Buy Kenyan Tea Wholesale: CTC Grades, FOB Prices & How to Import in Bulk
A practical guide for tea importers, blenders and packers: which Kenyan CTC grade to buy, how pricing works, minimum orders, packing and how to ship to your port.
Kenya is the world's largest exporter of black tea, and most of it is CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl) tea grown between 1,500 and 2,700 m on both sides of the Rift Valley. If you are a packer, blender, wholesaler or private-label brand looking to buy Kenyan tea in bulk, this guide explains the grades, how prices are set and how to get a container delivered to your port.
Which Kenyan tea grade should you buy?
Kenyan CTC tea is sorted into primary grades by particle size. Your choice depends on your product and market:
- BP1 (Broken Pekoe 1) — the largest, most even granules. Bright, brisk liquor. Best for loose-leaf retail packs and premium breakfast blends.
- PF1 (Pekoe Fannings 1) — the tea-bag workhorse: strong, coloury and fast-brewing. The highest-volume grade.
- PD (Pekoe Dust) — fine and dense; thick, dark cups for high-strength tea bags and milk tea.
- D1 (Dust 1) — the finest primary grade, preferred in Pakistan, Egypt and the Middle East for strong milk tea.
- Secondary grades (BP, PF2, D, FNGS, BMF) — value grades for economy blends and extract manufacture.
Kenya also produces orthodox, green, white and its own purple tea (TRFK 306). Full specifications — moisture, ash, water extract, particle size and packing — are on our Kenyan tea product page.
How Kenyan tea prices work
Most Kenyan tea is sold at the weekly Mombasa Tea Auction, where prices move with quality, season and demand. Kenya also allows direct sales from factories. As your buying agent we source from both channels, matching your quality standard to the best available lot.
Your quotation is built from three parts: the tea itself (auction or direct price), export costs (warehousing, packing, permits, inspection) and, if you choose CIF, freight and insurance to your port. Ask for FOB Mombasa if you control your own shipping, or CIF for a delivered price — our Incoterms guide explains the difference.
Minimum order, packing and shipping
- Trial: about one pallet (≈1 MT).
- Commercial: one 20ft container, approx. 18–21 MT depending on grade.
- Packing: 50–70 kg multiwall kraft sacks with liners; private-label tea bags and retail packs on request.
- Shipping: dry containers from Mombasa; typical transit 10–16 days to Karachi, 14–22 days to Alexandria and 24–35 days to UK ports.
Buying for your market
Each market prefers different grades. We have dedicated buyer pages for Kenyan tea to Pakistan, tea to Egypt, tea to the United Kingdom, tea to the UAE and tea to Russia, covering ports, documents and payment terms.
Want to compare Kenya with other East African origins? Rwanda's high-grown tea and Uganda's CTC teas are also sold through Mombasa — see all origins in our tea category.
How to order
- Send your grade, quantity and destination port through our quotation form.
- Receive a formal offer with price, specification and shipping schedule.
- Approve samples (from 100 kg — see sample pricing).
- Confirm the contract; we handle inspection, permits and loading.
Indicative prices & types — Kenyan Tea
| Type / grade | Key specification | Sample price / kg* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTC Black Tea — BP1 (Broken Pekoe 1) | Manufacture: CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl), fully oxidised · Appearance: black, granular, even, well-twisted particles | $4.20 | Get price → |
| CTC Black Tea — PF1 (Pekoe Fannings 1) | Manufacture: CTC, fully oxidised · Appearance: black, small even granules | $4.00 | Get price → |
| CTC Black Tea — PD (Pekoe Dust) | Manufacture: CTC, fully oxidised · Appearance: fine, black, grainy dust | $3.80 | Get price → |
| CTC Black Tea — D1 (Dust 1) | Manufacture: CTC, fully oxidised · Appearance: fine, clean, black grainy dust | $3.60 | Get price → |
| Secondary grades — BP, PF, PF2, D, FNGS, BMF | Manufacture: CTC sorting by-grades · Grades: BP, PF, PF2, D, D2, FNGS, BMF | $2.90 | Get price → |
| Orthodox Black Tea (whole leaf / broken leaf) | Manufacture: orthodox (withered, rolled, oxidised, dried) · Grades: FOP, OP, OP1, BOP, BOPF, FBOP, GFOP (tippy) | $6.50 | Get price → |
| Green Tea | Manufacture: steamed (sencha style) or pan-fired; CTC green available · Appearance: green-olive leaf or granules | $8.00 | Get price → |
| Purple Tea (TRFK 306) | Cultivar: TRFK 306/1 (Kenya) · Forms: orthodox leaf, CTC, green-style, extract | $15.00 | Get price → |
| White Tea / Silver Tips | Manufacture: hand-plucked buds, withered and dried · Appearance: silvery-white downy buds | $41.00 | Get price → |
*Sample price = indicative international price + $1.00/kg, minimum 100 kg. Container (FOB / CIF) prices are lower and quoted per order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for Kenyan tea?
Trial orders start from about one pallet (≈1 MT). Commercial orders are usually one 20ft container of roughly 18–21 MT depending on the grade.
Which Kenyan tea grade is best for tea bags?
PF1 is the standard tea-bag grade; PD and D1 are used where maximum strength and colour per gram is needed.
Can I get samples before buying a container?
Yes. Sample orders start at 100 kg per grade, priced at the indicative international price plus USD 1/kg. A proforma invoice is emailed instantly.
Why import with ProExporters Kenya?
ProExporters Kenya is your single, accountable partner for importing from Kenya and East Africa — from the first quotation to the bill of lading.
- 10 source countries, one partner — Kenya plus DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia.
- Verified, licensed suppliers — auction-registered buyers, KEPHIS-registered packhouses, certified factories and licensed mineral dealers.
- Quality you can check — pre-shipment samples, lab analysis and independent inspection before loading.
- Documents handled — export permits, certificates of origin, phytosanitary, EUDR and due-diligence files.
- Transparent sample pricing — instant calculation and an emailed proforma invoice.
- Fast answers — formal FOB / CIF / DAP quotations, usually within 24 hours.
- Registered company — ProExporters is a brand and trading name of PROTECH CONSULTING, a company registered in Kenya.
