In the rich highlands of Murang’a County, Kenya — where the volcanic soils and cool elevation once made tea the primary crop — something new is growing. At Nduti Tea Factory, a bold move beyond tea is underway: avocado seedling propagation. Over 70,000 avocado seedlings have been distributed to farmers, and the factory has collaborated with an avocado exporter to help farmers reach global markets.
For many smallholder tea farmers, returns from tea have been under pressure: variable yields, fluctuating prices, and limited value capture. Recognizing this, Nduti’s leadership invested Fairtrade-Premium funds into an avocado diversification project. Farmers were given seedlings and linked to export channels — a strategy that aligns with Kenya’s broader avocado boom, where Murang’a County alone supplies a large share of national output.
The transformation is taking shape. Farmers report higher income when avocados fetch export prices. The project also points toward stronger resilience: by diversifying away from tea alone, families are protecting themselves from commodity shocks. Nduti is now in the process of registering an export licence and constructing a packhouse — a crucial step that will allow the full value chain to stay in-country rather than losing margins at the auction or intermediary level.
“We planted the avocado seedlings and now we’re seeing a new income path,” says one farmer in the cooperative.
What began as 70,000 seedlings is more than a planting drive. It is a statement of intent: Nduti Tea Factory and its farmers shifting from being price-takers in the tea auction to being value-creators in horticulture. It is about moving from yield per hectare to earnings per tree — and from vulnerability to choice.
As the export licence is finalised and the packhouse takes shape, the future looks like this: farmers will sell matured avocados under stronger contracts, pack their fruit locally, capture more premium pricing, and invest earnings back into their farms or communities. The ripple effect will build more than income — it will build autonomy.