• Kenya targets Moroccan market to grow tea exports and trade ties
• Talks held with TMAN and Evergreen Tea to explore market entry
• Challenge remains as Morocco mainly imports green tea, Kenya exports black CTC

Kenya’s tea sector is seeking to increase its market share in Morocco, Africa’s second-largest tea market after Egypt.

As part of this effort, the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) organized a meeting on Friday, November 7, bringing together TMAN Distribution Company, a Moroccan consulting and distribution firm, and Evergreen Tea Factory, a Kenyan producer and member of the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA).

The TBK said in a statement on its website that the meeting aimed to explore ways to boost Kenyan tea exports to Morocco. Local outlet The Standard reported that the two countries plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen trade ties and promote mutually beneficial market access.

This effort is notable, as Morocco imported 77,800 tons of tea worth nearly $244.7 million in 2024, according to data from the Trademap platform. China currently supplies about 98% of this demand.

For Kenya, which wants a stronger foothold in Morocco, a key challenge will be adapting to Moroccan consumer tastes. Trademap data for 2024 show that nearly all Moroccan tea imports were green tea, while Kenyan exports are dominated by black Cut-Tear-Curl (CTC) tea, accounting for 99% of the country’s production and export volumes.

Expanding into Morocco also supports Kenya’s broader goal of raising tea’s contribution to export earnings. According to the TBK, the country exported 594,500 tons of tea in 2024, generating 181.69 billion shillings ($1.4 billion) in revenue.

Stéphanas Assocle