwa is featured, with reference to fair-trade and our speciality tea range. The presenter also gets to be wowed by a delicious cup of Lost Malawi tea!

You can find the programme at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pn410/Food_Programme_Speciality_Tea/. It runs for about 30 minutes and provides a good insight into the possibilities of tea!

Utz Update

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:48:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:05:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:49:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:58:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:21:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:06:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (imwanitea) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:54:00 +0000

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