Ajiri Tea Company

What Ajiri Tea Company does

Ajiri Tea Company is a women-owned and women-operated social enterprise founded in 2008 by sisters Sara Holby and Kate Holby alongside their mother Ann Funkhouser, headquartered in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, with operational roots in Kisii, western Kenya. The company sources tea from small-scale farms in the Kisii Hills and sells specialty teas (Kenyan Black in teabag and loose form, flavored variants with mango, lemon myrtle, and ginger, Organic Green Tea, Nairobi Chai, Rooibos and Rooibos Chai, and Organic Chamomile) and Kenyan AA Coffee (ground and whole bean). Distribution runs through direct-to-consumer e-commerce at ajiritea.com and wholesale across 200+ US retailers including Whole Foods, specialty food stores, Smithsonian museum shops, and college campus stores at Goucher, Lafayette, and St. Lawrence, plus international retail via T2 Tea in Australia and Banff Tea Company in Canada.

Each box is hand-finished by four women's groups in western Kenya using dried banana bark artwork, recycled-magazine bead bracelets, and banana-bark twine, making every package a one-of-a-kind artifact. Revenue mechanics combine one-time purchases, a subscription program with 15% savings on 15/30/45-day cadences, customizable corporate gifting bulk orders, and ancillary merchandise (hats, cotton t-shirts, enamel mugs, soapstone candle holders, fabric gift wraps). Pricing spans $10 gift wraps to $40 gift boxes, with tea at $11 and Kenyan AA coffee at $21 per pound.

The company donates 100% of net profits to the Ajiri Foundation, a nonprofit subsidiary that currently sponsors 29 orphans through school in western Kenya. It has accumulated industry recognition including two sofi Gold Awards for packaging innovation (2011, 2012), two North American Tea Championship First Place wins plus two Buyers Choice Awards (2011, 2012), a 2015 MassChallenge winner designation, and a 2015 Specialty Food Association Leadership Award for Citizenship. Logistics are supported by a shipping partnership with Finlays to move product from Kenya to the United States.

Name

Ajiri Tea Company

Legal name

Ajiri Tea Company

Website

https://ajiritea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women-owned social enterprise Ajiri Tea Company, founded in 2008, sources Kenyan specialty teas and coffee from the Kisii Hills, sells via D2C e-commerce and 200+ specialty retailers, and donates 100% of net profits to the Ajiri Foundation for orphan education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea and Coffee

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD), Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty tea products
• Single origin coffee
• Artisan tea blends
• Herbal infusions
• Fair trade beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Upper Black Eddy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tea and Coffee Product Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of specialty teas (Kenyan Black Tea, Rooibos, Green Tea, Chamomile, Chai blends) and Kenyan AA Coffee. Products are sold as one-time purchases or through subscription plans offering 15% savings. The company donates 100% of net profits to the Ajiri Foundation for orphan education in western Kenya.
2. Merchandise and Gift Items: Ajiri sells complementary products including gift boxes, gift wraps (East African fabric bags), camping mugs, hats, and apparel (t-shirts). These items feature the company's branding and support the same charitable mission.
3. Corporate Gifting: The company offers bulk/custom gift box orders for corporate gifting occasions, targeting businesses looking for ethical, socially conscious gift options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ajiri Tea Company sources, packages, and sells specialty Kenyan teas (black, green, chai, rooibos, chamomile) and Kenyan AA coffee directly to consumers. Every box is hand-finished with labels made by Kenyan women using dried banana bark and handmade paper. The company donates 100% of net profits to the Ajiri Foundation to fund orphan education in western Kenya.

Product overview

Ajiri Tea Company is a 100% women-owned and women-operated tea and coffee company offering Kenyan teas and coffee sourced from the Kisii Hills. The core product line consists of black teas (in teabags and loose form), flavored black teas (with mango, lemon, and ginger), green tea, chai varieties (Nairobi Chai and Rooibos Chai), herbal teas (Rooibos and Chamomile), and Kenyan AA coffee (ground and whole bean). All products feature handcrafted packaging made by women in western Kenya using dried banana bark. 100% of profits support orphan education in Kenya. The company also sells merchandise including hats, t-shirts, camping mugs, gift wraps, and soapstone candle holders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kenyan Black Tea (Teabags)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of net profits donated to Ajiri Foundation
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Finlays CompanyminorOthersFinlays, a major tea processing and packing company, provides shipping support to help Ajiri Tea transport products from Kenya to the United States market. Their logistics assistance enables Ajiri to deliver products to American consumers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Equal Exchange: Worker-owned cooperative sourcing fairly-traded tea and coffee from small-scale farmer cooperatives in Africa and Latin America for US retail. Closest peer on mission (fair trade, farmer impact) and product mix (tea + coffee).
• Numi Organic Tea: Premium organic and fair-trade certified tea brand with broad SKU breadth (black, green, herbal, chai) sold in natural and mainstream grocery. Comparable premium organic positioning and product range.
• Adagio Teas: DTC specialty tea retailer with deep catalog of loose-leaf and bagged teas, subscription options, and strong online community. Comparable DTC/subscription gtm and SKU breadth.
• Traditional Medicinals: Herbal tea and wellness brand with strong natural foods channel presence across the US. Comparable DTC and natural-retail distribution and herbal/chai product overlap.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster focused on single-origin and sustainably sourced beans, with DTC, wholesale, and educational/sustainability programs. Directly comparable specialty coffee DTC model and sustainability narrative.
• The Republic of Tea: Specialty premium tea brand with a curated loose-leaf and teabag assortment, sold DTC, via subscription, and through natural/specialty retailers across the US. Directly comparable assortment, pricing, and channel strategy.
• Rishi Tea: Direct-trade specialty tea and botanical beverage company with strong DTC, wholesale, and foodservice presence. Comparable premium positioning, single-origin sourcing, and broad retail distribution.

Regional players

• T2 Tea: Australian-origin specialty tea retailer with global storefronts. Ajiri already distributes through T2 in Australia, making T2 both a channel partner and a benchmark for premium tea storefront scale.

Emerging players

• Steeped Coffee: Single-serve bagged specialty coffee brand with DTC and retail in natural food channels. Comparable premium single-origin positioning with bagged format innovation.
• Two Leaves and a Bud: Whole-leaf tea brand sold in independent natural food retailers and online. Comparable premium positioning, smaller scale, and similar specialty channel distribution to Ajiri.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ajiritea/?hl=en
• Xx.com/ajiritea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ajiri Tea Company