Sustainability - Karirana Estates Ltd

Sustainability

We value the communities in which we operate and play an active role in environmental conservation and in enhancing quality of life. We believe in fair trade practices and engage in sustainable agricultural and good manufacturing practices.

Every cup of Karirana Tea is served with a rich heritage of Kenya’s tea history. We take pride in our work. From the seedlings, to the farms, to the farmers and the wider community; every process is immaculate. This happens because we believe in excellence and understand the value of our product; an experience we want our customers to enjoy with us. Karirana has over the years acquired reputation as a global leader in the production of high quality tea, a reputation that has been built through continuous improvement initiatives for over 60 years with a professional approach to management of the tea business.

Mukeu Farm - Thika

Located on the gentle plains before the ascent into the central highlands, the small valleys following the Chania and Thika Rivers are blessed with beautiful waterfalls and scenery. Thika’s climate is a subtropical highland with sunshine and good rainfall most of the year. This makes it ideal for the growth of Eucalyptus Trees which Karirana uses as energy to power its factories.

Kiija Farm - Meru

Located on the northeast slopes of Mount Kenya with the Kathita River passing adjacent to the town, the subtropical highland climate is a base for the flourishing Karirana Eucalyptus plants that come from Meru Farm. Eucalyptus oils contain compounds called monoterpenes that can be converted into a very high-energy fuel and this is what the company uses as fuel for its various processes.

Sustainable Farming

At KEL, we believe in doing our agricultural and processing operations in a sustainable manner. Our focus is to analyse and mitigate environmental and social risks caused by our activities through a process that promotes continual improvement. We strive to adhere to the Environmental, Social and Governance(ESG) protocols in order to promote transparency and accountability in our obligation towards a more sustainable future. Our farmers who supply us with greenleaf are looped into the sustainability journey together with us. This assures our customers that we have not undertaken our production processes at the expense of our workers or detriment of the environment.

Solar

Karirana Estates Limited has ventured into renewable energy by harnessing the power from the sun to lower their energy costs and contribute to a sustainable future. We have progressively installed a grid tie solar power system on our rooftops which supply more than 30% of the total energy demand by the factory. This has greatly reduced our production costs and significantly contributed in reducing the Greenhouse gases in the environment inline with our ESG strategy. We continually endeavor to explore more opportunities of energy conservation so as to increase the value to the stakeholders.

Water Harvesting

In a bid to reduce the reliance on natural water sources, Karirana has implemented measures for water management and conservation. These include rain water harvesting with a capacity of more than 200,000 litres. This has reduced the amount of water abstracted from water bodies, managed the surface run off and erosion which carry pollutants to water sources. It has also contributed to a saving on the energy consumed in pumping water.