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VideoAugust 29, 2017

Something New is Brewing: Purple Tea in Kenya

With World Bank Group support, The Competition Authority of Kenya worked to remove regulatory barriers in the tea industry that prevented entrepreneurs from capitalizing on opportunities in a new market – purple tea. Anthony Njage Mwangi is one of the entrepreneurs who has benefited from the regulatory changes. His business has hired many new workers and has become profitable in the past several years. Now, the five factories producing purple tea directly employ over 2,000 workers. These producers include small and medium-sized enterprises such as Njeru’s, which has so far invested over $1 million in purple tea production. Purple tea has the potential to transform lives and livelihoods for tea farmers in Kenya, where authorities estimate that specialty varieties like purple tea will account for up to 5 percent—approximately $60 million—of all Kenya’s tea exports in the next three to five years.When markets are open to competition, the result is shared prosperity.