The Strength Behind the Leaves
When we pour a cuppa, it’s easy to think of tea as something simple and comforting. But behind every tasty and fragrant sip lies centuries of care, skill, and culture. Throughout that story, women have played an essential role - not just as tea drinkers, but as the hands, minds, and leaders shaping tea around the world.
From misty mountain fields to factory floors, boardrooms, and tasting tables, women are not a footnote in the tea industry. They are its very backbone.
Why Women Matter in Tea
In many tea‑producing countries, women make up the majority of the workforce. Across Asia and Africa, they walk the fields at sunrise to hand‑pick the tender “two leaves and a bud” that define quality tea. This work demands precision, deep plant knowledge, and physical endurance - and it is absolutely fundamental to tea production worldwide. Without plucking, there is no tea to enjoy!
Tea plucking is not unskilled labour. The speed, selectivity, and consistency required are developed over years, often passed down through generations of women. Without this expertise, the teas we love simply wouldn’t exist.
Yet for too long, this contribution has gone under‑recognised. Understanding tea means understanding the women who grow it.
A Global Tradition of Women in Tea
Women’s relationship with tea is woven into the fabric of cultures across continents.
In Taiwan, rural women became pioneers of seasonal tea work. Earning independent wages didn’t only support families - it shifted household dynamics and gave women greater voice within their communities. Tea picking here isn’t just an economic activity; it’s lived history, celebrated in folk songs that honour the ‘tea‑picking girls’.
In China’s Anxi region, women have been instrumental in protecting and sharing the heritage of Tieguanyin, one of the world’s most famous oolong teas. Women‑led initiatives and institutes dedicated to tea culture have helped preserve traditional skills, support tens of thousands of families, and strengthen local economies.
In 1901, two women - Roberta Lawson and Mary Mclaren - from Wisconsin registered the first patent on the tea bag! They called it the “Tea Leaf Holder”. This was way before the well publicised “invention of the tea bag” credited to Thomas Sullivan in 1908.
From East Asia to East Africa, these stories share a common truth: women aren’t on the margins of tea’s story - they are at its heart.
Changing the Narrative
While women dominate tea plucking, they have historically been under‑represented in senior roles - especially in factories, estates, and export businesses.
But there are powerful exceptions that show what’s possible. In several producing countries, women have risen from factory roles into management positions, becoming tea factory managers and quality leads. In doing so, they’ve not only broken personal barriers - they’ve actively created pathways for other women to follow, mentoring female workers, encouraging training, and proving that leadership in tea doesn’t have to look one way.
One of the most inspiring examples of women breaking through traditional barriers comes from our very own Joyce Maina, who was the first female to manage a tea factory in Kenya, and first female principal auction buyer in the largest tea auction in the world - the Mombasa auction.
A similarly outstanding example is Lassi Tamang, who became one of the first female factory managers in Darjeeling’s storied tea region. At Jungpana Tea Estate, a place where management roles had historically been held almost entirely by men, Lassi started as a trainee after completing a course in tea management. Over seven years she worked her way up to run the factory - overseeing everything from weighing and sorting to drying and packaging some of Darjeeling’s most revered teas.
Her success highlights how education, passion, and persistence can open doors in an industry long shaped by tradition. Shantanu Kejriwal, the estate’s owner, said of her rise: “I noticed she was extremely hard working and passionate. If someone treats tea as just a job, good teas can never get made. It’s passion which makes a good tea into a great one.”
Lassi’s journey isn’t just personal achievement - it’s a beacon for other women who aspire to step beyond the fields and into decision-making roles in tea.
The Challenges Are Real - and So Are the Champions
Despite their central role, women in tea still face persistent challenges. Leadership gaps, pay inequity, limited access to training, land ownership, and financial resources remain common across many tea‑producing regions - reflecting wider issues across global agriculture.
But change is happening.
Women are increasingly leading estates, cooperatives, export businesses, and tea brands. They are driving innovation, prioritising environmental stewardship, and building businesses rooted in long‑term community wellbeing.
Organisations like the International Alliance for Women in Tea (IAWT) and initiatives such as SheTrades are helping accelerate this progress - creating global spaces for mentorship, collaboration, and market access across the tea value chain.
Turning Values Into Action
Purpose‑led sourcing is no longer a niche idea - it’s becoming a powerful driver of change in tea.
At Bird & Blend Tea Co., that belief is embodied by our Head of Tea Joyce, who also works with the International Trade Centre to support women producers and entrepreneurs from developing countries in accessing global markets.
After a recent trade mission in the UK, she helped connect a group of women‑led SMEs from Kenya with purposeful buyers interested in sourcing teas, herbal ingredients, and artisanal products - from orthodox and CTC teas to small‑batch blends, white‑label production, and beyond. This project was funded by UK International Development.
This kind of work not only matters but is essential. Market access creates economic independence, which in turn strengthens families, businesses, and entire communities. Stemming from it, children get an education, their health needs are taken care of, and there is food on the table. It’s a reminder that every buying decision has the potential to support women far beyond our own cups.
Tea Culture & Women: Beyond the Fields
The influence of women in tea extends far beyond production.
Historically, tea has opened social spaces for women - from European tearooms where women could meet independently, to domestic rituals that center on conversation, care, and connection.
In Japan, women have played a vital role in preserving and passing down the tea ceremony, safeguarding centuries‑old practices rooted in mindfulness, respect, and craft.
Even modern traditions, like the familiar tea break, reflect tea’s role as a social anchor, often quietly shaped and sustained by women.
Why This Story Matters
Tea is one of the world’s most consumed drinks - indeed second only to water, but its true richness lies in the people behind it.
When we recognise and support women in tea, we’re not just honouring history. We’re investing in better livelihoods, more resilient supply chains, and a more equitable future for the industry.
So next time you brew a cup, take a moment to think beyond the leaves - and raise your cup to the women whose knowledge, labour, and leadership make tea what it is.
Because tea tastes better when it’s grown, made, and shared with purpose.
