You might notice a special symbol on your bag of tea, including the "Women in Tea" camellia. Teas with this symbol come from a farm owned and/or managed by a woman.
One of our employees traveled to New Zealand, where she learned that the white camellia symbolizes women's suffrage. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to allow all women to vote. We borrowed the camellia symbol and added a "W" to represent our "Women in Tea" concept. This symbol recognizes women in both leadership and ownership roles at their farms, in a male dominated industry.
Sonia and Nuxalbari
Sonia Jabbar—single mother, writer, and photographer—owns and operates Nuxalbari Estate in Darjeeling District, India. She works collaboratively with her staff. She promotes the most qualified for the job, regardless of gender. And the hand-picked, artisan tea they produce tastes delicious.
The estate dates back to 1884, which makes five generations in Sonia’s family. The tea produced today comes from heritage tea plants, which contributes to the exceptional taste. Sonia has steadily transitioned the farm toward organic practices, which process takes many years—and steadfast patience! Tea plants need time to develop their natural pest resistance without the aid of pesticides. During this transition, nobody harvests the tea, which decreases the farm's overall productivity.
Furthermore, Sonia established an environmental curriculum for the children of her 1,000 employees called Hathi Sathi, or Elephant Friend. The Hathi Sathi philosophy teaches that if the younger generation values a healthy lifestyle and environment for people and animals, then we can all live healthier lives in the future. The program educates children about the natural environment and elephants.
Sonia strives to make a difference with the elephants, her employees’ lives, and finding a better way to grow tea. She knows that making this happen will involve both men and women. Lake Missoula Tea Company proudly sells tea from farms where women hold positions of power.
Find the Women in Tea Symbol
- Darjeeling Shanti Hathi, Peaceful Elephant
- Darjeeling District Green
- Nuxalbari CTC
- Scheherazade Shai
- Lemon Myrtle