Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente officiated at the handover ceremony of Mulindi Tea Factory in Gicumbi District between Wood Foundations & Gatsby Africa and Mulindi Tea Company.
Wood Foundations & Gatsby Africa transferred shares to Gicumbi-based smallholder tea cooperatives. This is Rwanda’s first tea factory to be entirely owned by smallholder farmers.
Wood Foundations & Gatsby Africa had acquired 55% shares of the Mulindi Tea Factory when it was privatized by Government in 2012. 5000 tea producers grouped in two local smallholder tea cooperatives will take over the management of the facility and tea industrial block on 175 ha.
During the decade-long investment, the tea industrial block expanded to 175 ha. It played a significant role in improving livelihoods of those living in its neighborhood. The facility’s production capacity also increased from 60 MT to 120 MT per day, generating USD 9 million per year.
