SUKI Tea SOURCING

SUKI TEA SOURCING

Suki Tea Makers are proud to source the best tasting, honest cuppa – More than just a stamp

Businesses have incredible powers and with that comes incredible responsibility. Suki Tea Makers are in a position to show leadership and radically change and influence consumer behaviours. We’re serious about our responsibilities and that’s why we hold ourselves to the high standards of independent certification when sourcing our teas. So far, so fair, but we NEED to go further…

With many of the world’s tea plantation workers still living and working in a constant cycle of poverty and sustainability being pushed up the agenda in recent years, embrace our mission:

‘to build a global community of loose leaf tea drinkers, an appreciation society of the ritual in great tasting, HONEST tea’

$300,000 in Fairtrade Premium – putting fairness first

Over the last decade, our sourcing of Fairtrade certified tea such as our Breakfast Tea and Belfast Brew has meant over $300,000 of the Fairtrade Premium that we elect to pay over and above the price of our tea per kilo, has gone direct to the tea farmers to democratically decide how they will invest that money in their community development and their future for themselves and their families. It is a simple choice for us as a business to advocate Fairtrade and make a difference to the lives of the people that grow the tea we love. In a volatile market, the tea farmers also benefit from the Fairtrade minimum price safety net.

At SUKI Tea Makers, we stand up for fairness and equality for the tea farmers to enable them to have secure and sustainable livelihoods. The farmers can then create change for the better by using their Fairtrade Premium funds to become more resilient to climate change by investing in climate-friendly farming techniques, to educate their children, to develop women in leadership, and to improve their communities.

SUKI fairtrade tea tasting — Green tea leaves selection chinese teas panoramic banner background.

How does our Fairtrade Premium contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Fairtrade Premium investments made by tea farmers and workers contribute to many of the SDGs. SDG 2: Zero Hunger (39% of spending) aims to achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, in this case through spending on agricultural tools and inputs including fertilisers, crop storage and infrastructure. 21% of Fairtrade Premium spending contributed to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This mainly included contributions to subsidised shops or goods for workers and transportation for workers. 20% of Fairtrade Premium funds contributed to SDG 4: Quality Education, including school meals, computers and uniforms.

Thank you to all our customers – through you choosing to buy our Fairtrade Tea you are showing businesses and governments that you believe in a fair and just trade. We are proud to state that, from our extensive range of teas, 54% of our kilos sold in 2020 were Fairtrade certified.

To learn more about Fairtrade visit What is Fairtrade? - Fairtrade Foundation

RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

The gold standard in environmental certifications, the little Green Frog of Rainforest Alliance seal of approval is an assurance that certified farms have met a comprehensive set of standards, which were developed and continue to be refined by the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a group of leading environmental organisations. Farms that meet these standards conserve ecosystems, protect soils, waterways and wildlife, and support safe and decent conditions for farmers, workers and their families.

Let’s work together to combat the destructive combination of climate change and irresponsible agriculture.

Thank you for putting your purchasing power behind products that are better for people and nature! An impressive 56% of our kilos sold in 2020 were sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified tea gardens, including your favourites Breakfast Tea, Belfast Brew, Darjeeling and Earl Grey Blue Flower.

For more information about the Rainforest Alliance visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.

ORGANIC

Organic food production is fully sustainable, environmentally sound and it’s good for the farmer’s health. SUKI Tea Makers champion organic farming practices and are accredited and audited each year by the Organic Food Federation. By opting for Organic next time you shop, you are helping to support a way of farming that is designed to respect nature, wildlife, and the farmer long into the future.

In 2021, we have scooped two major awards for our Organic champion - Whole Peppermint – GTA ** and Blas Gold!

In addition to advocating organic farming, we also have a non-GM policy. The result of our strict sourcing policy was that we were somewhat late to the game in converting our pyramids to biodegradable material until it became available from a certified non-GM source. We are now pleased to report that over 2million pyramid cups of tea sold by Suki annually from 2019 onwards are now plastic-free. Another piece of the plastic-free jigsaw solved 😊

SUPPLIER APPROVAL

We’re in it for the long haul

We develop enduring relationships with suppliers who share our principles and adhere to our strict sourcing policies, mitigating risk and building trust in those long-standing partnerships.

Our aim is to source all tea products, ingredients, accessories and packaging in the most ethical and sustainable way. Although many of our teas carry at least one certification such as Fairtrade, Organic, and Rainforest Alliance, and are thus subject to these audits on their gardens, we understand that the tea industry is considered high risk on issues of Human Rights and Modern Slavery. Our strict Supplier Approval System places modern slavery factors at the top of the agenda, a pre-requisite to doing business and reviewed regularly. As a minimum, the supplier will adhere to the standards set out in the ‘Ethical Trade Initiative’ ETI Base Code, an internationally recognised code of labour practice. Explore more about the ETI Base Code here: https://www.ethicaltrade.org/eti-base-code

INDUSTRY AWARDS – recognition from the experts

We source only the best loose leaf, whole fruit pieces and spices, and the freshest herbs that make up our blends. Over our 16 years in business, we have been honoured with many accolades and awards for our great-tasting teas (over 65 stars gained in the Great Taste Awards over the years!), our innovation and design, our marketplace leadership skills, and for the way we do business. Don’t just take our word for it.. here are just a few of the most recent awards and the judge’s comments:

ALIGNMENT WITH UNITED NATION’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

At Suki Tea Makers, we actively address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), goals to transform our world. With its core set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s blueprint for achieving a happier and healthier world by 2030, we constantly examine how we can manifest these goals in our business and lives. Through our choices as to how we do business at Suki Tea Makers, either through sourcing, reducing our environmental impact, or looking after our team and our community, we are proud our work is aligned with and committed to these Sustainable Development Goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all people and the world. Why would you want to do business any other way…