The Natural Energy of Life
qi {chi/chee}
Please note that due to staff holidays, no orders will be despatched between Wed 24th May and Thursday 1st June. Sorry for any inconvenience.
The Qi Community
Giving back, Investing & Supporting
Qi Teas are brought to you by Universal Village UK Ltd - we buy all our teas from High Mountain Teas who trade directly with the Wuyuan Xitou Tea Farmers Association, which was established in 2005. Joe d’Armenia, founder of Qi Teas was directly involved in setting up the Farmers Association and the first Fair Trade project in China.
There are up to 69 farmer representatives in Xitou Tea Farmer Association, they participate in all management decisions of the Association. Xitou Farmers Association adheres strictly to statutory Chinese Government regulations, which legislates the terms of employment for plantation workers.
From 2005 to May 2011, the Wuyuan Xitou Tea Farmer Association received a FLO premium totalling USD500,000
Xitou FLO Donation Action
This Act is considered exemplary and legislates on health, welfare, including recreation, education, the hours and limitation of
employment, and paid holiday.
Significantly, the Act explicitly prohibits "employment of young children" defined as under 12 years. Absolutely no child labour is
used on the Association’s farms - rather, every effort is made to help the children of poor families.
Money from the Fairtrade premiums have been used for the following projects:
▪ Improving Xitou’s primary school and the children’s study conditions
▪ Improving roads and installing street lights
▪ The education of children from poor families - primary school, middle and University students
▪ Building and repairs to prime factory and machinery, in order to improve farmer’s production conditions
▪ Providing support for the victims of the Wenchuan Earthquake
Cathay Pacific China Business Awards
It was our continued investment in the region where their teas are grown and our ethical business model that secured us as winner of the Social Responsibility category at the prestigious Cathay Pacific China Business Awards in 2012. A panel of judges made up of senior representatives from Cathay Pacific, The China-Britain Business Council, HSBC and The Daily Telegraph reviewed numerous entries before choosing Qi Teas as winner of the Social Responsibility Award. One of three categories, the Social Responsibility Award recognizes initiatives from any company or not-for-profit organisation that has benefited China in a socially responsible manner. Winners of the other two categories included Jaguar Land Rover China and the British Standards Institution.