International Tea Day (ITD) has evolved from a workers’ rights campaign rooted in plantation realities into a globally recognised observance under the United Nations. Its journey reflects not only the cultural and economic importance of tea, but also the long struggles of millions of small growers and plantation workers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Origins: December 15 and the 2005 movement
“International Tea Day was first celebrated on December 15, 2005, following discussions at the World Social Forum in Mumbai (2004) and Porto Alegre (2005),” says J John, founder of equifarmtea and one of the initiators of International Tea Day. “It was conceived by global trade unions, small tea growers, and social organisations from countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Nepal, and Vietnam.”
1st International Tea Day | New Delhi Declaration on the Rights of Tea Workers
The initial observance was far more than symbolic. It emerged as a direct social and political campaign that highlighted deep structural inequalities within the global tea industry, particularly the reality that small tea growers often received extremely low prices for green tea leaves while plantation workers endured poor wages, insecure employment, and inadequate living conditions.
“At its core, the movement demanded fair wages, housing rights, land rights, social security, and the empowerment of women tea workers, who form the backbone of plantation labour,” says Ashok Ghosh, General Secretary of the United Trade Union Congress (UTUC).
The campaign also stressed the importance of collective bargaining, stronger labour protections, and a more equitable distribution of value across the tea supply chain.
Early context: Crisis in the tea industry
During the early 2000s, the global tea sector underwent major structural changes driven by liberalisation, WTO-linked trade policies, and the growing control of multinational brands over supply chains. These shifts contributed to falling commodity prices and increasing instability across tea-producing regions.
Large plantations began shutting down or reducing operations, while small growers emerged as a significant but highly vulnerable segment of the industry. At the same time, labour rights weakened in several regions due to declining state intervention, reduced union influence, and the erosion of long-standing social protections.
4th International Tea Day | Massive gathering of small tea growers at Islampur
One of the major consequences of this restructuring was that profits increasingly flowed to multinational corporations and intermediaries, while producers and workers at the bottom of the value chain faced declining incomes and growing job insecurity.
The 2005–2016 phase: Awareness and mobilisation
Between 2005 and 2016, International Tea Day functioned primarily as a global awareness and advocacy platform. Conferences and campaigns were organised in New Delhi and other tea-growing regions, bringing together delegates from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Tanzania, Vietnam, and several other countries.
These gatherings helped shape a broader International Declaration on the Rights of Tea Workers and Small Growers, emphasising living wages, occupational safety, women’s rights, and fair pricing mechanisms. Campaign materials and advocacy networks were also developed to strengthen international solidarity among workers and growers.
Love for Teas | Small tea growers demand their rights during the 12th International Tea Day in 2016
During this phase, ITD remained deeply tied to grassroots activism, focusing on structural reform rather than ceremonial celebration. It also increasingly highlighted the role of women in plantation economies, especially in smallholder tea communities such as those in Karbi Anglong, where women entrepreneurs began producing artisanal green tea as a form of economic empowerment.
In tea-growing regions like Karbi Anglong in Assam, the contemporary relevance of International Tea Day continues to be shaped by grassroots initiatives led by rural women and small tea growers.
Preparations for the 2026 International Tea Day observance in the Nilip, Bokajan, and Rongmongve blocks reflect how the movement’s original concerns around livelihoods, dignity, and sustainability are now increasingly linked to ecological resilience and community-led enterprise.
In a letter addressed to the Tea Board of India, Sujit Hazarika of Grassroots Tea Corporation Pvt. Ltd. described the 2026 theme as “Tea, Ecological Diversity and Sustainable Livelihood”.
The programme aims to recognise and motivate Rural Women Entrepreneurs (RWEs) engaged in regenerative agricultural practices and the collective processing of Karbi Artisanal Green Tea.
The initiative also seeks to encourage greater participation of women in climate-resilient tea production while strengthening sustainable rural livelihoods and local value addition. Importantly, it reflects a broader shift within tea-growing communities — from dependence on volatile commodity markets towards farmer-led and community-owned models of production.
Such efforts demonstrate how International Tea Day has evolved beyond symbolic observance into a platform that connects environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment, and equitable economic participation at the grassroots level.
From December 15 to May 21: UN recognition
A major shift occurred in November 2019, when the United Nations officially recognised International Tea Day and moved its observance to May 21. The new date aligns with the peak tea-plucking season in many producing regions, symbolically linking the observance to agricultural cycles and tea-growing livelihoods.
Rural women entrepreneurs plucking tea leaves in Karbi Anglong district, Assam
Under the UN framework, the focus of International Tea Day expanded significantly. While labour rights and smallholder concerns remain central, the observance now also emphasises:
- Sustainable agriculture and climate resilience
- Rural development and poverty reduction
- International cooperation across the tea value chain
- Long-term economic sustainability for tea-producing regions
This transition marked the evolution of International Tea Day from a protest-driven observance into a broader global development platform.
International Tea Day represents a rare evolution in the history of global observances — from a worker-led campaign for justice in 2005 to a UN-recognised platform focused on sustainability, rural development, and equitable growth.
Yet despite its expanded mandate, its origins remain deeply rooted in the struggles of tea workers and small growers who continue to shape the industry’s future.
The story of International Tea Day is ultimately the story of tea itself: global in reach, but profoundly local in impact, sustained by millions of workers and growers whose labour often remains invisible in the final cup.
Today, initiatives such as equifarmtea are attempting to reshape this narrative by building farmer-owned and transparent value chains that directly connect small tea growers to consumers while ensuring producers receive a fairer share of the value they create.
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