SORWATHÉ, a Rwandan tea company, has won this year’s US Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) for exhibiting exemplary corporate citizenship and promoting innovation around the world.The Secretary of State’s 2012 Award was presented to Andrew Wertheim, whose father Joe Wertheim founded Sorwathe in the 1960s, by the US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday.The ACE annual award recognises U.S.-owned businesses and Sorwathé, one of Rwanda’s largest companies, won this year’s award in the small and medium enterprises category.“In today’s global economy, corporations of all sizes have more influence than ever on global affairs, especially on growth in developing and emerging economies,” Clinton said at the State Department awards ceremony on Wednesday.“And I’ll be very candid: That influence can be positive or it can be negative,” Clinton said.A statement from the US Department of State added; “Sorwathé was honoured for its efforts to support adult literacy, worker association and collective bargaining rights; undertake sustainable forestry and water management; and produce socially and environmentally responsible high quality tea.“Sorwathé distinguished itself by leading the charge for the eradication of child labour in Rwanda’s tea sector.”The prestigious ACE recognises the important role of U.S. businesses in advancing good corporate governance and democratic principles worldwide.“The award honours exemplary business practices, corporate social responsibility, and innovation in a company’s overseas operations,” the statement added.Rohith Peiris, the Director General of Sorwathé told The New Times, yesterday, that the award celebrates the tea company’s efforts in contributing to Rwanda’s socio-economic development.“Over the years the tea production of Sorwathé has increased and is currently around 3.5 million kilogrammes produced per year, which is about 10 per cent of Rwanda’s total production. While we work, we also ensure that the people in our society have improved lives and that is why we embarked on projects such as constructing police stations in Kinihira, [Rulindo district] established a nursery school, trained women in the area on skills development, and so on,” Peiris said.Sorwathé was pitted against 82 other American companies operating in 54 countries, such as, Chevron in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; Esso in Angola; General Motors in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Intel Corporation in Vietnam; Intel Corporation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and others.Located in the Northern Province district of Rulindo, Sorwathé was started by Joseph Wertheim, when he migrated from Germany in 1953 to settle in Rwanda; the business remains family owned.The tea company is no stranger to awards; it also turned out overall investor of the year in Rwanda Development Board’s 2009 Awards.
