Producing Tea of consistent high quality is fundamental to what we do at Samsons Foods Limited. Not only does this reflect market demand but also our values as a company. Quality has been achieved over the years by retaining good people in the business who have applied sustainable production and harvesting techniques, ensuring workers are well treated and long-term capital investment. Some of the cooperatives that we work with are:
The factory is located on the north eastern slopes of Aberdare ranges only 14 KM from Nyeri town, and 168 KM from Nairobi the capital city of Kenya.
She lies 0 degrees 25 minutes south of the equator and 35 degrees 55 minutes to the East of the Greenwich. The area enjoys a cool wet climate with a bi- annual rainfall pattern with peaks in April to May, and October to December. Temperatures average between 18-24 degrees centigrade with an annual precipitation of 1200 mm.Since her inception in March 1978 she has continuously improved her processes and products, and has established a niche in the market that prefers pure black teas. The current processing capacity is 15 million kilograms of green leaf annually.There are 7158 tea growers owning between themselves 10785192 tea bushes on 1251hectares of land.
The Factory started with small scale holder farmers of an average of 0.5 acres totaling 510 hectares to a current hectare age of 1145 ha. The green leaf production has increased from an initial 5.1 million in 1981 to current 12.7 m in 2005, with farmers increasing from 2115 to 5747.
Iriaini Tea Factory Company limited is located at Iriaini location, Othaya Division of Nyeri District. It’s well served with two major streams: Thuti and Gikira. The factory catchment is well linked to two major towns Nyeri (Provincial Headquarter 25 km away by a tarmac road and138 km from Nairobi).
The area is covered by volcanic soil with Tea, Coffee and dairy farming being predominant. Food crops planted are maize, beans and vegetables. The factory site area is 39 ¼ acres.