How you can make a difference to tea workers’ lives as a tea drinker

Be curious about your tea

As a tea lover, you have more power than you might think to tackle the problems of the women and men who grow and pluck your tea. The first step is to learn about tea, its history and how it’s made. Learn about the current issues in the tea industry and how they are impacting on the lives of tea workers and farmers.

Next be curious about the tea itself… people tend to be very loyal to their favourite brand. But there are so many exquisite kinds of tea to enjoy – explore “silver tip tea”, oolong, sencha and matcha; notice the differences in teas from different countries and regions – from the delicate “champagne of teas” from Darjeeling to the hearty, earthy flavours of Kenyan tea.

Knowing more about tea and appreciating really good tea will help you to value it and ensure that the human rights of the people who produce it are valued too.

Campaign for change

Let your supermarket and favourite tea brand know that you want them to pay enough for their tea so that workers can get decent wages, and farmers decent prices. Getting a group of people to write at the same time (your school or university mates, colleagues at work, your social group or sports team, your faith group) will increase the impact.

Sign up to be kept informed of campaigns that THIRST may be organising.

Use your purchasing power

Powerful supermarkets and brands notice how people spend their money, so use your purchasing power!

Where possible choose Fairtrade tea grown on smallholder farms. You can find these in specialty tea shops like Bird and Blend. Although Fairtrade certification does not guarantee that workers are on living wages and farmers are earning living incomes, it’s a step in the right direction, since Fairtrade means that a base price is paid for tea, and a premium payment goes to the community and they decide how to use it. It also provides a platform for tea workers and managers to communicate which can complement their trade union.

Avoid very cheap tea, or deals like ‘buy one get one free’ or deep discounts on tea that is normally priced higher. These discounts reduce the money available to go back to workers.

Spread the word

You can raise awareness about the challenges faced by tea workers and farmers, support our work to improve their lives and have a great time doing so by organising a fundraising event.

You could host an elegant Afternoon Tea (perhaps with a theme… you can get some ideas here), and we can provide you with a fundraising pack including a tea tasting kit, ideas for themed afternoon teas, and information about the tea industry and about THIRST’s work to share with your guests.

Volunteer with us

Do you have a special skill or area of expertise that would help THIRST in our mission to transform the tea industry so that it is fair for all? We always need help with jobs like keeping our Knowledge Hub updated with the latest resources, which involves research, writing and website skills.

We particularly welcome graduate volunteers who are interested in learning more about human rights in the tea sector (or in agriculture and/or global supply chains more generally) through volunteering with THIRST.

Make a (regular) donation

Individuals and organisations can support THIRST’s important mission with a donation – although we see these more as contributions towards our shared mission to transform the tea industry. One-off donations can, of course, be put to good use, but a regular contribution will help ensure the stability and continuity of our work to support tea workers and farmers.