JusTea, Justly Made Tea

JusTea offers the first and only farmer-direct tea from Kenya. We partner directly with small-scale tea farming families and communities to ensure that the farmers are paid a fair wage, that we reinvest in the community, and that you get the freshest, most delicious tea possible.

Committed to Fair Employment and Investing in Kenyan Communities

Mission

JusTea was founded when the Bain family (from Canada) met the Katah family (from Kenya), and learned the challenges that small-scale farmers in Kenya face. The mission was born to create new opportunities for employment, pay higher wages, and reinvest in tea-farming communities. This relationship and mission is at the core of everything we do.

Women's Co-op

JusTea is the first North-American partner for this cooperative's organic herbal teas. Over 80% of the employees are women and they support hundreds of farmers in their community.

Meet some of the JusTeam members.

100% Fair-Trade and A Proud Member of the Fair Trade Federation

JusTea is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation which is a holistic approach to the fair-trade supply-chain. We are one of the few tea companies in North America that have been verified by the FTF because all of our teas strictly follow fair-trade principles. 

JusTea: Hand Picked, Garden-Direct Fresh, Whole Leaf Tea

JusTea exclusively offers whole leaf tea. This results in a more delicious and much fuller flavour. Every JusTea leaf is hand-picked in the garden to select the best quality and maintain the whole leaf quality. We work directly with the farmers to consistently provide you with the freshest cup of tea possible!

Explore our tea collections

JusTea’s Sustainable Tea Farming in Kenya

Our goal is to actively improve the environment through sustainable farming practices, encouraging biodiversity and soil-regeneration, and providing earth-friendly packaging for all our products. We make sure you receive the tastiest tea possible with the lowest carbon footprint.

100% Pesticide and Chemical Free Soil

Kenya’s equatorial climate, high elevation, and nutrient-rich volcanic-ash soil, make it the perfect place to grow tea. Unlike other tea growing regions that spray their tea leaves with pesticides, there are no indigenous pests for the Kenyan tea bushes so no farmers in Kenya spray pesticides. JusTea farmers partners either use natural fertilizer (composting and animal manure) or twice a year apply basic garden fertilizer (NPK - Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium).

Eco-Friendly, Organic Tea Grown On A Small Scale

Instead of mono-cropping with large tea plantations, our small tea gardens provide a more natural biodiversity for vegetation and animals. JusTea is organically-grown, hand-picked, whole-leaf Kenyan tea processed in small batches, meaning you get a better-tasting, incredibly fresh cup of tea.

Earth Friendly Packaging & Plastic Free Tea Bags

Our tea tins are reusable and recyclable. We recommend buying one tin and then using our 100% recyclable pouches to refill your tins. JusTea's Pyramid Tea Bags are 100% plastic-free and compostable in just 3 weeks.

Growing Biodiverse Food Gardens

JusTea is an official partner of Thrive. Sales from our tea support planting Organic Life Gardens in Kenya. Learn more about JusTea’s impact with Thrive here.

The Tea Journey From Kenya: JusTea's Story

Most people don’t know it, but Kenya is actually the largest exporter of Black Tea in the world! There are over half-a-million small-scale Kenyan tea farmers. Unfortunately, when these farmers harvest their tea leaves, their only option is to sell them at a low price to large-scale factories. We first learned of this farmer hardship on our initial trip to Kenya in 2012. We spent a week with Davison and Grace on their one-acre “shamba” and heard from them and their neighbours that they were going to have to uproot their tea bushes because their tea earnings did not provide them with basic family needs – food, water, sanitation, and education. 

After many trips to Kenya, meeting with farmers, researching the tea industry, and consulting with NGOs on the ground, we knew there could be a different experience for Kenyan tea farmers and tea drinkers around the world. Since 2012, we have partnered with the Katah family and the Nandi Hills community to establish Kenya’s first-ever “Artisanal Tea Cottage Factory” owned and managed by small-scale tea farmers! We are leading the research and processing of new Kenyan teas (like Purple Tea!) but more importantly we are paying fair-prices for farmers tea leaves and creating steady employment where there wasn’t any before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Company

The name JusTea stands for Justly Made Tea. Every one of our teas ensures that farmers are paid a sustainable wage.

We took our first trip to Kenya in 2012 and then launched 2 crowdfunding campaigns in 2013. JusTea is based in Vancouver Canada and works with partners in Kenya (Nandi Hills and Meru).

Yes, our tea is organically grown, free from pesticides, herbicides and chemicals. While not all of our ingredients are certified organic, all our teas are very clean and follow organic growing principals.

JusTea is one of the few tea companies verified Fair-Trade by the Fair Trade Federation. We travel to Kenya once a year and work closely with all our partners.

Teas

Yes, all JusTea products are gluten-free. 

Yes, JusTea is both Kosher and Halal but not certified.

We are sweet on our own! Absolutely no sugar is added to any of our blends.

No, never.

We can’t give medical advise but clinical trials have found that Purple Tea does help with weight loss and this has been published in medical journals.

This will very by tea type. Please view the product page of the tea that interests you for specific details. 

Natural flavours are concentrated liquid extracts made from real food ingredients. We use natural flavours to complement dried fruits, herbs, and other botanicals in some blends to create a complex depth of flavour that infuses deeply into the tea leaves.

We typically only use Natural Flavours when we can’t source the actual whoel leaf ingredient for this flavour. All our natural flavours in compliance with USDA NOP organic standards and completely safe.

Our teas have a shelf life of 3 years, you can check your package for it’s specific best before date. After this date, teas will just start to lose their fresh flavour instead of expiring. 

Tea is an agricultural product, some seasonal variance is to be expected in the flavor profiles of tea, especially teas that are one single ingredient (such as Mt Kenya Black).

We recommend using our refillable tea tins. Store your tea the same way you would your spices. Tea is best kept in a dark cool area. Any exposure to the sun or heat will make it lose its fresh flavour faster.

This all depends on the product.

  • Loose leaf tins: 80 cups (40 first steep, 40 second steep)
  • Small pouches: 80 cups (40 first steep, 40 second steep)
  • Tea bag Tins: 24 cups (12 first steep, 12 second steep)
  • Large Pouches: 160 cups (80 first steep, 80 second steep)

Packaging

Our tins are made of 100% recyclable tin-plate. Our pouches are made of 100% recyclable plastic. You can find more information here.

Our pyramid tea bags are 100% compostable and plastic free. They are made from up-cycled sugar cane husks and can be composted in your municipal (just 3 weeks) or backyard compost. You can find more information here.

Misc

Reach out to us on our Live Chat or at info@justea.com. Please keep in mind that our operation hours are Monday-Friday 9-5. Holiday hours may vary. 

Yes, we try our best to donate tea to companies that have similar goals. Please reach out to us over email at info@justea.com with DONATION in the subject line.

If you are looking to sell JusTea at an event, please send an email with the words EVENT BUY in the subject line.

That way Shanice can offer you a special promotion. 

Please connect with Daniel@justea.com