Tetley Launches Rooibos with Rainforest Alliance Certification

Tetley launches the first packs of Rooibos tea to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ seal

The first packs of Rooibos (Redbush) tea sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms are now in production at Tetley's UK factory, destined for supermarket shelves in the UK and Europe from the end of October.

This marks a major milestone for Tetley's certification programme with the Rainforest Alliance and a first for the global tea sector. Tetley Rooibos packs carrying the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal and carrying 100% certified content will also launch in other Tetley markets in the coming months.

Tetley's decision to purchase all of the tea for its branded teabag and loose tea products from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms is a significant commitment that is having a wide-reaching and positive impact across Tetley's supply chain and the global tea industry, given that 75 million cups of Tetley are drunk around the world every day.

All Tetley branded black, green and red tea including favoured and decaffeinated varieties are part of its certification programme with the Rainforest Alliance which is due to be completed by 2016.

Rooibos is only grown in the Cedarberg area of South Africa, 200km north of Cape Town, and no alternative source of supply of this unique product is available anywhere in the world.

To communicate its collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance, Tetley has developed an innovative social media initiative facilitated by Facebook called Farmers First Hand. It allows consumer to communicate directly with tea producing communities who are working towards gaining Rainforest Alliance Certified™ status for their farms. Launched in February, the Facebook page now has over 12 000 fans.

Percy Singporia, Deputy CEO of Tata Global Beverages, which counts Tetley amongst its brands, said:

"Launching Rooibos made with tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms marks a major milestone on our journey to becoming a more sustainable brand for Tetley as well as creating a more sustainable global tea sector for the future.

Our Tetley commitment means that the number of cups of tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms will increase to circa 100 million in the UK. Supporting farms to become Rainforest Alliance Certified™ benefits our business, the tea estates and the tea pickers we work with. Over 82 000 smallholder farmers have been trained under the 2010/11 certification programme with Rainforest Alliance."

For further information please contact:
For Tetley:
Alana Sciortino on 020 8338 4006, 07585903797 or Alana/sciortino@tataglobalbeverages.com

For Rainforest Alliance:
Christina Cullen on 07985 440 238 or Christina@themessagehub.com

NOTES

1. You can visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Farmersfirsthand
2. Tetley remain active members of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), whose existing programme and collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance will help facilitate the launch of Tetley certified products.

About Tetley

Tetley is a growing global tea brand with a presence in 70 countries around the world. It is the market leader in the UK and Canada and in total 75 million cups of Tetley tea a day are drunk worldwide. For more information please visit www.tetley.com

About Tata Global Beverages
Tata Global Beverages comprises a number of major beverage brands including Tetley, Tata Tea, Good Earth, Eight O'Clock Coffee and Himalayan. The group employs around 3000 employees worldwide and has its corporate headquarters in the UK. The Tetley Group was purchased by Tata Tea in 2000. For more information on the Tata Global Beverages brands please visit www.tataglobalbeverages.com

About Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance is an internationally-focused, not-for-profit organisation that was established in the USA in 1987. The organisation works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. To date, the Rainforest Alliance has helped conserve the water, soil and biodiversity of more than 50 million hectares of forest and farmland in 68 countries and improved the lives of more than 2 million workers and their families.

The Rainforest Alliance certification programme means that farms have to meet the environmental, social and economic standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). The SAN standards cover ecosystem conservation, worker rights and safety, wildlife protection, water and soil conservation, agrochemical reduction, decent housing, and legal wages and contracts for workers.

From 19th to 23rd September 2011, Rainforest Alliance will host the first ever Rainforest Alliance Week – a social media campaign calling on consumers and businesses throughout the UK to Follow the Frog and take a small step toward a more sustainable lifestyle.

For more information please visit www.rainforest-alliance.org