Fair Trade, Tea and Global Thinking

It was with great pride today that I read of an alumnae from my alma mater, Cottey College who is changing the world through her business—Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Company. Zhena Muzyka, Cottey class of ’75, launched her business selling unique teas and espresso drinks from a tea cart with her son in an infant carrier on her back. She was determined to find a business opportunity that would allow her to be near her son, who had health concerns. Zhena has moxie. As I might have strapped on a load of worry and despair over the lack of work that could serve my needs, she strapped her son on her back and started serving tea and coffee from a cart.

Before long, she was packaging her products for retail sale and garnered the interest of a buyer at Whole Foods. When it came time to make her business presentation to Whole Foods, Zhena served them tea…with her son strapped on her back. Even more inspiring to me is that she works to make the world a better place in every element of her business practice, from product packaging to the relationship she develops with the estates where her tea is grown.

The average tea plucker is a woman (men’s fingers are generally too big to pluck tea leaves properly). It takes 2,000 individual plucks to make one kilogram of tea, and a worker’s daily quota is eight kilograms, which is 16,000 individual plucks every single day of her life. Those workers make less than $1.35 per day, have an average household of six to support with that income and after 10 hours in the field, prepare the meals, care for the children and hand scrub their clothing in a little bucket outside their back door. Their day is usually close to 18 hours.

Source: Cottey College Viewpoint Spring 2009

This article inspired me to expand my efforts to shop for Fair Trade products. Click here to find a list of retailers and products to look for. We can all do our part to make mindful purchases that lift up the world and promote goodness.  And as I sip my tea and coffee, I will whisper a prayer of thanks and blessings for the hands a world away from me who make each cup possible.

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