Typhoo claims to have “radically transformed” its supply chain to tackle the issue of sexual violence against women working on tea plantations in Africa.
The tea supplier said it had moved from working with around 300 tea plantations in east Africa to just three, all of which had been “chosen for their commitment to women’s safety”.
It has also created an independent ethical advisory board called a ‘Fear Free Council’ to hold itself accountable to its renewed mission.
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The council is made up of Typhoo chair Mike Brehme, its responsible sourcing manager Rocío Ortiz, representatives from charities Women Working Worldwide and Thirst, and Michael Pennant-Jones, director of agriculture sustainability consultancy T-Evolve.
The council would review, approve, and advise on Typhoo’s key policies, procedures, and funding for initiatives that tackle gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH), the supplier said.
“There is a right way and a wrong way to make a cuppa – the right way is fear-free,” Ortiz said. “That is why I am proud of the direction Typhoo has taken, and hope to encourage other brands to follow suit.
“Not only do we oversee how our tea is grown, harvested, and crafted – selecting only the highest quality tea leaves – we work closely with growers and their communities to see that it is made free of fear.”
Typhoo said it had committed $500,000 over the next 12 months to fighting GBVH.
It would also provide training to workers on the ground in east Africa, and advocate for women in management to “break down the power dynamics” that have helped perpetuate GBVH in the region.
To ensure standards were maintained by its suppliers, Ortiz would be making regular visits to partner farms, Typhoo said.
The change will be communicated to shoppers by an overhaul of Typhoo’s core tea proposition. Now dubbed a ‘Fear Free Tea’, Typhoo’s Premium Everyday Tea Bags (rsp: £2.99/80 bags) call out its mission to end violence against women working in tea on pack.
The tea itself was also improved, Typhoo claimed, with each bag holding an extra 10%, or 3.1g of tea inside for a “bolder and fresher flavour”.
The new product has rolled out to Ocado, Asda and Morrisons, and will launch in Co-op next week.
Prices to retailers had increased slightly, following the overhaul of its supply chain and a commitment to pay higher prices to growers for leaves, Typhoo said.
The tea industry has faced major scrutiny over the treatment of female workers in its supply chain in recent years.
A joint investigation by BBC Africa Eye and Panorama in February 2023 uncovered widespread sexual abuse on farms supplying some of the UK’s most popular tea brands including PG Tips, Lipton and Sainsbury’s Red Label.
More than 70 women on Kenyan tea farms, owned for years by two British companies, told the BBC they had been sexually abused by supervisors.
One of the farms investigated – which was at the time under the stewardship of Unilever – was subsequently sold by Lipton Teas & Infusions in May.
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