A recent trip to India convinced Ring it was the right step. People in India, whole villages, live on the estates. Life is centered around the tea. I don't think they are in as dire straits as coffee growers, as far as I could tell, but it is still a rough life compared to how we live. Ring said workers, mostly women, pluck two leaves and a bud from the plant stems.
Workers continuously go through the fields as more young leaves appear on the plants.
Granum teas, a Seattle business for 20 years, sells teas in natural food stores and natural food sections in several major grocery stores. With new certification programs, consumers can make environmental and socially responsible decisions on many products, not just food. Pressure applied by groups like Rainforest Action Network, which staged protests inside Home Depot stores before the chain agreed to certification, are important, said FSC director Hank Cauley. FSC certification follows 10 guidelines on environmental standards, biological diversity and cutting in a manner designed to ensure that a forest thrives. Some environmental groups have criticized the certified-products movement overall, saying a stamp of compliance doesn't guarantee an environmentally friendly product.