upepo
Elder Lister
Every farmer this bonus season is asking the million-shilling question: why is Rift Valley tea being sold for less than Central Kenya tea? Well, it’s not because Rift Valley tea is weak or bland - it’s actually pretty good. The explanation is more about geography, history, and the market’s picky personality.
Picture the Rift Valley: Kericho, Nandi, Bomet - rolling green carpets of tea as far as the eye can see. Huge estates, multinational companies, and cooperatives pump out millions of kilos of CTC black tea like a never-ending conveyor belt. It’s like the tea version of “buy one, get ten free.” Buyers at the Mombasa Tea Auction know they’ll never run out of Rift Valley tea, so they grab it in bulk to use as the base for everyday teabags. Volume is king - but also the reason the prices stay humble.
Central Kenya, on the other hand, is like the boutique coffee shop of Kenyan tea. On the cool slopes of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares, the tea grows slowly, soaking up the altitude to pack in more flavour. Smallholder farmers through KTDA churn out smaller batches, making the tea rare and, therefore, pricey. At auction, buyers fight for it like it’s the last chapati at a family gathering.
History adds spice to the story. Rift Valley tea started under colonial estate farming, made for mass export to Britain. Central Kenya joined later, under KTDA, with a focus on quality and branding. Over time, Rift Valley became “dependable bulk supplier,” while Central Kenya grew into “premium, high-end brew.”
So, Rift Valley tea is cheaper not because it’s second-rate, but because it’s the dependable workhorse of the industry. Central Kenya tea is the fancy cousin who went to group of schools, got a shiny brand, and now charges extra for the same cup. Both are good - but the market treats them very differently.
