Local Tea Hits Retail Market
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday August 27, 2018 18:00
The project will produce 25,000kg of tea per month working on a single shift, which can be doubled on double shifts. The company currently sources the tealeaves from Malawi.
Speaking at the official opening of the tea packaging plant in Gaborone recently, the company’s managing director Gibson Ntibi said they package loose-leaf tea and tagless tea bags under the brand name Real Tea with the slogan ‘The tea of choice’. “We will be distributing tea at various local stores such as Choppies who agreed to sell it in nine of their shops. The tea would also be available at Shoprite stores and hopefully would be sold in different shops across the country by the end of next week,” he said.
According to Ntibi, he developed passion for manufacturing tea a long time ago, explaining that he worked for a renowned tea manufacturing company as a production manager for 23 years. He said Real Tea is a high quality tea, which has been perfectly blended to give consumers good value for their money. “What makes the tea stand out from others is that it’s not strong but tasty. The tea is ideal to soothe tea lovers after a long day and anytime of the day,” he said.
Ntibi further appreciated Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) for funding their project after their second attempt. The company currently employs 17 people; seven youth and nine women. The plan is to increase the workforce to 27 by the end of this month and 100 in the next five years. CEDA has invested over P3 million in the company while Botswana Investment and Trade Centre has provided a factory shell. “I would like to appreciate CEDA for funding this project even though it has not been an easy road.
We first applied for a CEDA loan in 2014, but unfortunately it was not approved. We did not give up, but worked tirelessly to meet their demands and in 2017 our second loan application was approved. We started sourcing machinery and packaging materials,” he noted. For her part, acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry Rosina Bontsi encouraged SMEs to support each other adding that it would help them grow. He applauded the owners of Motherwell Investments for their zeal to establish their manufacturing company against all odds.
“The owners of this company did not give up, but re-submitted their applications. I foresee this company growing and encourage the private sector, government and other stakeholders to support it so that it grows and creates more employment,” she said.