To preserve their full flavour, tea leaves are never washed. That means pesticide residues and other chemical traces remain on the leaves and end up in your cup, especially with loose-leaf tea. Organic tea cultivation is a commitment to healthy eating and to the care of the environment, the plantations, and the people who tend them.
Tea leaf production around the world: organic and conventional
The aroma and flavour of tea are shaped by terroir, altitude, climate, the leaf variety selected, processing methods, and the quality of the plantation.
Growing tea in tea gardens
A member of the camellia family, the tea plant thrives in warm, humid climates with plenty of sunlight. In tea gardens, tall trees filter the sun's rays and help balance the soil's ecosystem. Altitude, which can reach up to 2,500 metres in tropical regions, enhances the quality of the tea, sometimes at the expense of yield. Sloped terrain encourages good water drainage and benefits the plants.
Tea bushes are pruned to around 1 metre in height to make harvesting easier, a process that remains largely manual and artisanal. The harvest takes place several times a year: buds are carefully pinched to collect the pekoe, while the youngest leaves (the first one to three after the bud) are gathered for their richer aroma.
Tea leaf production in China and across the globe
The earliest teas were cultivated from wild tea plants. The oldest plantations still in use today are found in China's Yunnan region. They come close to organic farming in practice, even if they do not carry the official certification.
The world's leading tea-producing countries are India, China, Japan, and Sri Lanka. A journey through their plantations is a voyage of flavours and colours: black teas (including Darjeeling and Ceylon), green teas, white teas, Assam, Oolong, and Rooibos, each with its own character and qualities. As of 2020, four tea plantations were operating in mainland France and on the island of Réunion.
The challenge of organic tea cultivation for plantations
The goal of organic tea cultivation is to create plantations rooted in sustainable development and environmentally responsible practices, with no pollution of the soil, air, or water.
Quality production for organic tea leaves
In terraced tea gardens, a living ecosystem is created by growing tea plants alongside other vegetation. This biodiversity protects the plants and reduces the need for chemical inputs. It also contributes to natural fertilisation (supported in part by small-scale animal farming), keeps pests at bay, and helps prevent soil erosion.
Organic tea farming therefore requires significantly more labour for a yield roughly three times smaller, which is reflected in the final price. A large workforce is essential for digging, preparing compost, managing weeds, treating plant diseases, and applying natural fertilisers. Green tea producers in Japan have widely embraced this sustainable approach.
Organic farming in the service of local economic development
Organic tea cultivation is governed by regulated frameworks. The AB label in France and the EU organic leaf logo across Europe certify that tea leaves are produced organically, with respect for the environment and for the working conditions of everyone involved. From plantation to packaging, all imported teas must comply with organic standards.
In some parts of the world, organic farming is a strategy for local economic development and poverty reduction. Combined with fair trade, it helps improve the livelihoods of growers and their communities.