Since 1971
55+ Years Of Experience
The history of tea farming in Murang’a County is a story of resilience dating back to the 1950s.
At the heart of this transformation is the Ikumbi Tea Factory, which evolved from a logistical solution for early smallholders into a modern hub for specialized global exports.
In 1958, local smallholder farmers in Murang’a planted their very first tea bushes, marking the official birth of tea farming in the region.
Factory History
While tea thrived in Murang’a’s fertile, high-altitude soil, early farmers faced a severe hurdle: a total lack of local processing infrastructure.
Because Murang’a had no factories of its own, harvested green leaves had to be transported immediately over long distances before they spoiled.
By the early 1960s, the sheer volume of tea grown in Murang’a made cross-county transportation unsustainable. To solve these transport bottlenecks and give local farmers direct access to processing, construction on a dedicated facility began.
In 1984, the Ikumbi Tea Factory was officially commissioned in Kangari, Kigumo. Operating under the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), it became a pioneering powerhouse for the zone. The facility gave thousands of local growers a direct venue to process conventional Black CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) tea, laying the groundwork for other regional facilities, like the later-established Gacharage factory.
Modernization, Fairtrade, and the Shift to Global Markets
In the 21st century, Ikumbi transformed from a standard regional factory into an award-winning international competitor.
2010: Ikumbi achieved Fairtrade Certification, directly improving the livelihoods of its base of over 7,000 smallholder growers.
2023: In a bid to escape the volatile prices of conventional black tea, Ikumbi signed a landmark deal with China’s Poly Intercontinental Trading Company. This partnership established a specialized orthodox tea processing line—handling 2,000 kilograms of specialized green and black orthodox tea daily—geared entirely for direct export to Asian markets.
2024: The factory’s high-value production strategies paid off for local farmers when Ikumbi secured 6th place nationally in the KTDA bonus payment rankings.
Today, the factory continues to diversify its catalog. Alongside its traditional black teas, Ikumbi produces high-value tea clones ensuring that Murang’a’s historic tea industry remains a cornerstone of Kenya’s agricultural economy.
Where it all begins
Meet One Of Our Farmers
Step into the heart of tea farming with (name of farmer), a long-standing partner farmer of Ikumbi Tea. In this video, he shares the sustainable farming practices that help produce some of Kenya’s finest tea.
Learn how Ikumbi supports its farmers through training, and extension services that lead to better yields and higher-quality tea.