The Producer delivers the Teas to a Warehouse of his choice in Mombasa depending on the condition of sale. The receiving Warehouse ensures that the Tea is received in good condition and all the documentation is correctly prepared.
- Public Warehouses – Any person, firm or company, established in Africa warehousing teas being sold in accordance with the EATTA General Trading Rules and EATTA Trading Regulations.
- Private Warehouses - Any person, firm or company, established in Africa warehousing teas being sold in accordance with the EATTA General Trading Rules and EATTA Trading Regulations. This are warehouses where the owner of the warehouses holds his own tea, part of which is transit tea or Non-Kenyan EAC tea.
The Warehouse should be an EATTA approved Warehouse in conformity with the Association's specified minimum standards. The Warehouseman's function, in keeping physical custody of the tea, is to safeguard the interests of both the Producer and the Buyer. In this respect, the Warehouseman acts at one time as the agent of the Producer and at another time the Buyer's agent. His involvement with the tea starts on the day the Producer's lorry arrives with the tea in Mombasa until the time the tea is placed in the vessel for onward transmission to the final consuming country.
The Factory accords each consignment an identification number, known as a Factory invoice number. The Warehouse documents, prepared on receipt of the consignment should relate to the Factory details showing the weight per package, the mode of packing and grade. The Warehouseman has to ensure that the tea remains intact both in respect of quality and quantity and is ready for delivery on demand. These functions require extensive capital investment in buildings, machinery, equipment and dedicated staff. There are currently eighteen Warehouse members of the EATTA.
Once collected by Buyers, most Teas are exported in original packaging. Where required as a service to Overseas Buyers, Teas are "blended" to a particular standard and price. This has many benefits of cost saving for the Buyer and provides employment opportunities in Mombasa.
Nearly all Teas shipped from Mombasa are moved in containers either 20 or 40 ft which is a most effective mode of transport, virtually eliminating damage and losses in transit.
The Tea Trade is very much a Team affair and the Team players of Producer - Warehouseman - Broker - Buyer are all very interdependent on each other.
