The challenges smallholder tea producers face in Indonesia are familiar to farmers worldwide. The growing impacts of climate change—unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts—threaten farmland and livelihoods. Crowded, complex international markets leave little space for negotiation, and limit farmers’ abilities to invest in resilience.
Brewing Change with Teh nDeso: Women Tea Farmers Connect with Consumers in Indonesia
The challenges smallholder tea producers face in Indonesia are familiar to farmers worldwide. The growing impacts of climate change—unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts—threaten farmland and livelihoods. Crowded, complex international markets leave little space for negotiation, and limit farmers’ abilities to invest in resilience.
In Indonesia, the producer organisation Paguyuban Tani Lestari is taking a new path to its potential in local markets. Together with Business Watch Indonesia (BWI) and Solidaridad Asia, the organisation launched a groundbreaking brand aimed at fostering sustainable practices, direct consumer connection and women’s entrepreneurship.
Reinvigorating smallholder tea production
Indonesia’s smallholder tea farmers produce nearly 40% of the country’s tea, but overall productivity in the country has been declining year-on-year. Paguyuban Tani Lestari, which represents over 40,000 smallholder farmers, has worked since 2016 to help its members improve farming practices, implement joint farm management, and collectively market their tea. Still, farmers remained at the mercy of fickle international markets.
In 2021, the organisation joined Solidaridad’s Power of Voices programme, RECLAIM Sustainability!, in a new project to explore new approaches for supporting farmers with market access, fair compensation, and environmentally sustainable practices.
This culminated in the 2022 launch of Teh nDeso, a producer-owned brand, strategically developed with Solidaridad and BWI. The brand brings high-quality tea directly to consumers, generates employment opportunities for women, and instils pride among producers and consumers. Since launching, tea sales have grown from 10 metric tonnes annually to over 180 metric tonnes; farmer incomes have risen by 15-25%.
“BWI and Solidaridad have stood by us every step of the way, from improving our plantations, to producing higher-quality tea leaves, to processing our own tea,” says Waras Paliant, Chairman of Paguyuban Tani Lestari.
Finding a Voice in Local Markets
Indonesia has a strong tea drinking culture, and Teh nDeso leverages creative marketing to connect consumers with smallholder farmers. The project’s success hinges on its three-pronged approach:
- Evocative branding: the name Teh nDeso, or “tea from the village” in the local language of Central Java, is inspired by the rural landscape. The Indonesian flag on the packaging solidifies its identity as a homegrown, high-quality tea.
- A direct connection: each product features a QR code linked to details on the tea’s origin, sustainable farming practices, and short films featuring farmers.
- A unique distribution network: Teh nDeso goes direct-to-market with cooperatives processing and selling their tea via a team of local entrepreneurs, comprising women and smallholder farmers. Over 100 Teh nDeso tea stalls have opened in major cities, increasing demand with an estimated monthly demand of 120 kg of tea products.
New Opportunities for Women’s Entrepreneurship
Beyond the impressive market growth, Teh nDeso has become a powerful catalyst for women’s entrepreneurship. Over 900 women and smallholders are selling tea products in their neighbourhoods and local shops.
Watini, a tea farmer and parent, was earning roughly €50/month before joining Teh nDeso. Now, an additional €29 of income allows her to provide for her family’s needs and repay loans.
“People now have a better perception, and I am no longer seen as a mere farm worker,” she says.
“I am no longer seen as a mere farm worker. By joining the Teh nDeso initiative as a micropreneur, I can now afford and ensure a decent education for my children.”
– Watini
Change that Matters
Teh nDeso’s campaigns have successfully elevated the discourse around sustainability in Indonesia’s tea sector and fostered resilience among tea smallholders. In a country rich with tea-drinking culture, Teh nDeso is not just selling tea; it’s brewing change, one cup at a time—creating a future in which smallholder farmers, particularly women, can thrive with dignity and self-reliance.
For Sripah, from Kalimba village, the opportunity to earn more by selling her tea has awakened her entrepreneurial spirit: “I hardly participated in group activities and was completely dependent on my husband’s decisions. Now, my opinions hold weight, and even my husband pays attention to them.”
As she began selling Teh nDeso products in her community, she gained confidence. Sripah now sells roughly eight boxes of tea bags and 10 bales of loose tea monthly, but the real value is in her newfound sense of confidence.