RAGATI

Ragati is a tea estate situated in the Karatina region of Kenya, operating at an elevation of 1,994 metres above sea level. The estate is managed by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), a smallholder cooperative organisation that oversees factory processing and marketing on behalf of its member growers. Ragati is recorded as a supplier to Morrisons, the British supermarket chain.

Terroir & Climate

At just under 2,000 metres and positioned close to the equator, Ragati sits within a high-altitude growing environment where cooler temperatures and intense sunlight typically prevail. Estates at this elevation in the central highlands of Kenya generally experience a slower leaf-growth cycle than those at lower altitudes, a factor that tends to favour the accumulation of flavour compounds in the leaf. The diurnal temperature range at this latitude and height is usually pronounced, and the region's bimodal rainfall pattern—with peaks around April and November—ordinarily supports two main plucking seasons each year.

The volcanic soils common to the Karatina area are generally well-drained and rich in minerals, characteristics that estates across Kenya's central belt rely upon for productive tea cultivation. While specific microclimate data for Ragati are not available, the combination of altitude, equatorial daylight, and the area's typical mist and cloud cover is widely understood to shape the biochemical profile of the harvested leaf, influencing both yield patterns and the raw material available for processing.

Tea Produced

Ragati produces black tea, the dominant style manufactured across Kenya's smallholder sector. Teas from the central highlands at this elevation typically yield a brisk, bright cup with good colour and a clean, malty character. Kenyan black teas in general are prized by blenders for their consistency, strength, and the coppery infusion they produce. Estates operating at similar altitudes in Karatina often generate leaf that processors describe as yielding teas with body and a degree of astringency, qualities that suit both breakfast blends and single-origin offerings in the retail market. The CTC manufacturing method, standard across KTDA factories, tends to produce granular grades well suited to bag tea and blending applications.

Supply Chain & Market Position

Ragati's recorded supply relationship with Morrisons places the estate within the competitive retail-facing segment of the Kenyan tea industry. Morrisons, one of the United Kingdom's largest supermarket chains, sources tea for both own-label and branded lines, and its procurement from KTDA-managed estates reflects the agency's role as a bulk supplier to major international buyers. The presence of a named British retailer in Ragati's buyer portfolio indicates that the estate's output meets the quality and traceability standards increasingly expected in the UK grocery sector, where origin transparency and supply-chain accountability have become commercial requirements.

• Recorded supplier to  Morrisons

Operator

The Kenya Tea Development Agency operates Ragati as part of a network of smallholder-owned factories across the country's tea-growing regions. KTDA manages the processing, marketing, and sale of leaf supplied by thousands of independent small-scale growers, functioning as both a cooperative and a supply-chain intermediary. In addition to Ragati, the agency operates six other estates recorded in this directory, underlining its prominence in Kenya's tea sector. KTDA-operated factories collectively account for a significant share of the country's total tea production and export volume, and the agency's centralised auction and direct-sales mechanisms provide its member estates with access to buyers worldwide.

Location & Neighbouring Estates

RAGATI lies at -0.3916, 37.1592 in KARATINA, Kenya. Its 1994 m elevation is the 93rd highest of 187 estates we map in Kenya. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• NDIMA — 7.0 km away · Mathira West
• MUNUNGA — 10 km away · Kerugoya
• KANGAITA — 15 km away · Moi Avenue
• Kimunye Tea Factory — 17 km away · Kimunye
• Thumaita — 24 km away · Kenya

Estates at a Similar Altitude to RAGATI

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match RAGATI (1,994 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. RAGATI recorded 1,085 mm in 2025, 33% less than the 1,626 mm average across these estates: at the same height, local weather and exposure matter as much as elevation.

Estate	Where	Elevation	Rain 2025	Mean high
Sorwathe Tea Estate	Kimihurura, Rwanda	1,995 m	1,213 mm	22.0 °C
BOITO	Kenya, Kenya	1,998 m	1,346 mm	23.2 °C
Nandi Tea Outgrowers	Nandi Hills - Kapsabet Rd, Kenya	1,990 m	1,660 mm	22.8 °C
Mulindi Tea Factory	Mu Maya, Rwanda	1,990 m	1,131 mm	22.2 °C
Hubei Wuhan Jiarun Huiming Tea Co., Ltd.	Yongde County, China	2,002 m	2,779 mm	19.9 °C

RAGATI Compared with Kenya

In Kenya, RAGATI is drier than 75% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 51% of the others by elevation; cooler than 93% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets RAGATI against the 186 other estates we map in Kenya, so you can see whether it is typical for its country or an outlier.

Measure	RAGATI	Country median	Country range
Elevation	1,994 m	1,990 m	821 to 2,790 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	1,085 mm	1,518 mm	754 to 2,070 mm
Mean daily high	20.5 °C	22.4 °C	16.8 to 30.2 °C
Mean overnight low	11.5 °C	12.0 °C	8.5 to 19.8 °C

Observed Climate at RAGATI (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for RAGATI’s coordinates recorded 1,085 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was April (186 mm) and the driest was February (19 mm). Daytime highs averaged 20.5 °C and overnight lows 11.5 °C over the year; March was the warmest month and July the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	1,085 mm
Wettest month	April (186 mm)
Driest month	February (19 mm)
Mean daily high	20.5 °C
Mean overnight low	11.5 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is RAGATI located?

RAGATI is in KARATINA, Kenya, at coordinates -0.3916, 37.1592, at an elevation of about 1994 metres.

Who operates RAGATI?

RAGATI is operated by Kenya Tea Development Agency, according to public supply-chain records.

What type of tea does RAGATI produce?

RAGATI is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does RAGATI supply?

Public supplier disclosures record RAGATI as supplying Morrisons.

How much rain does RAGATI receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 1,085 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in April (186 mm).

How does RAGATI compare with estates at a similar elevation?

RAGATI recorded 1,085 mm in 2025, 33% less rain than the 1,626 mm average of estates at a similar elevation.

Data sources: public supply-chain disclosures (Ethical Tea Partnership member lists, Rainforest Alliance certificate holders and retailer supplier disclosures); climate figures are ERA5 reanalysis modelled for the estate’s coordinates via Open-Meteo (calendar year 2025); coordinates and elevations from geocoded records. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].