Meet the JusTeam!
JusTea is a partnership between families in Canada and Kenya.
Meet the JusTeam members below and for more farmer updates search #LiveFromKenya on Instagram where our Kenyan partners go live to answer your questions!
Meet the JusTeam in Canada
Paul Bain
Paul is the Tea Captain at JusTea. After Canada, Kenya is the country Paul has spent the most time in and in many ways it feels like home to him. Paul is energized by working directly with small-scale farmers in Kenya, living with them on the tea gardens and processing tea together. Paul manages JusTea’s sales, marketing, and product development.
Russ Lafond
Russ is the Doctor of Operations and has been with JusTea from the beginning. Being very passionate about his involvement in a start-up, he learned a great deal about building a sustainable and ethical business. Now, Russ manages all product sourcing, packaging production and shipping logistics. On Russ's most recent trip to Kenya, he brought a scoby with him and taught Boaz how to make kombucha!
Sally Bain
Sally is a fantastic graphic designer and helps create JusTea's packaging and brand direction. When JusTea was getting started Sally helped design some of JusTea’s packaging and branding elements including our beautiful logo.
Grayson Bain
Grayson is the Canadian Founding Father. Wherever Grayson goes people tell him they are looking for food that is natural healthy and directly benefiting the farmer. For this reason he is proud to be the founding father of JusTea! As Mzee (East African term for proud old man) he loves seeing how Paul (Tea Captain) and Russ (Doctor of Operations) have taken over the leadership of JusTea in partnership with the Katah family of Kenya.
Shanice Alexander-Watson
Shanice is the relationship manager at JusTea. She manages most of our wholesale accounts across Canada and the USA. Shanice also works directly with online customers (like yourself!) to ensure everyone receives the best JusTea experience possible. See that little speech bubble in the bottom right corner of your screen? Click on that, and you will connect directly with her!
Grace Bain
Momma Grace always makes herself available to support JusTea and lend a hand wherever it is needed. Grace helps package tea, gives feedback on new flavours in development, and spends a lot of time being a Nana to her grand-daughter Cleo (Paul and Sally’s daughter)!
Meet the JusTeam in Kenya
Boaz
Boaz Katah is the cottage factory manager. He is excited to create new job opportunities for his neighbours in Nandi Hills. Boaz is featured on our Purple Rain Tin.
Mzee Jacob
Mzee Jacob was our Kenyan founding father. His vision to create a more just supply-chain for small-scale tea farmers is the core of JusTea’s mission. We honour Mzee’s life through our farmer-direct partnership and sharing Kenyan teas with the world! Jacob is featured on our African Chai Tin.
Esperanza
Esperanza is a founding member of the Kenyan Women’s Tea Co-op. After 25 years of farming, picking, and processing organic herbs, she is now the production manager. Esperanza is featured on our Chamomile Dream Tin.
Jamilla
Jamila manages many of the social impact projects JusTea supports on the ground. She also cooks the best chapatis in Kenya! Jamilla is featured on our Purple Chocolate Tin.
Emmanuel
Emmanuel, is one of our processing supervisors in the cottage factory. He is proud to share his teas with you! Emmanuel is featured on our Purple Mint Tin.
Christine
Christine, called Chepkimi, is a single mother of 2 energetic children (Joy and Darius). She is so pleased to have a steady job managing the tea leaf sorting and packaging team. Christine is featured on our Purple Jasmine Tin.
Isabella
On her small-scale ‘shamba’, Isabella grows her own organic lemongrass and sells it to the Women’s Co-op. Her dream is to visit Canada! Isabella is featured on our Peppermint Detox Tin.
Beth
As a dedicated mother, Beth supports her two sons and daughters. Beth’s employment allows her to pay for her children’s school fees. Beth is featured on our Little Berry Hibiscus Tin.
Collins
Collins is organizing the Nandi Hills community to plant Thrive Organic Life Gardens. he is proud to share this knowledge about growing malaria-fighting plants and healthy food. Collins is featured on our Mt. Kenya Black Tin (teabags).
Eunice
Eunice and her son had sufferred from malnutrition before attending Thrive's Life Garden classes. Eunice has now planted her own vegetable garden and her family is eating healthy meals everyday! Eunice is featured on our Peppermint Detox Tin (teabags).
Stanley
Stanley is a small-scale tea farmer who works hard cultivating his tea bushes. Through Thrive's organic training workshops, Stanley is proud to implement organic practices on his farm. Stanley is featured on our Purple Rain Tin (teabags).
Faith
Faith is a student in Nandi Hills and has received training through Thrive's workshops. She is excited that she can use her small garden to grow a high yield of organic veggies. Faith is featured on our Golden Green Tin (teabags).
Felix
Felix is a tea picker and a father of 4. He often used to miss work because he was sick with malaria. By attending Thrive's health classes, Felix now drinks malaria-fighting Artemisia tea and rarely misses a workday! Felix is featured on our Purple Jasmine Tin (teabags).
Sharon
Sharon is the tea garden supervisor. She organizes the tea pluckers, quality of the hand-picked leaves, and leaf transportation. Sharon is featured on our Kenya Earl Grey Tea Tin.
Irine
Irine is a mother of 2 children. As a member of Thrive's organic garden workshops, Irine is proud that the food she now puts on her family table is a variety of healthy vegetables she grew in her garden. Irene is featured on our Turmeric Ginger Tins.
Regina
Regina has a limtied amount of land to grow vegetables, so she is grateful that Thrive has provided her with access to a community garden. Rebecca loves to sign hymns while she plants organic crops. Regina is featured on our Chamomile Dream Tins (teabags).
Monica
Monica is a veteran tea plucker. Hand-picking tea provides her family of 5 with a steady income. Fun fact: Monica, and all her children, are left-handed! Monica is featured on our Mt. Kenya Black Tin.
Rebecca
Rebecca is the matriarch of a family of 9. She loves her country and is proud of the olympic runners from Kenya. Rebecca wants to protect and care for Kenya's soil so she only uses organic fertilizer. Rebecca is featured on our Kenyan Earl Grey Tins (teabags).
Agnes
Agnes with her 2 children are healthier and stronger since learning what vegetables to plant in her tiny garden. She also is happy to not have to buy inorganic market vegetables. Agnes is featured on our Purple Tea Trio Tin.
Caroline
Caroline and her 3 children attended Thrive's organic garden workshops in her village. She has been trained to grow her own vegetables to feed her family. Caroline is featured on our Herbal Tea Trio Tin.
Celestine
Celestine works as at tea picker to provide for her 4 kids. Through Thrive's organic garden workshops, she learned to grow malaria-fighting plants like Artemisia, and her family has been healthier ever since! Celestine is featured on our Assorted Tea Tin.
Ruth
Ruth earns an income by picking tea leaves, and with Thrive's training, she has been able to sell her organic veggies at the local market to provide extra savings for her 3 kids. Ruth is featured on our Black Tea Trio Tin.