Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd (RTC) from Rwanda, the youngest garden under Silverback Tea Company, made a remarkable debut at the Mombasa Tea Auction with a single line BP1 invoice, which sold at $5 per kg in Sale 26 of 2025, held on July 1, 2025. The tea was bought by Mizaj Africa Ltd, a leading top-quality tea buyer at the Mombasa Auction. “This first appearance of Rugabano at the Mombasa auction this season has been exceptionally well received,” said Atul Rastogi, Chairman of Rugabano Tea Company Pvt Ltd. “We express our sincere gratitude to the smallholder farmers under the leadership of the Rugabano Outgrowers Services Company (ROS) for their unwavering commitment to quality.” Previously sold privately, a decision was reached to leverage the power of the Mombasa Tea Auction to expose the tea to all the auction tea buyers. “The BP1 invoice number RTC-17163/25 (Lot no. 33094), will always hold a special significance at RTC for setting such a good level for the tea garden, placing it firmly amongst the best tea gardens in Africa, thanks to the good quality leaf supplied by our Farmers and the good support from our buyers,” said Samuel Nzeki Munyao, CEO Silverback Tea Company and MD of RTC. In the 2nd week of offering, Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd BP1 went on to improve on the performance of the previous week by realising a price of $5.10 per kg. This tea received 38 bids with all the top quality tea buyers at the Mombasa Auction participating, including Mizaj Africa Limited, James Finlay Mombasa Ltd, Stansand (Africa) Ltd, LAB International (K) Ltd, and Empire Kenya (EPZ) Ltd, who won the bid. The good performance of the garden is largely attributed to the high-quality leaves supplied by the smallholder farmers and to the buyers and consumers who appreciate quality tea and reward such quality. Following this good performance in the two sales, Rugabano now sits at the top of Mombasa Auction rankings, with an average price of $5.05 per kg. Currently, Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd is supporting 4,763 farmers with a total tea area of 2,101 Ha, out of which 80% belongs to smallholder farmers. It is currently supporting a team of up to 1,686 with decent and sustainable employment. When fully established, Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd will support more than 10,000 smallholder tea farmers, with the area under tea projected to be more than 4,400 hectares, with 90% belonging to and benefiting smallholder tea farmers. To make the garden more climate resilient, more than 70,000 trees are being planted and grown every year within the industrial block, with the smallholder farmers planting more trees. Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd was officially inaugurated by Dr Gerardine Mukeshimana, former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, on August 29, 2019, and has since become a model for inclusive, high-quality tea production. Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd is part of Silverback Tea Co. Ltd, a joint venture between Luxmi Tea Company of India and The Wood Foundation Africa, both recognised for their impact-led investments across Africa and the global tea industry. The garden was greatly privileged when it was visited by the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, on August 28, 2022, when he commended both Luxmi Tea and The Wood Foundation and also said, “Let’s keep working together aiming at the development of our country.” President Kagame also reminded that “Rwanda's tea is superior to other teas in terms of quality. Not only in the region, but also globally, it is among the best. We should use the chance to benefit more Rwandans even better. This is an opportunity to seize, and we have everything it takes to maintain the tea’s high quality.” He also praised the company’s role in rural transformation, environmental sustainability, and export growth. He urged tea growers to increase production and capitalise on the huge demand for their product on the global market. In 2024, RTC realised the highest average selling price in the whole of Rwanda, as published by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), laying a strong foundation for future record-breaking performances, for the benefit of all stakeholders and especially the smallholder farmers. Rugabano Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd is reinforcing its place as one of Rwanda’s most outstanding tea producers, elevating Rwanda’s profile on the international tea stage. Silverback Tea Company Co. Ltd operates other top Rwandan tea gardens, notably Gisovu Tea Company Ltd and Pfunda Tea Company Ltd. Sorwathe Ltd is the other garden in Rwanda under Luxmi Estates of India. Each garden possesses a unique attribute suited for the production of high-quality tea that is rich, flavourful, complex, and full of character. Named after the majestic mountain gorillas that inhabit Rwanda’s volcanic ranges, Silverback Tea embodies strength, resilience, and the natural beauty of Rwanda. Silverback Tea’s mission is “to share the joy of the finest teas from Rwanda with the world while uplifting our employees and smallholder farmers’ welfare, safeguarding the environment, and ensuring the highest quality standards. “Silverback Tea Company greatly appreciates the business-friendly climate of Rwanda, which allows us to thrive and focus on delivering the highest quality tea,” affirmed Rudra Chatterjee, Chairman of Silverback Tea Company Ltd.
