| Brewing harmony in a teacup
RIGA - “We want Latvian people to understand that tea is more than hot water, we want them to understand the world of tea," said Ilze Konovalova of downtown Riga's newly opened Chado tea house. Konovalova is clearly passionate about tea. When anyone shows an interest, she will rifle through the massive selection, pointing out the different varieties and occasionally lifting a particularly aromatic tea out of the bunch for people to sniff. Her narratives about tea always come back to her personal favorite, oolong milk. Her eyes light up as she talks about how each time the unique tea is brewed, the flavor subtly changes. The Chado tea house, which is now in its third month of existence, is hoping to set up a tea culture similar to the wine culture that exists in France, she explained. One look at the interior will show just how far Chado goes to achieve that goal.
Kenyan strike shows trouble brewing for tea giants
A strike by more than 10,000 tea pickers in Kenya in East Africa has won an 8 percent pay increase. The workers, members of the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) took action in more than 18 estates in the Kericho region. The estates are owned by Unilever Tea Kenya (UTK), which produces brands including PG Tips. Unilever is the world�s largest tea producer, with 12 percent of the world market. The strike, which started on Saturday 8 September, featured bitter confrontations with scabs. The tea industry in Kenya employs 63,000 workers, but tea pickers were traditionally very poorly paid. Interviewed about life as a tea picker, one worker said, "Life here is hard. We work continuously from dawn to dusk, come rain or shine." Another, who has worked picking tea for 34 years, said, "Age is not an issue because I need to work for my family.
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