Impact
Charity Tea™ exists to make a social, environmental and climate impact.
We are driven to create a world with zero hunger (not zero appetite), and we are committed to growing people at all stages of our business. We’re a social enterprise business selling organic tea – NZ & imported tea to fight hunger here at home in Aotearoa and in Haiti. Every cup we sell feeds a child in need. Founder of Charity Tea™, Gill Bredl is also Director of NZ registered charity Ten18 International which together with a Board of Trustees makes all our charity decisions.
Social
Charity Tea™ is a certified social enterprise and ethical tea supplier via the Akina Foundation’s Impact Directory for sustainable social procurement. We are also a certified B Corporation.
New Zealand
Statistics suggest that between 25,000-55,000 New Zealand kids go to school without lunch. Hunger affects children’s abilities to learn and access the school curriculum. Every purchase of Charity Tea™ will provide a school lunch for a child in New Zealand via our partnerships with other NZ charities. We are currently partnering with Kai Kitchen Trust. If you are interested in becoming a charity partner in NZ, please email [email protected] and tell us about the impact you’re hoping to make.
Haiti
Haiti is a Caribbean country that borders the Dominican Republic and is close to Florida, USA. It is thought that Haiti has around 97% unemployment and most people live on a few dollars a day. You may remember the devastating earthquake that hit its shores in 2011 and the more recent hurricane Matthew in 2016. It is usual for children to eat once a day, or once every few days. Sales from Charity Tea™ produce revenue that supports feeding programmes in partnership with charity “Little footprints, big steps”. In partnership with parents who purchase, prepare and serve the food ensures families stay together and live with more dignity.
Environmental
Organic
Growing organic tea is better for the soil and better for the people who grow it and produces a premium product. Please check the tea list to find out where your tea is sourced. Drinking organic tea nourishes our bodies rather than filling them with chemicals. Our imported tea is all certified organic and is externally tested for purity.
Organic tea NZ
Our New Zealand grown herbal tea is organically grown but uncertified.
Packaging
Where possible, Charity Tea™ commits to using biodegradable, compostable, refillable or recyclable packaging. We are happy to supply extra parts or receive back your tins/packaging.
Reduce waste
Charity Tea™ promotes a reduce waste and reuse culture. Where possible we choose to minimize our waste. If this is not possible, we choose to reuse or recycle. During 2019, we prevented over 10,000 plastic bags ending up in landfill by choosing to have our tins wrapped in tissue paper.
Climate
Charity Tea™ limited is proud to achieve Climate Positive Business Operations with Ekos. We have measured and offset 120% (at least) of our carbon footprint for all business activity in 2020 with certified carbon credits. We are committed to achieving this for 2021 too.
The carbon credits for Charity Tea’s™ Business Operations came from the Rarakau Rainforest Conservation project in Southland.
Rarakau Rainforest Conservation Project – Southland, Aotearoa
Protecting 738 ha of tall coastal indigenous rainforest in West Southland. This project is adjacent to the Fiordland National Park, located at the beginning of the popular Hump Ridge walking track.
The forest is composed of a predominantly Tawhai (silver beech) canopy intermixed with Miro (prumnopitys ferruginea) and Tōtara (podocarpus totara).
The land is owned by the Rowallan Alton Incorporation (tāngata whenua) who have shifted their land use practices from logging to protecting the forest as a means of financing conservation and community development through the generation of carbon offsets.
The main activities of this project include avoiding conventional logging, rainforest protection and through both of these, enhanced carbon capture and the maintenance of long-standing carbon sinks.
The tea that nourishes
Charity tea sells ethical organic tea (loose leaf and compostable teabags) in compostable and refillable packaging. We are the tea that nourishes, and charity is at the heart of what we do. Every container of tea we sell feeds a hungry child in Haiti or a child in NZ receives a school lunch.
