Joy Njuguna
- http://www.royalteaofkenya.com
- Joy Njuguna is the founder and one of three managing partners of Royal Tea of Kenya, LLC, an American-based import company that is just over a year old. Her other two managing partners are Ardith Blumenthal and Shirlene Davis. Joy’s education in international affairs and politics has served her well in understanding the socio-political climate in Kenya and the U.S. Spending her formative years in the U.K. and Kenya shaped her for a career in international affairs and business. Her education and travels span three continents. Born into a political dynasty, Joy’s father, Samuel W’Njuguna, championed small-scale tea farmers for years and was instrumental in the privatization of the K.T.D.A. in the year 2000 as he rallied small-scale farmers to vote for and support the creation of a government-free tea cooperative that would end up with 65 factories and over 550,000 small-scale tea farmers. Learning firsthand what pricing structure can do for farmers, Joy often accompanied her father to their many farms to learn the business of tea and sustainable farming. Her grandfather, Arthur Komo, is still the patriarch of this tea family. Known as the oldest tea farmer in the world, Arthur still manages as the head of the family to oversee the ancestral land lush with tea. Joy is the COO of Royal Tea of Kenya. Ardith Blumenthal is Royal Tea of Kenya’s CEO, a seasoned top-level executive with experience in healthcare and nutrition. Shirlene Davis is the company’s Chief of Staff, with a background in health, education, and computer training. She heads up the social media networks and website development as well as staff hires and personnel training. All three women are connected by their love for Kenyan farmers, their need to educate the world on the quality of Kenyan teas, and their desire to put a human face on the teas.
Posts
| Gratitude and a cup of tea | 24 May 2012 |
| My Grandpa Arthur: His teas and his legacy | 21 Apr 2012 |
| Purple tea | 22 Nov 2011 |
| Teas 4 Trees: A tribute to Professor Wangari Muta Maathai | 17 Oct 2011 |
| A journey of tea and self-discovery | 19 Sep 2011 |