History and Development of Sorwathe
Initially, there was very little arable land available on the hill sides to grow tea, because the local population supported itself through subsistence farming. One possible solution was to use swamp land in the valleys that could be drained without impacting local food production. The government, with funding by USAID and the European Development Fund, drained an experimental plot in the Cyohoha swamp and planted it with tea bushes. The success of that plot demonstrated that tea could be profitably grown in reclaimed swamp land.
Financing the factory posed another hurdle. The Rwandan government had run out of funds after planting the experimental tea bushes in the swamp. As a result, Mr. Wertheim worked with the government to secure financing for the SORWATHE factory from the International Monetary Fund and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
Given the remote location and lack of infrastructure, several challenges remained: roads needed to be built, fuel sources needed to be secured, and water and electricity needed to be brought to the factory before operations could begin. These challenges were met by Mr. Wertheim with the assistance of the Rwandan government. Construction of the factory began in 1975, with tea production commencing in 1978. Since then, tea production has steadily increased. Today, SORWATHE produces approximately 12% of Rwanda’s tea.
Consistent in quality and innovation have always been SORWATHE’s main business drivers. In addition, SORWATHE is the first tea factory in Rwanda to manufacture Orthodox and green tea. Its state-of-the-art factory is also the first to cultivate organic tea in the country. SORWATHE currently produces high quality green, black, oolong, and specialty teas for local and international markets.
SORWATHE Guesthouse
and Tea Tours
SORWATHE maintains a 10-room guest house, which has lovely hilltop views and is in very close proximity to the factory and plantation.
The guest house is open to visitors in the tea trade or others who seek lodging in the Rwandan countryside. Factory and field tours are available upon request. The guest house also has a conference room facility for groups of 10-15 persons. Meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) may be arranged for an additional fee.
Factory tours start at 10:00 am on days the factory is operating. For reservations at the Guest House or for Tea Tours, please visit Sorwathe’s office in Kigali or send an email to: sorwatheadm@gmail.com with a copy to sorwathe@gmail.com.
For all other inquiries, please either call (+250) 788 300 532 or send an email to sorwathe@gmail.com
SORWATHE Photo Gallery
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- A tea tasting at the SORWATHE factory
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- Former SORWATHE General Manager, Cally Alles, left, and current SORWATHE General Manager, Rohith Peiris, right
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- A view of the Sorwathe tea plantation
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- Tea plucker en route to the weighing station
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- Tea pluckers at work
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- Tea plucker at work
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- A factory worker displays the various stages of tea production
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- A canal bordered by Rainforst Alliance-approved trees brings native birds back to the plantation
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- A small part of the SORWATHE-managed Eucalyptus forest
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- A well-tended tea bush nursery
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- Local farmers walking through the tea plantation
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- Mist lingers over tea bushes in the valley and crops on the hillsides
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- Crops on the hillsides overlook the SORWATHE tea estate
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- A shady road through the SORWATHE tea plantation beautified by Rainforest Alliance-approved trees
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- Tea plucker’s basket brimming with “two leaves and a bud”
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- Lady Tea Plucker
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- View from Guesthouse toward volcanos
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- Mist on tea field
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- Pluckers on a path in the plantation
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- The stages of processing from plucked leaf to made
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- Pluckers in the tea field
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- Tea Maker, Stanislaw Ntamahugiro (center), reviews tea manufacture with Andrew Wertheim, President of Tea Importers (left), and Rohith Peiris, General Manager of SORWATHE (right)
