Challenges of increasing domestic consumption of Kenyan Tea : a case of factory door sales at the tea factories in the Nandi region

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the challenges of increasing the domestic consumption of the Kenyan tea, with particular reference to the factory door sales in the tea factories in the Nandi region. The study investigated the challenges faced by the producers in their attempt to increase the domestic market of the black tea. Specifically, it was aimed at determining reasons for slow growth in domestic tea consumption and factory door-sales in particular, recent developments in the domestic market, strategies in place to increase the door sales and domestic consumption in general and if budgeting for promotion and marketing were in the agenda of the factories. It was also aimed at coming up with possible recommendations for improving the domestic tea consumption. The study, whose findings are expected to be used by the stakeholders and policy makers in the tea industry, in helping them make well informed and strategic decisions, was conducted among the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) factories as well as the Multinational and locally-owned tea factories in the Nandi region. Tea Board of Kenya was very useful in providing some vital data for the study. Convenient sampling was adopted in order to confine the study to the factories in the Nandi region where the case study was conducted. A census study was then conducted to cover all the tea factories in the region. Data was collected by way of questionnaires method. The questionnaire was administered to the various factory managers. Finally the data was analysed using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) as well as descriptive statistics and in particular measures of central tendency such mean, mode as well as measures of variability and frequency distribution and the findings presented in tables, pie-charts, graphs and text form