Commercial Tea Buyer

This role involves sourcing and purchasing teas competitively through the Mombasa tea auction and private negotiations. The successful candidate will be responsible for evaluating tea quality through professional tasting, grading, and assessment, identifying buying opportunities based on market trends, quality, pricing, and customer requirements. Key duties include developing cost-effective blends while maintaining consistent quality, monitoring auction trends, supply-demand dynamics, and international tea prices. The buyer will negotiate effectively with producers, brokers, and suppliers, managing buying decisions with a strong focus on margins, inventory, and profitability, and collaborating closely with sales and export teams to meet international customer requirements.

1. Source and purchase teas competitively through the Mombasa tea auction and private negotiations.
2. Evaluate tea quality through professional tasting, grading, and assessment.
3. Identify buying opportunities based on market trends, quality, pricing, and customer requirements.
4. Develop cost-effective blends while maintaining consistent quality.
5. Monitor auction trends, supply-demand dynamics, and international tea prices.
6. Negotiate effectively with producers, brokers, and suppliers.
7. Manage buying decisions with a strong focus on margins, inventory, and profitability.
8. Work closely with sales and export teams to meet international customer requirements.

1. Proven experience in tea buying, tasting, and blending, preferably involving Kenyan and other East African teas.
2. Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
3. Excellent knowledge of CT tea grades, quality characteristics, and auction dynamics.
4. Ability to balance quality, cost, and profitability.
5. Analytical, decisive, and results-oriented.
6. Established relationships within the tea trade would be an advantage.
7. Bachelor Degree qualification.
8. Minimum 2 years of experience.