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tea with a purpose, since 2008

About Us

Hear Sara tell the Ajiri story

Our story

Ajiri began with a simple idea: instead of more aid, create steady work, and send every dollar of profit to school fees.

  1. 2008

    Sara Holby, then 21, volunteers with an NGO in western Kenya. When the global recession cuts its funding, food and medicine stop arriving almost overnight.

  2. A family idea

    Her sister Kate visits. Seeing the cycle of aid and dependence, the sisters and their mother, Ann Funkhouser, set out to build something sustainable: a company that creates jobs.

  3. Handmade by women

    Tea is a major industry in western Kenya, so they start a tea company, and employ women to handmake the labels and twine. Women reinvest over 90% of their earnings in their families.

  4. Full circle

    Because education is a lasting investment, 100% of net profits go back to Kenya to pay school fees for orphans.

  5. 2013

    Kenyan AA coffee joins the line, with the same mission of employment and education.

  6. Today

    29 women employed for 18 years, and 25 scholars sponsored in 2026.

Ajiri is 100% women-owned and women-operated.

The Ajiri team in Kenya

Our team in Kenya

Regina Moraa

Regina Moraa

Regina seems to be everywhere at once. She also seems to know everyone in Kisii, Kenya. She makes sure our students are doing well in school, that they have studied for their math exams, and that their shoes fit.

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She also helps manage the women's groups and regularly provides support and financial guidance. In addition to her work with Ajiri, Regina is a full-time home science teacher in high school. Regina holds a BA in Home Science from Maharshi Dayanand University Ajmer and a post-graduate degree in Education from Egerton University. She is also working toward her master's degree in Education Leadership and Management at Kenya Methodist University. Regina is passionate about making sure young girls go to school. She says they are at a disadvantage in the community and that it is her job to be an advocate for them. When she isn't working, she loves traveling. Regina says, "When you travel, you know more. You meet different people, you talk, you enlighten your mind."

Difna Onyancha

Difna Onyancha

Difna has seemingly endless energy and pours it into working with the students. She is quick to arrange swimming lessons, mentoring trips, and nearby hikes. Her creative and tenacious spirit drives new and engaging programming for the Ajiri scholars.

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She also works closely with the women who craft the labels, guiding them in micro-savings and financial management. Before joining Ajiri, Difna worked with women in the community helping to facilitate loans and entrepreneurship. Difna also has experience working with vulnerable students in the community running learning programs and conducting research to better help students gain access to education. Difna is passionate about working with women and young girls and believes real change can come with education and money.

Our tea and coffee

Kenyan Tea

Kenyan Tea

  • Handpicked: only the top two leaves and a bud
  • Grown on small-scale farms of a quarter to two acres
  • High altitude, rich rainfall and volcanic soil in Kisii
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All of our black tea blends are sourced from a cooperative of farmers in western Kenya. The tea is grown on small-scale shambas, or farms. On average, each shamba is only a quarter to two acres of land. All of the tea is handpicked — only the top two leaves and a bud — ensuring the highest quality and smooth cup. The high altitude, abundant rainfall, and fertile volcanic soils make Kisii, Kenya, an ideal tea-growing region.

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Kenyan Coffee

Kenyan Coffee

  • Kenyan AA, the highest grade of coffee bean
  • Bright and fruity, with notes of wine and black currant
  • Grown on predominantly small-scale farms
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Our coffee is grown on predominantly small-scale farms. Kenyan coffee is known for its bright and fruity flavor with complementary gentle notes of wine and black currant. The diverse and complex flavors reflect the diverse and vibrant regions in which it is grown. The main coffee growing area spans from the slopes of snow-capped Mt. Kenya to the south toward Nairobi. Ajiri is proud to offer a Kenyan AA Coffee, the highest grade of coffee. The AA designates the size and grade of the bean. In general, the bigger the bean, the more essential oils that enhance the flavor and aroma.

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Where our teas come from

Map showing where Ajiri teas are grown

  • South Africa

    Rooibos, or red bush tea, has been grown by Indigenous South Africans for centuries, almost exclusively in the Cederberg region near Cape Town. The green, needle-like leaves are cut and oxidized, then laid to dry in the African sun, which turns them their characteristic amber red.

    Shop rooibos →

  • Kenya

    Our award-winning black tea comes from the highlands of western Kenya. It is grown on small-scale farms of about a quarter to two acres and brought to a cooperative. Farmers pick only the top two leaves and a bud.

    Shop Kenyan black tea →

  • Egypt

    Chamomile has been grown near the fertile Nile Delta since the time of ancient Egypt. Its name comes from the ancient Greek chamaimēlon, meaning “ground apple,” and its light, floral aroma is much like an apple blossom.

    Shop chamomile →

Press

“Can be brewed strong without the tannic bitterness.”
The New York Times
“...A lovely, smooth quality that we adore.”
Fine Cooking
“...Not only are you getting delicious tea, but you're helping a woman in Kenya with her business.”
New York Magazine
“Ajiri is socially conscious business at its finest.”
Dig Boston

Featured in 22 publications

Awards

  • Stacy's Rise Finalist: 2019

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    Created to help bridge the funding gap for female founders, Stacy's Rise Project™ has been connecting and empowering women business owners for years.

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  • MassChallenge Winner: 2015

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    MassChallenge is the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet. No equity and not-for-profit, we are obsessed with helping entrepreneurs across any industry. We also reward the highest-impact startups through a competition to win a portion of several million dollars in equity-free cash awards.

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  • Leadership Award: Citizenship: 2015

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    The Leadership Awards honor influential and innovative entrepreneurs who are transforming the way the specialty food industry does business.

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  • First Place, North American Tea Championship 2012

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    Ajiri's new lemon flavored tea won First Place at the North American Tea Championship in the Black Tea with Botanicals Category.

  • First Place, North American Tea Championship, 2011

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    Ajiri Tea won the First Place Award in the Black Tea category at the 2011 North American Tea Championship. Nearly 200 teas were entered in 18 different categories, professionally evaluated, and ranked to determine the highest quality and best tasting teas available to the commercial marketplace. Judged by a panel of professional cuppers on a variety of factors, including brewed color, brewed aroma, brewed flavor and brewed harmony, Ajiri Tea placed first in the Black Teas category.

  • Sofi Gold Award for Innovation in Packaging Design or Function, 2012

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    Ajiri Tea won the 2012 award for their Innovation in Packaging at the 40th sofi Awards competition from the National Association for Specialty Food Trade. The sofi Awards recognize excellence in specialty foods and beverages and are a coveted industry honor. "sofi" stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation. Ajiri Tea was one of the 125 Silver Finalists selected by a national panel of specialty food professionals from a record 2,520 contenders across 32 Awards categories. Gold Winners were announced at the 58th Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC.

  • Buyers' Choice Award, Best Black Tea, World Tea Expo 2011

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    Ajiri Tea won the Buyers Choice Award for Best Black Tea at the World Tea Expo, which took place in Las Vegas on June 24-26, 2011. At the Winners' Tasting Circle, two hundred attendees sampled and voted upon the 15 winning black teas from the professionally judged 2011 North American Tea Championship. Ajiri Tea was selected as the Buyers Choice for Black Tea– the best of the best.

  • Buyers' Choice Award, Best Black Tea, World Tea Expo 2012

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    For the second year in a row, Ajiri Tea won the Buyers Choice Award for Best Black Tea at the World Tea Expo, which took place in Las Vegas on June 1-3, 2012. At the Winners' Tasting Circle, 150 attendees sampled and voted on the 11 winning black teas from the professionally judged 2012 North American Tea Championship. Ajiri Tea was selected as the Buyer's Choice for Black Tea – the best of the best.

  • Sofi Gold Award for Innovation in Packaging Design or Function, 2011

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    Ajiri Tea won a sofi Gold Award from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) at the 39th annual Fancy Food Show on July 22, 2011. Ajiri Tea's Kenyan Black Tea was chosen as the winner in the Outstanding Innovation in Packaging Design or Function category. The sofi Awards recognize excellence in specialty foods and beverages in 33 categories– sofi stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation.

for your team, clients and partners

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