Our Supply Chain
Directly on Site with our Partners
The supply chain for tea is a special one that originates in many different regions of the world. We source around 300 raw materials from over 150 suppliers from 50 different countries for the diverse TEEKANNE tea blends. In contrast to most companies that purchase ready-made tea blends through wholesalers, we are usually linked with regional farmers in the countries of origin by long-term partnerships. This enables us to purchase the raw materials directly and to be in personal contact with the producers – a rarity in the industry.
Because the quality of our products is close to our heart, we firmly believe that these long-term partnerships based on trust ensure the greatest possible transparency in our supply chain.
We Create a Unique Tea Quality
The special quality of our products is ensured by two factors. One is our early involvement in the supply chain and the other is the fact that we produce most of our tea blends ourselves.
We do not forget that tea is a natural product. We are constantly working on our recipes to ensure that our consumers always find the consistent quality they are used to in their cup. For example, a so-called mono-product such as mint tea which contains “only” one raw material can be a blend of 10 different harvests from 3 different countries. However, due to our many years of experience in composing and producing tea blends, some of which are very complex, we are able to systematically control the quality and meet the high expectations of tea drinkers every day.
Around 50 Employess Deal with our Suppliers and Raw Material Every Day
Our focus is on the best quality and high value products. This is ensured by around 50 employees in purchasing and quality assurance who deal with our suppliers and raw materials on a daily basis. The greatest possible transparency plays an enormously important role in all our processes, as this is the only way to ensure traceability to the origin at all times.
Long-term Partnerships, Fairness and Transparenty in Cooperation are Our Greatest Assets
For us, it is a matter of course to regularly question and check compliance with the social standards at the point of origin. This means that we immediately make a critical assessment of a particular supplier, change our purchasing priorities and stop buying from problematic suppliers if necessary.
If our strict requirements are not met in full in very rare exceptional cases, it is important for us to clarify this internally as well as directly with our suppliers on the basis of a fair and ethical principle. We deliberately do not publish lists or assign ratings. This is because there are people behind every number and every name. People whom we support and with whom we work together to become a little bit better every day. We take this responsibility very seriously.
