Tea was introduced into Kenya from India by a European settler G. W. Caine in the 19th century.

Kenya is one of the world's largest producer of black tea with an annual production of over 400 million kilograms.

Kenya is the largest exporter of tea worldwide bringing in more than €1 billion annually. 90 percent of Kenya's tea is sold in international markets. This makes tea the top foreign exchange earner, followed by horticulture and coffee.

About 60% of the total crop is produced by small holder growers. They process and market their crop through their own management agency, the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Ltd, which is the largest single producer of tea in the world. The balance of 40% is produced on large scale estates which are managed by major multinational firms e.g. George Williamson, Finlays and Unilever, among others. 

Kenya prides itself as the producer of the best quality black tea in the world. The tea is hand picked (the upper two leaves and a bud are hand-plucked). The said leaves are then processed under stringent conditions in tea factories at source to ensure maximum quality.

For more information on Kenyan tea, please visit the following websites:

The Kenya Tea Board: www.teaboard.or.ke

The Kenya Tea Development Agency - www.ktdateas.com