Every Leaf Makes a Difference at Lazika

At Lazika, tea is more than a beverage — it’s a way to build a better future.

For nearly 85 years, our region in the Eastern Black Sea has been the heart of Turkish tea farming. Generations of families have depended on tea for their livelihood. But today, tea’s value is under pressure: industrialization, a reliance on a single crop variety, and shrinking family-owned tea gardens make it harder to earn a sustainable income.

To make matters worse, well-paying, year-round jobs in rural areas are rare. As large factories move operations to big cities, local economies are hollowed out. For many families, seasonal tea work isn’t enough. So people leave. Villages empty. Cities overflow.

We’re here to change that.

Lazika designs and produces its teas right where tea grows — in the villages of Rize. 98% of the value we create stays in our hometown. Our team works year-round, not just seasonally. Ardeşen is our global headquarters — and our home.

Our goal is ambitious but simple: create 500 full-time rural jobs in five years, 1,000 in ten. Keep people rooted. Make rural living viable again. Give young people a reason to stay.

We pay growers more for hand-picked, high-quality leaves — up to 4x more. Why? Because it’s better for tea, and it’s better for people. Today, over 380 women — our aunts, sisters, and neighbors — harvest our tea by hand. And every year, more families join them.

Even our fabric packaging is sewn by women entrepreneurs in nearby villages. What started as a crazy idea became one of our most meaningful projects — thanks to your support.

This is how we’re redefining tea — not just in taste, but in impact.