Chepkumia Tea Factory

Chepkumia Tea Factory is a black tea estate located in the Nandi region of Kenya, operating at an elevation of 1,912 metres. The factory operates under its own name and is recorded as a supplier to Finlays, a significant player in the international tea trade.

Terroir & Climate

At 1,912 metres above sea level, Chepkumia sits within the high-altitude growing zones that characterise Kenya's most productive tea regions. This elevation, just south of the equator, typically supports year-round growth with cooler ambient temperatures that tend to slow leaf development and encourage the accumulation of polyphenols and other flavour compounds. Estates at this altitude in Kenya generally experience moderate diurnal temperature variation and reliable rainfall distribution, conditions that often favour consistent cropping cycles.

The Nandi region lies within Kenya's western highlands, an area where volcanic soils and orographic rainfall patterns have historically supported intensive tea cultivation. The latitude near the equator means that day length remains relatively constant throughout the year, while altitude moderates what would otherwise be tropical heat. These conditions generally allow for continuous vegetative growth, though flavour intensity and leaf chemistry often vary with seasonal shifts in rainfall and cloud cover.

Tea Produced

Chepkumia produces black tea, the dominant style across Kenya's high-altitude estates. Teas from this elevation and region typically yield a brisk, full-bodied cup with bright coppery liquor and the assertive, malty character for which Kenyan CTC production is widely known. Estates in Nandi at similar altitudes often produce leaf that contributes body and colour to breakfast blends and bagged teas in European and Middle Eastern markets, though cup profile will vary with processing protocols and seasonal conditions.

Supply Chain & Market Position

Chepkumia Tea Factory is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea business with extensive sourcing, blending, and packing operations serving retail and foodservice clients worldwide. This relationship places Chepkumia within a supply chain that connects Kenyan origin production to international branded and private-label tea products. Finlays' presence as a buyer suggests that Chepkumia's output meets the quality and volume standards required for integration into global blending programmes, though the precise scale and exclusivity of the relationship are not documented.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

Chepkumia Tea Factory lies at 0.1102, 34.9616 in Nandi, Kenya. Its 1912 m elevation is the lowest of 17 estates we map in Nandi. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• KAIMOSI — 13 km away · Kaimosi
• Chebut Kaptumo Tea Co Ltd. — 18 km away · Kisumu Road
• CHEBUT — 18 km away · Kapsabet
• KAPTUMO — 18 km away · Kapsabet
• Kipchabo — 18 km away · Kenya

Estates at a Similar Altitude to Chepkumia Tea Factory

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Chepkumia Tea Factory (1,912 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Chepkumia Tea Factory recorded 2,070 mm in 2025, within 5% of the 2,021 mm average across these estates, so altitude explains most of its rainfall.

Estate	Where	Elevation	Rain 2025	Mean high
Elpitiya Plantations, Meddecombara North	Central Province, Sri Lanka	1,912 m	3,152 mm	19.3 °C
Havukal Estate	Kotagiri, India	1,915 m	1,459 mm	20.0 °C
Kipchimchim Group, Tet Tea Factory Co. Ltd, Laibei	Kericho, Kenya	1,915 m	1,535 mm	23.4 °C
TEGAT	Kericho, Kenya	1,909 m	1,672 mm	23.4 °C
Southtee Handel	Ximeng, China	1,907 m	2,285 mm	20.0 °C

Chepkumia Tea Factory Compared with Nandi

In Nandi, Chepkumia Tea Factory is the wettest of the 17 estates by 2025 rainfall; the lowest of the 17 estates by elevation; the warmest of the 17 estates by daytime temperature. The table sets Chepkumia Tea Factory against the 16 other estates we map in Nandi, so you can see whether it is typical for its region or an outlier.

Measure	Chepkumia Tea Factory	Region median	Region range
Elevation	1,912 m	2,069 m	1,989 to 2,119 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	2,070 mm	1,693 mm	1,510 to 1,973 mm
Mean daily high	23.2 °C	22.0 °C	21.8 to 22.6 °C
Mean overnight low	13.8 °C	11.2 °C	11.1 to 12.0 °C

Observed Climate at Chepkumia Tea Factory (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Chepkumia Tea Factory’s coordinates recorded 2,070 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was April (321 mm) and the driest was February (22 mm). Daytime highs averaged 23.2 °C and overnight lows 13.8 °C over the year; February was the warmest month and July the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	2,070 mm
Wettest month	April (321 mm)
Driest month	February (22 mm)
Mean daily high	23.2 °C
Mean overnight low	13.8 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Chepkumia Tea Factory located?

Chepkumia Tea Factory is in Nandi, Kenya, at coordinates 0.1102, 34.9616, at an elevation of about 1912 metres.

Who operates Chepkumia Tea Factory?

Chepkumia Tea Factory is operated by Chepkumia Tea Factory, according to public supply-chain records.

What type of tea does Chepkumia Tea Factory produce?

Chepkumia Tea Factory is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does Chepkumia Tea Factory supply?

Public supplier disclosures record Chepkumia Tea Factory as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does Chepkumia Tea Factory receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 2,070 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in April (321 mm).

How does Chepkumia Tea Factory compare with estates at a similar elevation?

Estates at a similar elevation recorded about 2,021 mm of rain in 2025, close to the 2,070 mm at Chepkumia Tea Factory.

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].