TIME FOR TEA

Tea is one of Africa’s biggest exports and one brand making the most of this is luxury tea brand Yswara. Started in late 2012 by French-Ivorian businesswoman Swaady Martin-Leke, Yswara prides itself on preserving Africa’s tea culture, while also introducing high-end home-grown products to those who might not have experienced such flavours before.

“Tea is a major industry in Africa but production and consumption is often underestimated,” says Martin-Leke. “The culture of tea is prevalent in many countries on the continent and the associated practices are taken from age-old traditions. Yswara is about respecting these rituals and ceremonies. We want to highlight aromas, textures, tastes and healthful qualities of loose leaf while conveying the rich heritage and history of Africa.”

With stockists including L’Atelier de L’Éclair in Paris, Sandton’s 5-star Saxon Hotel, the Couleur Café in Abidjan, the Regalo in Lagos, Yswara is rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème, but the main beneficiaries are the local suppliers themselves. Yswara sources all its products from the continent and pays small farmers significantly more than they receive from other retailers.

“We work with people who are passionate about what they do. We are purist and uncompromising in terms of quality, while ensuring that the highest possible percentage of value-add remains in Africa,” Martin-Leke says.

Because identity, history and culture are integral to the brand, Martin-Leke hopes that ultimately it will be pan-African. Yswara is currently negotiating with retailers and luxury hotels in Kenya and Cameroon, and is marketing the brand in Africa’s capitals, as well as in Europe and the US.

“For me, success of the brand is quantified in less conventional ways. Although we are obviously turnover driven, we measure our success by those whose lives we touch and those whose lives we change,” says Martin-Leke.

BY Firdose Moonda

Images –  Yswara