Rwanda's Sorwathe wins top honours at North American Gold Medal Tea Competition

Sorwathe Ltd, part of Luxmi Tea Estates, has won First Place for Rwanda at the 2026 Gold Medal Tea Competition held during the Annual North American Tea Conference (NATC 2026) in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. It also received the Sustainability Award. Its winning entry, a Black Orthodox OP1 from Rukeri Estate in Kinihira Sector, Rulindo District, was judged the best Rwandan tea submitted to the competition. The recognition received on September 25, 2026, came days after sister company Gisovu Tea Company, part of Silverback Tea Company, was named Best CTC Tea, Overall Winner at the 7th African Tea Convention & Exhibition in Nairobi. Growing recognition The award adds to Sorwathe’s record of international recognition. In 2023, Rukeri Estate teas took first and second place for Rwanda at the same competition. In 2025, its Black Orthodox OP1 was named Overall Winner and Gold Medal across tea-producing countries, while its Green OP won a Silver Medal. “These awards recognise the care that goes into Sorwathé’s tea, from the farmers who grow it to the teams who bring it to market. Winning for both quality and sustainability is especially meaningful to us: the two go hand in hand, said Emery Rubagenga, Chairman of Sorwathe Ltd. “As Chairman, I am proud of what our farmers and colleagues have achieved, and committed to building on Sorwathé’s fifty-year heritage so that its success continues to benefit the communities at its roots.” Veerendra Kumar Rawat, Senior General Manager of Sorwathe Ltd, said: “Orthodox manufacture rewards patience and consistency — careful plucking, accurate withering and precise rolling and firing. Winning again at the North American Tea Conference after our Overall Win in 2025 shows that the quality of Rukeri is not a one-off but the result of a disciplined process from field to factory and coordination with 9000 plus farmers. Earlier this year, Rukeri orthodox tea was recognised as Best OP (Orange Pekoe) Tea in Africa at the Africa Coffee & Tea Expo 2026 in Kigali. Sorwathe was also named Best Orthodox Tea at the 2024 Rwanda Tea Awards and received the Gold-level Gender Equality Seal from the Rwanda Standards Board in 2025. Nzeki Samuel Munyao, CEO of Silverback Tea Company and Sorwathe Ltd, said: “This recognition belongs to smallholder farmers of ASSOPTHE and HOTCOOP who supply the bulk of our leaf, our pluckers, our factory team. It confirms that Rwandan orthodox tea can compete with the finest origins in the world, and it strengthens our position with premium buyers in North America, Europe and UK.” Claude Bizimana, CEO of the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), observed that the recognition also reflects the wider progress of Rwanda’s tea industry. “As a regulator, we see this achievement not only as a recognition of Sorwathe Ltd, but as an important milestone for the transformation of Rwanda’s tea industry. We remain committed to supporting the sector to raise productivity and quality, strengthen environmental and social sustainability, increase export revenues and further position Rwanda as a trusted supplier of premium tea on global markets,” he said. Farmers at the centre of the awards Sorwathe works with more than 9,000 smallholder farmers organised through ASSOPTHE and HOTCOOP, providing training, supervision and access to fertiliser. Leocadie Uwanyirigira, Chairperson of ASSOPTHE, told The New Times that the cooperative is pleased with Sorwathe’s recognition because it also highlights the value of farmers’ produce. “We are also pleased when we hear that Sorwathe has received an award. This means that our tea produce also has value.” ASSOPTHE has more than 6,000 members and operates across Rulindo, Gicumbi, Gakenke and Burera districts. Uwanyirigira said Sorwathe supports the cooperative through farmer supervision and training and helps it obtain fertiliser on credit, which farmers repay gradually. This, she said, helps farmers increase tea yields while easing access-to-finance constraints, a major challenge for farmers. The cooperative has 1,768 hectares under tea cultivation, of which about 1,555 hectares are currently productive. Tito Hakizamungu, Chairperson of Hillside Organic Tea Cooperative (HOT), said Sorwathe’s international recognition also gives confidence to the farmers supplying the factory. “The fact that Sorwathe has received an international award means that it is also trusted and its work is appreciated at the international level, just as we appreciate its work.” HOT has about 2,700 members cultivating 435 hectares in Rulindo District and supplies about 200 tonnes of green leaf to Sorwathe each month. Hakizamungu said the company supports farmers through training, access to interest-free financing and new technologies aimed at increasing yields. Farmers share in the premium Founded in 1975, Sorwathe is Rwanda’s oldest private tea factory and the first in the country to manufacture orthodox, green and organic teas. Its Orthodox Tea Factory opened in July 2009. The company was acquired by India’s Luxmi Tea Co. Pvt. Ltd. in 2024 and operates within the Silverback Tea group alongside Gisovu, Pfunda and Rugabano. Sorwathe produces about 4.5 million kilogrammes of made tea annually, with around 96 per cent exported. Smallholders supply tea from more than 2,100 hectares in Rulindo, while Rukeri Estate sits at about 2,000 metres above sea level. Around 764 hectares of this area is certified organic, among the largest organic tea areas in Africa, according to the company. The teas are certified under Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Organic, FSSC 22000 and the Rwanda Standards Board product mark. Sorwathe says green-leaf prices paid to cooperative farmers crossed Rwf400 per kilogramme in 2025, while total farmer income rose by about 26 per cent, or roughly Rwf1.5 billion, between 2024 and 2025. Sustainability and community impact The Sustainability Award recognised Sorwathe’s community and environmental initiatives. Through the Sorwathe/Ishema Foundation and its partnership with UNICEF, the company supports 17 preschools and four early-childhood development centres, reaching about 3,000 children daily with fortified porridge and eggs. It also supports community roads, health insurance, scholarships and sports teams. In 2025, it planted more than 123,000 trees and shrubs and distributed 10,500 fruit trees. “Sorwathe has shown for fifty years what Rwandan tea can achieve. Two international awards in one week for the Silverback group confirm that Rwanda is now firmly on the map of the world's premium tea origins,” said Atul Rastogi, Director of Luxmi Group.

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Rwanda's Sorwathe wins top honours at North American Gold Medal Tea Competition