Why We Carry JusTea: Fair Trade Tea, Grown and Made in Kenya

When you walk into Zee Bee Market and pick up a tin of tea by JusTea, we can tell you about the hills it grew on and the growers who run the small factory behind it, right down to which farmer picked the leaves.

That kind of traceability is rare for tea. While most of what fills a grocery shelf is blended from dozens of estates that are hard to name or find, with growers kept out of sight and price at origin set by middlemen, JusTea puts their farming partners’ pictures and bios right on the pouches and tins.

This is a big part of why JusTea has earned a place at Zee Bee Market.

Shared roots, half a world apart

We built Zee Bee Market around one idea: shop the world, locally. Walk into our Maplewood store, or shop online, and you will find hundreds of artisan-made, fair trade, and eco-friendly goods from around the globe, sitting next to organic coffee, chocolate, spices, and tea. 

We are members of the Fair Trade Federation, so every producer relationship we keep has to meet the Federation's nine principles. Fair wages. Safe and respectful working conditions. Direct, long-term partnerships. Honesty about the whole supply chain, from the farm to our front door.

Kenya runs through a lot of what we carry. Our hand-carved soapstone hearts come from Kenyan artisans. Our olive wood bowls and serving sets are carved by hand in Machakos, where the craft passes from parents to children. 

So when we came across a tea company sourcing straight from Kenyan farmers, under the same fair trade standards we hold ourselves to, the fit was easy to see. Two independent businesses, one in Maplewood and one that started in Vancouver, ended up holding the same line on how producers get treated.

A company that started by paying attention

JusTea began with a family from Vancouver who traveled to Kenya in 2012. What they found was hard to sit with. Kenya has more than 500,000 small-scale tea farmers, and most of them had no choice but to sell their leaves to large factories at prices that no longer covered food, water, or school fees. 

The Bain family decided to help build something better. By 2013, JusTea was underway, and alongside the Katah family and the Nandi Hills community, they helped open Kenya's first artisanal tea cottage factory owned and managed by the small-scale farmers themselves. No middleman setting the price. The farmers process their own whole-leaf tea in small batches and earn a fair, steady wage for the work.

That direct model changes more than a paycheck. When farmers control the processing, they control the quality, and they keep the margin that used to vanish between the field and the factory gate. JusTea is one of the few Canadian tea companies verified by the Fair Trade Federation, and they travel back to Kenya every year to keep the partnership honest. Read this lovely blog to learn more about their work.

Introducing purple tea, and why it is worth a try

Here is the part that surprises most of our customers. JusTea is a leader in purple tea, a Kenyan variety that was barely known outside the region a decade ago.

It grows naturally high in antioxidants and brews a cup that is smooth, lightly sweet, and gentler than a strong black tea. The leaves are hand-picked and kept whole. They are never sprayed, because Kenya's growing climate has no native tea pests.

For anyone who has only had tea from a paper bag of unknown origin, the difference in the cup is easy to taste.

A good place to start

We carry a range of JusTea's teas, and a favorite on our best-sellers shelf is the Loose Leaf Purple Tea Trio Gift Tin. It holds three purple blends, which makes it a simple place to start if purple tea is new to you. It also makes a thoughtful gift, the kind where you can tell the person exactly where it came from and who it supported. If you want to see the full range, shop JusTea's Tea Gift Trios and their other blends here.

Looking for the best Earl Grey?

If your usual Earl Grey comes out of a supermarket box, JusTea’s Earl Grey is also definitely worth a try. It is organic, fair trade, and blended with real bergamot, rather than flavoring. It is packed in recyclable pouches, this tea is sure to become your next kitchen staple.

Why this matters in St. Louis

We think a lot about where money goes when you spend it. 

A dollar spent at Zee Bee Market supports a farmer or artisan who was paid fairly, and it stays with a local, independent shop in Maplewood. We also put it to work close to home, helping St. Louis nonprofits raise funds through our giving-back program. 

Choosing a tin of fair trade tea over an anonymous box is a small decision with a long reach, from Kenya to your kitchen table.

Come discover JusTea at Zee Bee Market

We stock a lot of beautiful things, and we are picky about why. A product earns its place here when the people who made it were treated and paid fairly, and when we can show you the proof. JusTea clears that bar at every step, from the farmers in Kenya to the tin on our shelves.

Stop by our Maplewood store and browse our selection of JusTea, or order a tin or pouch from us online and brew a cup that paid the people who grew it a fair, dignifies wage.

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