Kenya is set to officially launch the first-ever auction of orthodox teas, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to diversify its tea portfolio and boost earnings for farmers.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe will preside over the launch Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at the Mombasa tea auction.
The launch will pave the way for specialty teas to be sold alongside the traditional black CTC teas that have dominated the auction for decades.
According to the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) CEO, Willy Mutai, the country has now attained sufficient volumes of orthodox teas to sustain sales at the auction.
Producers were required to catalogue their teas by August 28, 2025.
TBK has already licensed 34 factories to deal in pure orthodox teas, among them Matunwa in Nyamira, Siomo and Ndarwetta in Bomet, and Choimim in Nandi.
Other factories, such as Githuki, Imenti, Tumaita, Kimunye, Besonik and Chelal have also set up separate lines for orthodox production, despite primarily running continuous compression (CDC) lines.
The East Africa Tea Traders Association (EATTA), which runs the auction, has established a dedicated line for orthodox teas and developed an African orthodox tea grading system that has been presented globally.
Orthodox teas are expected to fetch up to Sh1,200 per kilo, nearly five times the average price of black CTC teas, which currently average Sh250 per kilo.
The government projects that the move will help increase value-added tea exports from the current 5 per cent to at least 50 per cent.
The entire auction process will be conducted electronically, signaling Kenya’s shift towards modernisation in one of its most important agricultural sub-sectors.
Orthodox tea refers to tea produced using traditional, full-leaf processing methods, resulting in different types of tea based on the level of oxidation, including black, green, oolong and white.
Orthodox tea grades specify leaf size, with whole leaves being the highest quality, followed by broken leaves and then finer grades like fannings and dust used for quicker brewing.
The Mombasa tea auction is the world’s second largest black tea auction by volume after Colombo in Sri-Lanka.
It handles exports not only from Kenya but also from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the DR Congo, Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique.
The auctions are held weekly, on Mondays and Tuesdays.
At the auction, tea brokers, on behalf of producers sell tea to international buyers.
The process involves tea dispatch from factories to warehouses, cataloging, and then electronic bidding on the Integrated Tea Trading System (ITTS) system.
Buyers bid for lots of tea, which are awarded to the highest bidder, and payments are transferred to producers electronically.
The auction is a crucial global price-setting mechanism, known for its high volumes and efficiency.
