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Being a tea buyer for seventeen years has and myself, many children get to speak in holders (small plots owned by independent
provided me with many insights into tea. front of a full crowd. Education is what tea farmers). The government structured
The connection to the estate worker and ensures that the children grow into adults policies mandates that all tea factories
me has been what drives me to make sure that can become part of the economy and purchasing fresh tea leaves from these
that my purchases continue to benefit the help with overall sustainability. Without co-op tea farmers must pay a minimum of
workers. education these children will become a 68 percent of the tea factory’s NSA. This
When you talk with the estate future drain on the whole. I have met many is the Net Sale Average of that particular
owner you can see that he or she cares for estate workers who grew up on the estate factory in that region in the Colombo Tea
the well-being of their workers. Some of and now are in management positions on Auction. These NSA figures are published
the well-structured healthcare programs the estate. by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and made avail-
at Sri Lankan tea estates provide workers Every tea estate worker’s child able as public knowledge, so all small tea
with anything from prenatal vitamins to is required by the government to attend farmers are tea industry governing bodies
treating small injuries, all free of charge. school and child labor is prohibited with-in are aware of each factories NSA. Thus,
For more complicated healthcare needs, Sri Lankan tea-plantation companies. Sri 68 percent of the NSA given to small tea
Sri Lanka’s government provides hospital Lanka’s well-structured education system farmers for fresh tea leaves fully protects
and emergency services as well. and its mandatory schooling requirements the small tea farmers’ income.
substantially improve the social sustain- Social sustainability starts with
Social Sustainability: Education ability of the tea estate workers and their social responsibility—from seed to cup.
Sri Lanka has one of the highest children. This provides the children of This means consumers paying a fair price
literacy rates in Southeast Asia, which tea estate workers the most achievement, per pound of tea as well. Full transparency
is about 90 percent as an average. This which is a choice in life and their future. so the grower can be rewarded for what
education structure is also available for pro-grams he or she has implemented for
Sri Lankan tea estate workers as well with Social Sustainability: Wages their workers. Sri Lanka has incorporated
large scale tea plantation companies. There Sri Lanka has the world’s highest both private sector and government to
are schools within the tea estates premises wages for tea estate workers that are infla- ensure that the process is quality driven
or within a near proximity. I have visited tion adjusted and government mandated. and pro-vides full traceability. Without
many schools on the tea estates in Sri Lanka This being in place safeguards the basic quality social sustainability in place, eco-
and I have always been very impressed. In necessities for a tea estate worker. These nomic and environmental are sure to fail.
fact, so much so that I have been a part of man-dated wages are arrived through col- When I sip this liquid gold from Sri Lanka
many school openings and have helped lective bargaining from multiple unions I feel satisfied that the future continues to
with ensuring that school supplies are that protect the wages of tea estate work- look bright and the future of the tea estate
available. So what does this have to do ers. Sri Lankan tea estate workers make worker is in good hands.
with tea? Everything! approximately double the income on aver- David DeCandia is director of tea at
The children know why I am visit- age, compared with tea estate workers in Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf; Los Angeles, Calif.,
ing their schools and have shared their many other tea-producing countries. Also, and the first Ceylon Tea Ambassador to
projects with me many times. They know the amount of tea leaves a worker needs to North America appointed by the Sri Lanka
that I am there to buy the tea that their pluck daily is substantially low compared Tea Board As Tea Ambassador, DeCandia
parents are carefully producing. I am well with other tea origins. This directly affects will host and conduct tea programs with
aware that not every buyer gets to visit worker well-being. So even though wages the Specialty Tea Institute in the U.S. and
origin. I have always felt that in order the are higher in Sri Lanka compared with Canada to educate tea drinkers on the his-
get full transparency you must visit the tea other origins, the country provides a sus- tory sustainable practices and culture of Sri
estates. This is also important in develop- tainable living wage for tea-estate workers, Lanka’s signature export. With CB&TL, his
ing the relationship between buyer and providing true social sustainability to the position entails everything from sourcing
grower. The teachers speak good English as overall industry. and purchasing tea directly from estates
well as the principal and most of the kids. In addition to mandatory wages for to creating the company’s tea blends.
When we open a new school or upgrade tea-estate workers, Sri Lanka also has well DeCandia may be reached at ddecandia@
an older school with the help of the grower -structured green leaf prices for tea small- coffeebean.com

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