East African Tea Trade Association

Name

East African Tea Trade Association

Legal name

East African Tea Trade Association

Website

https://eatta.co.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tea Auction Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (42512)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Collectibles Marketplaces & Auction Retail (CRALAGAO)

Keywords

• Tea auction services
• Commodity trading platform
• Auction digitization
• Tea trade facilitation
• East African tea

Headquarters

HQ city

Mombasa

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: EATTA is self-sustaining and draws its income through annual subscriptions paid by its membership. The Association has 224+ members across multiple categories (Producers, Buyers, Brokers, Warehouses, Packers, Associates).
2. Auction Commissions: Brokers earn a commission as a percentage of the sales value for tea they have sold at the Mombasa auction. EATTA manages the auction platform that facilitates these transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) operates the Mombasa Tea Auction, the world's largest black CTC tea auction and the central marketplace for East African teas. It provides trade facilitation, self-governance, standards, training, and policy engagement for tea producers, buyers, brokers, warehouses, and packers across 10 East African member countries. The association delivers end-to-end digital auction infrastructure through proprietary platforms including the Smart Auction System, Integrated Tea Trading System (ITTS), and Multihall System.

Product overview

EATTA operates the Mombasa Tea Auction as its core platform—the largest black CTC tea auction in the world, accounting for 32% of global tea exports. The auction ecosystem includes the Smart Auction System and Integrated Tea Trading System (ITTS) for end-to-end digital automation from cataloging to payments, the Multihall System for concurrent multiple market sessions, and the recently launched Orthodox Tea Auction (September 2025) for specialty tea trading. An Online Trading Platform is planned for development across 10 member countries. All transactions are conducted in US dollars with live streaming on YouTube and blockchain traceability mentioned as part of their technology embrace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mombasa Tea Auction The largest black CTC tea auction in the world, held twice weekly at the Mombasa Tea Trade Centre. It accounts for 32% of global tea exports and brings together producers, brokers, and buyers from across 10 East African member countries. Transactions are dollar-denominated with payment 10 working days from sale.
• Orthodox Tea Auction Specialty tea trading platform launched at the Mombasa auction to diversify Africa's tea industry beyond traditional CTC teas. Supports orthodox teas with bold, nuanced flavors from equatorial climates. First batch was 108,812 kg, growing to average weekly offers above 200,000 kg at prices above $3/kg with 50%+ absorption.
• Smart Auction System Comprehensive digital auction platform introduced in August 2023 that integrates pre-auction and Multihall sessions under a single unified system, enabling seamless transition from cataloging to sale for producers, buyers, warehouses, and brokers.
• Integrated Tea Trading System (ITTS) Full automation platform that digitized the entire auction process from cataloging to payments, allowing brokers, buyers, and stakeholders to participate from anywhere in the world via remote access.
• Multihall System System allowing multiple auction sessions to be conducted simultaneously, enabling the auction to manage multiple markets concurrently with flexibility for participants to join different sessions.
• EATTA Membership Voluntary membership organization offering annual subscriptions across categories including Producers, Buyers, Brokers, Warehouses, Packers, and Associates. Currently has 348 active members across 10 member countries, with benefits including access to the Mombasa Tea Auction, trade facilitation, and self-governance standards.
• Art of Tea for Hotels & Chefs Training Training program delivered in partnership with the Mombasa Tourism Council at the Tea Trade Centre to enhance tea service skills in the hospitality industry, with 20 hotels in Mombasa participating.

Quantifiable outcome

• 427 million kg of tea traded in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• 7th African Tea Convention & Exhibition PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026The 7th African Tea Convention & Exhibition (2026) brings together the global tea industry to connect, showcase, and grow. This event serves as a platform for partnerships and market development across the tea value chain.
• Kenya Tea Board / KTDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2025Partnership with Kenya Tea Board (KTDA) for implementation of reforms allowing direct factory sales. KTDA warehouses hold over 100 million kilograms of tea. The Ministry of Agriculture is introducing the orthodox tea auction under the Integrated Tea Trading System with KTDA involvement.
• Mombasa Tourism CouncilsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mombasa Tourism Council for 'The Art of Tea for Hotels & Chefs Training' at the Tea Trade Centre. 20 hotels in Mombasa participated in training focused on enhancing tea service skills in the hospitality industry.
• German Tea Industry DelegationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEATTA hosted a German tea industry delegation visit aimed at strengthening trade relations. Discussions focused on quality standards, sustainable farming, and opportunities for future partnerships with Kenyan institutions.
• Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and LivestockcoreOthersThe Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock conducted a field visit to EATTA as part of its inquiry into pricing structure and dynamics of Kenya's tea industry. This engagement helps inform policy and market reform recommendations.
• Uganda Tea StakeholderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEATTA visited Uganda to engage members on challenges facing the Tea Sector. Engaged with Director General, Ministry of Trade, Industries and Co-operatives, and Private Sector Foundation Uganda to address legislative and regulatory challenges including removal of Transit bonds and double taxation issues per EAC protocol.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CME Group: Largest global derivatives marketplace with significant agricultural commodities exposure. Comparable to EATTA in providing exchange-based price discovery and trade infrastructure, though at a much larger scale and across multiple asset classes.
• Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX): India's largest commodity derivatives exchange. Comparable to EATTA as a marketplace that facilitates price discovery and trade in agricultural commodities, albeit at much larger scale and across multiple commodities.
• Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): Operates global commodity exchanges including softs (coffee, cocoa, sugar). Comparable to EATTA in operating regulated auction/exchange infrastructure for agricultural commodities, though at vastly larger scale and across multiple asset classes.

Emerging players

• Kenya Tea Board: Statutory regulator for Kenya's tea industry and a core EATTA partner under the recent reforms. Comparable as a tea-industry governing body, though not a marketplace operator like EATTA.

Direct peers

• Nairobi Coffee Exchange: Operates the Kenyan coffee auction, a regional commodity auction under the same Kenyan regulatory umbrella as EATTA. Strongly comparable in operating model (transparent auction, member governance, regional aggregation).
• Colombo Tea Traders' Association: Operates the Colombo Tea Auction, the other major global tea auction venue. Highly comparable to EATTA as both are membership-based trade associations running a multi-country tea auction on a digital platform.
• Indian Tea Association: India's principal tea trade association representing producers, buyers, and brokers. Comparable to EATTA in mandate (industry representation, standards, policy engagement) and structural role in the global tea trade.
• United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI): Long-standing South Indian tea and plantation crop trade association. Comparable to EATTA in representing producers, brokers, and trade stakeholders, with similar focus on policy advocacy and industry standards.

Regional players

• Tea Association of the USA: U.S. trade association for the tea industry, focused on consumer-market representation. Comparable to EATTA in operating as an industry trade association, but serves a different geography (import markets vs. producer-export markets).
• Tea Board of India: Government regulatory body for India's tea industry. Comparable to EATTA's regulatory mandate across East Africa, though EATTA is a non-profit association rather than a statutory body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/infoeatta
• Facebookfacebook.com/EATTA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-african-tea-trade-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 East African Tea Trade Association