Mar 15, 2021
My guest today is Kate Holby. Kate, together with her sister, Sara,
and the appreciated support of their parents, started a small
business 12 years ago, called Ajiri Tea Company. The
Swahili translation of the word “Ajiri” means ‘to employ’ and that
is exactly what the Holby sisters have done. Ajiri sources tea from
small-scale farms in Western Kenya and employs 60 women in the
Kenyan region to hand make all the packaging, using dried bark from
banana trees. Ajiri asked the tea farmers and women where the
profits should go, and they all agreed they wanted profits to be
invested in education for the orphans in their community.
100% of profits goes directly to Orphan Education. Ajiri then hired
two exceptional Kenyan social workers, who identify vulnerable
orphans, providing the concrete financial support of school fees
and living supplies, while also providing the emotional and
psychological support to address their difficult living situations.
Ajiri cares about the quality of their relationships, from their
empowering relationship to the farmers and women making packages,
to their social workers and Ajiri scholars, to their phenomenal,
loyal customer base who believe in the mission of this truly Kenyan
company. And to think that the simple act of sipping a cup of
Kenyan tea could have such a positive ripple effect on the lives of
so many!
Check out the show notes for links to the Ajiri Tea website and
their Instagram & Twitter accounts. Explore ways you can help
support the inspiring work for this great company. Enjoy the
podcast!
Links:
ajiritea.com
IG:
@ajiritea
Twitter:
@AjiriTea