#24 How Tahira Nizari’s Tanzania Tea Collective Is Keeping #FarmToCup Jobs At Home

This week, Paula speaks with Tahira Nizari, the co-founder of Kazi Yetu. Meaning "our work" in Kiswahili, Kazi Yet is a social enterprise agribusiness that aims to keep all of the value chain processes of locally-grown products in Tanzania.

Kazi Yetu’s first product is the Tanzania Tea Collective, a blend of teas grown, harvested, flavored, packaged and branded in Tanzania. This is not an easy feat when majority of the tea grown in Tanzania leaves the country soon after it has been harvested.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• How Tahira started brewing tea from her kitchen
• Why consumers care about tracing the source of their products
• Why keeping value chain in-country is important
• How she is planning to work with 4000 farmers through her farm hub initiative
• Surviving what was meant to be the best year yet (Hello Covid)
• Starting business with your spouse
• The importance of optimism

As mentioned in this episode:

• Forbes Africa article: https://www.forbesafrica.com/entrepreneurs/2020/08/06/enterprise-and-traceable-tea-from-tanzania/
• Recommend an African women entrepreneur for the podcast: https://forms.gle/ebabBfz4WCMkHP4y9
• Fill out the podcast survey: https://forms.gle/T4368EFxqMrDhJND7

Connect with Tahira and Kazi Yetu

Instagram: @tanzania_tea_collection

Twitter: @TanzaniaTea

Facebook: @kaziyetu.tz

Insta: @tahira_nizmann

Twitter: @t_nizari