This price surpassed the bids of more than a dozen other tea producers from across the region at the 44th East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA) auction, marking a significant milestone for Rwandan tea on the international market.
Mombasa, Kenya, is home to the world's second-largest black tea auction center after Colombo, Sri Lanka. The achievement at this auction emphasizes Rwanda's growing reputation as a producer of high-quality tea and signals increasing demand for its products.
Rwanda Mountain Tea, known for its commitment to excellence, once again demonstrated the strength of its offerings in this fiercely competitive environment. Kitabi Tea Factory, which operates in the Nyamagabe District in Rwanda's Southern Province, is a standout within the group.
The factory oversees a vast tea plantation spanning over 1,600 hectares, ensuring high-quality output year after year.
During this auction, Rwanda's premium BP1 grade was not only the highest bid for its category but was also the top bid across all participating producers for the second consecutive auction.
Additionally, Kitabi Tea Factory secured other top grades: Pekoe Fanning One (PF1) at USD 4.23, Pekoe Dust (PDUST) at USD 4.79, while Mata Tea Factory earned USD 3.41 for the DUST1 grade. This exceptional performance in multiple categories underscores the quality and dedication to standards that Rwanda Mountain Tea maintains across its products.
"Rwandan tea's success at the most recent auction reinforces the global reputation of our product. Our commitment to producing premium-quality tea is unwavering, and we are proud to see this reflected in the high demand and top prices our products achieved " said Martin Luther Mawo, Director of Sales and Marketing at Rwanda Mountain Tea Group.
He highlighted that despite a challenging growing season due to prolonged dry conditions, Rwandan tea retained its top position, with its factories achieving leading prices on all four tea grades at the auction.
This success comes at a time when the East African tea market is facing a supply reduction. This year's Mombasa auction reported a decrease of over 2.4 million packages, with 6.25 million sold in 2024 compared to 8.67 million in 2023.
In terms of regional competition, Kenya, the largest tea producer in East Africa, sold 5.27 million kilograms, Rwanda sold 191,235 kilograms while Uganda sold with 733,846kgs with other countries also making significant contributions. Rwanda's unmatched premium prices place it as a leader in quality within the auction.
The Tea Market Report for 2023-2024 further highlighted Rwanda's success in securing an annual average price of USD 3.55 per kilogram, an increase from USD 3.22 the previous year. This average was the highest among East African producers, with Kenya following at USD 2.28.
The outstanding achievements of Rwanda Mountain Tea were further recognized at the recent 6th African Tea Convention and Exhibition in Kigali, where the company won several awards, securing top honors across the main tea grades.
In the 2022/2023 fiscal year, Rwanda exported 39,000 tonnes of processed tea, generating over USD 107.7 million, which contributed to 12% of the country's agricultural export revenue.
Key markets for Rwandan tea include the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Ireland, and Russia. With rising global demand and consistent quality, Rwanda is well-positioned to continue expanding its tea exports, strengthening its reputation in the global tea market and providing substantial support to the national economy.
Sam K Nkurunziza
