Lavazza Group Ambassador Programme: our journey into Rwanda tea factories

As the plane descends towards Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, the first group of our ambassadors assigned to this country is greeted with a breathtaking vista that immediately justifies the nation’s well-deserved moniker, The Land of a Thousand Hills. From the moment the aircraft’s wheels touch the tarmac, a patchwork of rolling green hills and terracotta earth comes into focus, and Rwanda’s natural beauty becomes abundantly clear. But the scenic welcome from the sky is just a mere prelude to the thrilling experiences that await our people in this remarkable corner of Eastern Africa.

«Kigali is beautiful, with lots of plants and lush greenery in the boulevards instead of just cement or grass», notes Stacy Eaton immediately upon arrival. She works as packaging operator with Kicking Horse Coffee in Canada, and she’s a member of the Lavazza Group Ambassador programme.

When people think of Rwanda, they often think of its dark past. Since then, the country has successfully advanced and emerged as strong and united, as was evident from the visit to the Genocide Memorial on Gisozi Hill, a few kilometres from Kigali’s centre. Inaugurated in 2004, this is the main site of some 200 places of remembrance which dot the country.

«We came out of the memorial with a better understanding of the sense of community that permeates Rwandan society», says Francesca Ferrero , a trade marketing specialist from Italy who’s also part of the Ambassadors programme. «It’s remarkable how people have come together despite what happened 30 years ago. It’s as if they were processing that tragedy through a reinforcement of their sense of solidarity, community, and forgiveness».

After exploring the city, the group leaves for the Northern regions where most of Rwanda’s tea is cultivated. The trip coincides with the picking season and the ambassadors visit a farm to try their hands at plucking tea leaves and buds, together with local farmers who toil tirelessly. A strong smell of fresh tea lingers in the air and after a couple of hours of work the seven ambassadors have gathered around four kilograms of tea.

 «We were really proud of what we had done and we went back to the tea hangar singing», says Joanne Johnston , a Lavazza Ambassador from the UK who works as a Sensory and Consumer Insight manager. «Then we realized that this compared to 50 kilograms collected by a professional picker over an eight-hour shift on average».

Local farmers are paid based on the quality of the tea leaves they collect - the lower the quality, the less they earn. And as this is a co-operative, everyone is paid the same based on the overall quality contained in the total day’s plucking. «We came out with a greater understanding of the hard-working conditions and the responsibilities everyone has to the co-operative», says Stacy. «It’s a community that’s based on small town values. They help each other, they go the extra mile, and they do good for their community».

After delivering their harvest to the tea factory, the ambassadors witness the process flow that turns the leaves into black tea to get a deeper understanding of the supply chain from plant to cup.

In the following days, they visit a tea farm that was flooded last May when torrential rains washed the region. Over 600 volunteers came from all over the country to help clean and restore it in only 15 days. They also have a chance to plant new trees and donate some cows as part of the Giuseppe and Pericle Lavazza Foundation programme to support local communities. Many farmers here still don’t have running water in their homes. They must go to the village well and fill up a bucket of water to boil before they can drink it. In this context, cows are very important because they provide milk, a little extra income and manure to provide nutrients for the soil. Local tradition also dictates that when a cow gives birth, the owner keeps the calf and passes the cow along to another family. «We really saw how one single cow can make a huge difference in their lives. And it’s not a simple handout, it’s helping them help themselves», says Francesca.

Ambassadors meet with farmers who have received benefits from Lavazza Foundation’s projects They have been trained in better agricultural practices such as crop rotation and planting different seeds to increase their profitability and provide more nutrition for their families.

«These farmers have the passion and drive to learn new agricultural practices», confirms Patty Hu , Business Analyst manager with Lavazza Australia. «They understand that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime».

After a six-day trip, the experience draws to a close with a visit to Akagera National Park, where ambassadors can see lions, giraffes, rhinoceroses, and zebras, as well as plenty of other wildlife, followed by a dinner in Kigali at the Hôtel des Mille Collines, which inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda.

It’s an evening full of emotions and it gives them a chance to reflect upon what they have seen in the country and the importance of the collaboration programme run by our Group. Lastly, American Lavazza Ambassador Noah Russell sums up the collective mood: «We feel really lucky to work for a company that values the contributions of farmers so much».