Numi Tea: Their Story And Sustainable Practices

Numi Tea specializes in a variety of different teas and tea formulas, such as green, black, white, and Pu’er teas, as well as tea-related products like herbal tea sans, tea latte concentrate, iced teas, and bottled teas. This broad range of products encompasses an array of teas with various health benefits. Numi Tea also focuses on rare and obscure teas little known to the west, bringing a spotlight to their unique flavors and surprising benefits.

Numi Tea is headed by siblings Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani, Iraqi immigrants currently residing in Northern California. The inspiration for Numi Tea grew from Ahmed’s experience designing teahouses in Prague, where he learned about the history and culture behind tea. He later went on to launch Numi Tea, traveling the world to find and source ever more exotic and delectable teas. Reem, Ahmed’s sister, is co-founder of Numi Tea and is responsible for its branding and design. Together, they engage with many programs aimed at giving back to the community.

By designing their packaging with care, every year Numi Tea saves 3,000 trees and over 300,000 lbs. of landfill waste.

One of their main community initiatives is the Numi Foundation, a non-profit that contributes to those in need across the globe. Through this organization, they feed those experiencing food insecurity, teach art to underprivileged students in California, provide drinking water to tea growers, and schooling to war victims in Iraq. However, this is only part of the way they give back to the agricultural communities that supply them with tea. A major component of their sustainability initiatives could be found in their core business practices.

Although not as severe as other sectors, the tea industry has been known to place stress on both the natural environment and agricultural workers in developing countries that produce the raw ingredients for teas. Numi Tea tackles this issue by being intimately connected and familiar with their tea suppliers. They form a mutually beneficial relationship with their suppliers, ensuring they are paid and supported appropriately. This includes programs like the Numi Foundation, as well as programs such as Fair Trade Certified and Verified Fair Labor.

Through their Fair Trade Certified program, Numi Tea provides their suppliers with Fair Trade Premiums. These premiums are then distributed throughout the community based on a democratic vote. These funds are used to offer a variety of essential supplies to their community, such as cookware, schools, scholarships, maternity benefits, and medical supplies. If Numi Tea’s Fair Trade Certified program is not applicable to an area, or a given area needs additional support, they may utilize their Verified Fair Labor program. This program allows them to support growers who are certified organic, ensuring that workers on these agricultural sites enjoy safe working conditions away from toxic chemicals and support their social and community development. The Verified Fair Labor program is audited every year by an independent third party. These initiatives, in combination with other programs they utilize, ensure their workforce is treated humanely at every stage of production.

Numi Tea partners with a host of organizations to ensure they are environmentally friendly and sustainable. One partnership example is with CarbonFree, indicating that their carbon emissions amount to zero. They achieve this through carbon offsets that support biodiversity, environmental conservation, and community support in the Amazon rainforest. Numi Tea are also Climate Neutral Certified through their CarbonFree initiative, as they measure and offset their carbon emissions every year.

Additionally, Numi Tea began utilizing compostable plant-based wrappers, reducing their waste and dependency on fossil fuels. They use sustainably grown, non-GMO, eucalyptus plants certified by the FSC, meaning that their packaging breaks down without leaving an impact on the environment. By designing their packaging with care, every year Numi Tea saves 3,000 trees and over 300,000 lbs. of landfill waste.

All of these sustainable practices make Numi Tea the perfect option for consumers who are environmentally conscious or those who would simply like to reduce their impact on the vulnerable workforces in developing nations and their environment. Numi Tea has also taken initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure their local community receives essential support, like food supplies, during these difficult times. Their activism makes them valuable assets to their community and aligns themselves with ideas and movements that resonate with a broad range of people, particularly environmentally conscious Californians.

Key Takeaways from Numi Tea

• Numi Tea fits into a niche product market for rare and unique teas, providing value through their tea selection and a broad range of products.
• Numi Tea has continuously adhered to environmentally friendly and humane business practices, taking initiatives in every aspect of its business model.
• These practices add value to their community and draw the ever-growing range of consumers interested in ethical and sustainable products.

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