Van Rees
Malawi
Maone Industrial Area
Plot NK 132
P.O. Box 451
Blantyre, Malawi
+265-885 998786
+265-888-821592
Debajit Borthakur
Maganga Maganga
Our main activities
specialists
Auction
buying
blends
blending
Inventory holding and
VMI solutions
Our small team of experts work through season and off season to uphold our promise of the finest cup of Tea
VAN REES - MALAWI
Connecting the trails of tea
Malawi is a small landlocked country in Central Africa bordering Mozambique. Tea was introduced to Malawi at the end of the 19th Century and is the first country in the continent where tea was first grown commercially.
Malawi has the second Tea Auction in the African Continent since 1970’s and is still an outcry auction.
Malawi crop is seasonal with a typical high season being between December and May. The low season still has some crop except for the months of July and August where crop intake is very low and factories shut for their winter maintenance.
Back in the day, Lawrie tea processors (LTP) were used for Manufacturing but since last couple of decades, the shift towards CTC has happened with most factories now using it.
Malawi largely makes CTC black teas with a small percentage of Green and Bespoke teas.
Other services
The Malawi crop
Tea is largely grown in the Southern Part of the country in Thyolo and Mulanje. Tea growing areas in Mulanje are at the foothills of Mount Mulanje, the third highest mountain in Africa and close to the Mozambique border. There is only one tea estate in the Northern part of the country.
The rich volcanic soil, temperate weather and elevation contribute to the bright red and neutral liquors that Malawi is known for.
Van Rees has been present in the country since 1970’s. It has been a long association, and we continue to support the producers and the auction system. We buy and export about 20-25% of the annual production, making us the largest buyer of Malawi teas at the auction.
Certificate of Free Sale
We have state of the art storage and blending facilities ( ISO 22000, RA ). We offer to our clients both straight line and custom-made blended standards as per their requirements. Our USP is offering annual forward contracts at an agreed price. This helps our clients mitigate the variations of seasonality as well as price movements. We do also offer VMI services in South Africa and Europe, this gives our customers the comfort of calling off teas when needed and not have to plan/rely on the lengthy transit times to receive their teas.
Logistics out of Malawi can be challenging and that is where our experience helps in exporting the teas soonest. The options available are Beira and Nacala in Mozambique or Durban in South Africa. The teas are loaded in our warehouse in Blantyre and trucked to the ports.
While we do export to countries globally, we have a strong presence in South Africa, Europe, North America and China and few non-traditional consuming markets are now getting a liking for Malawi teas, both in the region as well as outside.
Overview of certifications
We pride ourselves on meeting rigorous quality and sustainability standards. Our certifications include.
Rainforest Alliance certification
ISO 22000:2018 certification
Blending & packing of Black Tea. Category CIV.
