The story of Kazi Yetu – Empowering women. Inspiring change.

Imagine a tea industry where women and smallholder farmers have control over their livelihoods, earn fair wages and contribute to the growth of a thriving industry. At THIRST, we believe this vision is possible and we’re shining the spotlight on a social enterprise that’s making an impact.

This is the story of Kazi Yetu, a Tanzanian social enterprise redefining the tea industry with a vertically integrated approach. Born from a heartfelt mission to create meaningful employment for women and promote fair pay for smallholder farmers, Kazi Yetu has grown into a globally recognised initiative.

Co-founder, Tahira Nizari shared the story of Kazi Yetu, launching our Alternative Approaches webinar series on February 27th. 

View the recording here 

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The founders’ story

Kazi Yetu – meaning “Our Work” in Swahili – was founded in 2018 by development workers Tahira Nizari and Hendrik Buermann. Nizari – whose family originally hails from Tanzania – had worked for the Aga Khan Foundation in Central Asia and East Africa, supporting farmers to improve their livelihoods. She also led on Tanzania’s economic inclusion portfolio. Buermann continues to work for the German development organisation, GIZ, on organic agriculture projects in Tanzania and beyond.

Addressing the harsh realities

Both founders witnessed the harsh realities of international trade, where too much of the profit from processing valuable crops slipped away from the very hands that nurtured them. They witnessed women being marginalised and left out of job opportunities due to rigid social norms and gender discrimination. In response, they established Kazi Yetu with a clear mission to create a business that benefits tea, herb and spice farmers while placing women at the forefront.

Empowering communities

The company’s main goal is to enhance the lives of smallholder farmers and create decent jobs for women. It sources products directly from local farmers and has established an urban processing and packaging unit that primarily employs women who might otherwise find it hard to secure work.

Kazi Yetu also prioritises environmental sustainability; its holistic approach applies this principle throughout the value chain, from production to processing and packaging.

By tapping into the increasing demand for ethically and organically sourced goods, Kazi Yetu has cultivated a conscientious customer base both locally and internationally. They typically pay farmers 20% more than the market price, ensuring fair compensation and discussing pricing in advance with farmers. This pricing also reflects the costs of training and support. Customers enjoy high-quality, organic products while knowing their purchases support fair and ethical practices.

A step forward

In 2023, Kazi Yetu took a big step forward by launching the Sakare Speciality Tea Company. This cooperative-owned factory allows smallholder farmers to process their own tea. With financial support from organisations like Bloomberg Philanthropies, Care International and the Tea Board of Tanzania, the factory has transformed the dynamics for 1,165 members (across 23 villages) of the Agriculture Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS) who jointly own the factory. Farmers can thus keep more of the profits from their work, which translates into a roughly 500% increase in income for each farmer. This shift not only benefits individual farmers but also strengthens their communities.

Inspiring change in the industry

The success of this model has not gone unnoticed. The Tea Board of Tanzania is inspired to replicate this initiative and is now planning to launch six more factories built on Kazi Yetu’s principles. As the primary buyer for the new factory, Kazi Yetu continues to offer vital support and guidance where needed.

Women at the forefront

At the core of Kazi Yetu’s philosophy is the empowerment of women. During THIRST’s visit to Kazi Yetu’s processing unit back in August 2023, we heard from the women who work there. Many are single mothers who previously struggled to find stable employment. After joining Kazi Yetu, they report newfound confidence, skills and financial independence. They are trained in all aspects of the business, from machine operation to quality control, and play a crucial role in the enterprise’s success.

THIRST also met with women farmers who told us of their financial struggles at the time. One said that her “income is not enough to cover all our bills – school books, uniforms, transport, food, clothes, sugar etc,” which makes it hard to manage debts. Another farmer shared: “We need our own factory to have assurance that we can sell our tea.” Now that they have that factory, these struggles should be substantially lessened.

This blog was written by Sarah J. Amankwah.

This blog is based on an article that THIRST produced for Doughnut Economics Action Lab. It will be published on March 5th 2025.