How to make our beloved ‘cuppa’ more enjoyable despite the challenges it faces

Here’s what we tea lovers can do to help drive positive change and make tea more sustainable, writes Christopher Whitebread

Some companies have initiated change on their own (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the UK, tea is anchored in our national psyche – whatever the circumstance, a cup of tea makes everything better. Not only do 84 per cent of us consume at least one “cuppa” a day, but nearly half of all Britons felt the tradition of tea breaks helped them get through the pandemic.

International Tea Day today marks the perfect occasion to reflect on the challenges in tea production, and consider what we can do to alleviate them.

Kenya produces almost half the tea consumed in the UK, followed by India and Malawi. While at one time, large estates dominated tea production, now most of our tea comes from small farming families who work on land plots less than the size of a football pitch.