Njuri - I was researching tea factories

[RV Pundit]

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Meru - look like you only have 8
Kipsigis territory the number including those under construction approaching 50.
And I believe there still scope to get that to even 100.

[Njuri Ncheke]

Meru - look like you only have 8
Kipsigis territory the number including those under construction approaching 50.
And I believe there still scope to get that to even 100.

I am even surprised they are that many in Meru. To compare Meru in terms of agricultural products with nkalenjini land you have to use different parameters. Tea is not the main produce in Meru, in meru their is no main product as per sae but about 10-20 different produce. Thats what makes Meru very versatile in Farming unlike other parts of Kenya. If you don't know, in different Meru regions there is a different produce,
Timau-wheat bailey and horticulture plus dorper sheep raising,
Tigania/Igembe-Miraa, tea,cereals, fruits,honey.
Imenti area-tea, coffee, dairy, horticulture
Chuka-Chogoria, tea, coffee, dairy, horticulture, honey.
Tharaka area-sorghum, green peas, black peas plus other cereals, honey.
What am trying to point is you cant compare Meru and nkalenjini land we are very diverse in producing. Again Last time i looked kipisigs and nandi areas/ counties are very small in area compared to Meru, begging the question with your over busting population where do you grow these stuff.
And to hammer an upper cut those 49 Kipsigis companies get less money than those 8 Meru ones, we go for quality not quantity.

[Nowayhaha]

Meru - look like you only have 8
Kipsigis territory the number including those under construction approaching 50.
And I believe there still scope to get that to even 100.

List the owners and how much in terms of tonnes they produce.
You amaze me , you seem to be learned but you dont apply what you learnt in daily practice.
Richness in tea and coffee ais only enjoyed by brokers and auctioneers(find out who they are).The govnt earns foreing exchange from it.
Its naive to think because tea is grown in a certain region then that region is rich.

[Njuri Ncheke]

Meru - look like you only have 8
Kipsigis territory the number including those under construction approaching 50.
And I believe there still scope to get that to even 100.

List the owners and how much in terms of tonnes they produce.
You amaze me , you seem to be learned but you dont apply what you learnt in daily practice.
Richness in tea and coffee ais only enjoyed by brokers and auctioneers(find out who they are).The govnt earns foreing exchange from it.
Its naive to think because tea is grown in a certain region then that region is rich.

Pundit is academically learned but thats about it. Outside he is a Mogotio goat.

[RV Pundit]

Yes, that is where we go wrong as people, we are either into tea or maize or dairy - and very little of the rest really - and yet we have huge potential to grow so much.

I am even surprised they are that many in Meru. To compare Meru in terms of agricultural products with nkalenjini land you have to use different parameters. Tea is not the main produce in Meru, in meru their is no main product as per sae but about 10-20 different produce. Thats what makes Meru very versatile in Farming unlike other parts of Kenya. If you don't know, in different Meru regions there is a different produce,
Timau-wheat bailey and horticulture plus dorper sheep raising,
Tigania/Igembe-Miraa, tea,cereals, fruits,honey.
Imenti area-tea, coffee, dairy, horticulture
Chuka-Chogoria, tea, coffee, dairy, horticulture, honey.
Tharaka area-sorghum, green peas, black peas plus other cereals, honey.
What am trying to point is you cant compare Meru and nkalenjini land we are very diverse in producing. Again Last time i looked kipisigs and nandi areas/ counties are very small in area compared to Meru, begging the question with your over busting population where do you grow these stuff.
And to hammer an upper cut those 49 Kipsigis companies get less money than those 8 Meru ones, we go for quality not quantity.

[RV Pundit]

You're very salty. This is just a light banter with Njuri or Kenya Plato that I normally do. I was doing research because I am interested in setting tea cottage factory.

List the owners and how much in terms of tonnes they produce.
You amaze me , you seem to be learned but you dont apply what you learnt in daily practice.
Richness in tea and coffee ais only enjoyed by brokers and auctioneers(find out who they are).The govnt earns foreing exchange from it.
Its naive to think because tea is grown in a certain region then that region is rich.

[Nowayhaha]

You're very salty. This is just a light banter with Njuri or Kenya Plato that I normally do. I was doing research because I am interested in setting tea cottage factory.

List the owners and how much in terms of tonnes they produce.
You amaze me , you seem to be learned but you dont apply what you learnt in daily practice.
Richness in tea and coffee ais only enjoyed by brokers and auctioneers(find out who they are).The govnt earns foreing exchange from it.
Its naive to think because tea is grown in a certain region then that region is rich.

I would suggest if you are genuinely interested in Tea business , endevour to become a broker .
Some of us can read between the lines , we can see when you try to advance so called Kalenjin supremacy , that is so 1990s no one can buy into that 30 years later, even the Kalenjin themselves....

[RV Pundit]

Interesting idea - how do I become a tea broker? Just register at Mombasa auction I guess.

I would suggest if you are genuinely interested in Tea business , endevour to become a broker .
Some of us can read between the lines , we can see when you try to advance so called Kalenjin supremacy , that is so 1990s no one can buy into that 30 years later, even the Kalenjin themselves....

[Njuri Ncheke]

Some things are hard to let go for instance our family has been in farming for eons but since 2017 we have been making losses due to influx of cheap Tanzanian and Ugandan produce, my dad is struggling to farm last season 4 acres went to waste as we couldn't raise capital to farm and hired them out to herders to graze. But my dad can't let go its in his blood almost genetic, last season he got a big harvest even though the size he farmed was smaller. But when it comes to selling thats where government fails farmers. Myself I love farming I want to reara like 1000+ pigs process them on my farm and export finished products abroad, I. Want to utilize Isiolo airport but with no serious airlines we are doomed Kibaki had a dream Uhuru a nightmare, I speak to fellow farmers and the lamentation is the same, who will help us? Dad now shifting to avocado farming from cereals then when we start harvesting the market collapses or they bring products from tz and ug, this is just sick and painful.

[RV Pundit]

I hated farming when I planted my first 1/2 of kales and cabbages and went into losses as a teen. Try get into agro-processing - or even trading. Farming ni shida tupu. I only do tree planting. I had done some few tea farms but recently gave them up - in exchange for land along the river to set up small hydro.

Some things are hard to let go for instance our family has been in farming for eons but since 2017 we have been making losses due to influx of cheap Tanzanian and Ugandan produce, my dad is struggling to farm last season 4 acres went to waste as we couldn't raise capital to farm and hired them out to herders to graze. But my dad can't let go its in his blood almost genetic, last season he got a big harvest even though the size he farmed was smaller. But when it comes to selling thats where government fails farmers. Myself I love farming I want to reara like 1000+ pigs process them on my farm and export finished products abroad, I. Want to utilize Isiolo airport but with no serious airlines we are doomed Kibaki had a dream Uhuru a nightmare, I speak to fellow farmers and the lamentation is the same, who will help us? Dad now shifting to avocado farming from cereals then when we start harvesting the market collapses or they bring products from tz and ug, this is just sick and painful.

[Nowayhaha]

Interesting idea - how do I become a tea broker? Just register at Mombasa auction I guess.

I would suggest if you are genuinely interested in Tea business , endevour to become a broker .
Some of us can read between the lines , we can see when you try to advance so called Kalenjin supremacy , that is so 1990s no one can buy into that 30 years later, even the Kalenjin themselves....

You are doing research isnt it ?

[Njuri Ncheke]

I hated farming when I planted my first 1/2 of kales and cabbages and went into losses as a teen. Try get into agro-processing - or even trading. Farming ni shida tupu. I only do tree planting. I had done some few tea farms but recently gave them up - in exchange for land along the river to set up small hydro.

Some things are hard to let go for instance our family has been in farming for eons but since 2017 we have been making losses due to influx of cheap Tanzanian and Ugandan produce, my dad is struggling to farm last season 4 acres went to waste as we couldn't raise capital to farm and hired them out to herders to graze. But my dad can't let go its in his blood almost genetic, last season he got a big harvest even though the size he farmed was smaller. But when it comes to selling thats where government fails farmers. Myself I love farming I want to reara like 1000+ pigs process them on my farm and export finished products abroad, I. Want to utilize Isiolo airport but with no serious airlines we are doomed Kibaki had a dream Uhuru a nightmare, I speak to fellow farmers and the lamentation is the same, who will help us? Dad now shifting to avocado farming from cereals then when we start harvesting the market collapses or they bring products from tz and ug, this is just sick and painful.

Exactly have seen my dad almost cry come to tears, its too sad, one time we couldn't get the rates we wanted for some bags of beans, as I was departing for some work In Nairobi dad told me just to carry them in my vehicle and go sell there as the prices would be better , that was the lowest part all our farming life i also almost shed tears.

[hk]

Interesting idea - how do I become a tea broker? Just register at Mombasa auction I guess.

I would suggest if you are genuinely interested in Tea business , endevour to become a broker .
Some of us can read between the lines , we can see when you try to advance so called Kalenjin supremacy , that is so 1990s no one can buy into that 30 years later, even the Kalenjin themselves....

The key to any successful business is capturing most of the value chain. A broker is just a middle man who very soon might be wiped out by technology, its the lazy "kenyan" option. The people making money in tea industry are the philip ndegwas with their Eden tea and the pakistanis who own kericho Gold https://www.wsj.com/articles/kenyan-tea-a-reliable-export-brews-a-market-at-home-1488796208 . The point is create a brand , it'll take time but you'll make a fortune.

[RV Pundit]

Precisely. I have seen some chinese brands sell for even 20K usd per 500 grams of tea. That is the idea - to create brand of high quality tea.

The key to any successful business is capturing most of the value chain. A broker is just a middle man who very soon might be wiped out by technology, its the lazy "kenyan" option. The people making money in tea industry are the philip ndegwas with their Eden tea and the pakistanis who own kericho Gold https://www.wsj.com/articles/kenyan-tea-a-reliable-export-brews-a-market-at-home-1488796208 . The point is create a brand , it'll take time but you'll make a fortune.

[KenyanPlato]

Kericho gold was my favorite..last time I bought it was not good. Tea will be hard to crack. To develop a brand you need serious money and it is not easy to establish whole value chain. I will never farm it is waste of tume and effort.

[Nowayhaha]

Interesting idea - how do I become a tea broker? Just register at Mombasa auction I guess.

I would suggest if you are genuinely interested in Tea business , endevour to become a broker .
Some of us can read between the lines , we can see when you try to advance so called Kalenjin supremacy , that is so 1990s no one can buy into that 30 years later, even the Kalenjin themselves....

The key to any successful business is capturing most of the value chain. A broker is just a middle man who very soon might be wiped out by technology, its the lazy "kenyan" option. The people making money in tea industry are the philip ndegwas with their Eden tea and the pakistanis who own kericho Gold https://www.wsj.com/articles/kenyan-tea-a-reliable-export-brews-a-market-at-home-1488796208 . The point is create a brand , it'll take time but you'll make a fortune.

We are talking of export business, not the local consumption which takes around 5% of the produce.

[hk]

Interesting idea - how do I become a tea broker? Just register at Mombasa auction I guess.

I would suggest if you are genuinely interested in Tea business , endevour to become a broker .
Some of us can read between the lines , we can see when you try to advance so called Kalenjin supremacy , that is so 1990s no one can buy into that 30 years later, even the Kalenjin themselves....

The key to any successful business is capturing most of the value chain. A broker is just a middle man who very soon might be wiped out by technology, its the lazy "kenyan" option. The people making money in tea industry are the philip ndegwas with their Eden tea and the pakistanis who own kericho Gold https://www.wsj.com/articles/kenyan-tea-a-reliable-export-brews-a-market-at-home-1488796208 . The point is create a brand , it'll take time but you'll make a fortune.

We are talking of export business, not the local consumption which takes around 5% of the produce.

So why can't pundit export his local brand if it meets global standards? Brokering commodities business is a razor thin margin business plus it needs massive capital. Companies like drefus or cargill depends on volume. Sri lanka is successfully moving from selling black tea to selling packaged tea. Nowadays its easier to create brand with different business model like direct to consumer. Pundit can jump on new areas in the industry like Kombucha, can or bottle it like "Arizona Tea" and export. Besides there's no country that has successful created wealth without local brands.

[RV Pundit]

Precisely. Beside business people need to think long term.  I want something I can do for 30yrs or 50yrs. And I am basically not into rental kinda of nonsense - like most typical kenyans - who spend 20-30 million building a rental slumscrapper - which end up employing only a care taker  - instead of a business that can employ you, your family,your kids and many other people - like the Bahindis are doing.

With Africa retail business - formalizing - there is already enough scope locally to be able to push a brand.  Yes competing with Lipton Teas will not be easy - but Cylon (SriLanka) and others have shown it can be done. China is pretty impressive...they do nearly 25B dollars in Tea...while we are doing 1.5B. The difference in quantity is not that huge...we are past 0.5M metric tonnes of processed tea (more than 2billion kilos of green leaves)...and they are just at 2M. For 4 times more tea - they earn 20 times more. Srilanka earn twice for half our tea.Rwanda has beaten us blue in quality.

My interest - is basically to manufacture little quanties of non-black ctc tea (I cannot get manufacture license for CTC anyway) - othordox, purple, green tea, white tea -  and see if I can export - and eventually have my own brand.

Heck even locally - there is nothing like Ice tea ; You go to Uganda or Rwanda - and there are many such shops selling iced tea - albeit set up by Bazungu. For some reason Bazungu find it easy to start business there - but not Kenya.

So why can't pundit export his local brand if it meets global standards? Brokering commodities business is a razor thin margin business plus it needs massive capital. Companies like drefus or cargill depends on volume. Sri lanka is successfully moving from selling black tea to selling packaged tea. Nowadays its easier to create brand with different business model like direct to consumer. Pundit can jump on new areas in the industry like Kombucha, can or bottle it like "Arizona Tea" and export. Besides there's no country that has successful created wealth without local brands.