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The hidden history of tea shows us that little things can have a huge impact.

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Lipton

Where did your morning cup of tea come from? If you said “the grocery store,” you’re missing a big part of the story.

It’s easy to forget the tea you enjoy actually began its journey thousands of miles away. It comes from lush tea farms up in the mountains of places like Sri Lanka or Kenya, where women carefully pick the leaves by hand. Those leaves then make their way to a local factory, where they're dried from a bright green shade to a rich, earthy brown.

Photo via Upworthy.


All of this happens before they even cross the ocean, and long before they ever arrive at your local grocery store.

Yes, even the most ordinary household staples can have extraordinary histories, with stories that span the globe. These surprising facts are just a glimpse into the rich history and impact of the tea you enjoy:

1. Tea is the second-most consumed beverage in the world.

It’s second only to water. Seriously. Global tea consumption is forecasted to reach 3.3 million tons by 2021, with more than half of that consumption coming from Asia.

In fact, on any given morning, more than 50% of Americans are drinking it — around 158 million people.

[rebelmouse-image 19346982 dam="1" original_size="5008x3336" caption="Photo by Joanna Kosinska/Unsplash." expand=1]Photo by Joanna Kosinska/Unsplash.

2. It’s also a plant that grows in very specific regions of the world.

Most of the world’s tea grows in mountainous areas, thousands of feet above sea level, in rich but acidic soil, typically with heavy rainfall. Tea plants are especially vulnerable to extended periods of cold temperatures, which is why they do better in climates that are warm year round.

Photo via Upworthy.

Under subtropical or temperate climates — like in Kenya — the higher altitude and humidity contributes to distinct wet and dry seasons. This is key to tea plant survival and also influences the variety of teas found in these types of areas.

As such, countries that produce the most tea include Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Taiwan, and Vietnam, all of which have these distinct seasons without getting too cold.

3. Legend has it, though, the first cup of tea was totally an accident.

The earliest accounts we have of drinking tea come from China. Apparently a leaf fell into boiling water that was being prepared for Emperor Shen Nung — and he enjoyed the taste. He didn’t know it then, but he would be the first to enjoy what we now call tea.

[rebelmouse-image 19346984 dam="1" original_size="5524x3683" caption="Photo by Sergei Maslennikov/Unsplash." expand=1]Photo by Sergei Maslennikov/Unsplash.

4. While tea may have originated in China, it quickly spread around the world.

Japanese Buddhist scholars visiting China brought tea seeds with them when they returned home, popularizing tea in Japan. But that was only the beginning.

While we know the Brits today love a good cuppa, it was actually the Portuguese missionaries that brought tea to Europe. The British initially favored coffee, making the switch only when fashionable tea-lover Catherine of Braganza (who hailed from Portugal) became queen upon marrying Charles II.

And while tea surged in popularity worldwide, its identity (and of course, taste) varied from place to place.

5. Many regions of the world have their own unique take on tea.

It’s true that the English are largely responsible for introducing tea to other regions in the world, including Africa and India. But plenty of cultures had their own spin on it, both before and after they arrived.

[rebelmouse-image 19346985 dam="1" original_size="2592x3888" caption="Photo by Julie Johnson/Unsplash." expand=1]Photo by Julie Johnson/Unsplash.

India, for example, specializes in its national drink, chai, which is more of a spiced milk-tea. Meanwhile, Morocco has a mint tea called touareg tea, which is a drink of cultural significance. It symbolizes hospitality and is served three times daily to guests.

You can find unique teas as far as South Africa. Indigenous people there — the Khoisans — have their own tea, too. It’s called rooibos tea, and originated over 300 years ago. It doesn’t derive from the same plant as your typical black or green tea, though; its plant base is unique to that region of the world.

6. Tea is also partly responsible for the United States as we know it.

Tea began making its way to the American colonies as early as 1650, by colonists who needed their fix as they journeyed west. The British then began importing tea to the American colonies starting in 1720 to sell overseas en masse.

Forty years later, they would begin taxing it — creating tension between the colonies and the British government. This led to numerous demonstrations, one of which — the Boston Tea Party — would be a catalyst for the American Revolution.

7. Even today, most tea comes from a farm and has to be hand-picked.

Traditional machinery has been found to be a little too rough, damaging many of the leaves in the harvesting process — so hand-picking is the universally preferred method.

Photo via Upworthy.

Once harvested by farmhands, the leaves are transported to a factory nearby, where they're processed. This involves drying them out, keeping a close eye on them as they react to oxygen in the air, and then sorting them by size and grade.

8. There are some great organizations working to make tea more sustainable.

The Rainforest Alliance and Sustainable Trade Initiative were created to call on businesses to do better and invest in sustainability — not just for the environment, but for the farmers whose health and livelihood could be impacted by pesticide use, water pollution, and more.

In fact, the Rainforest Alliance created its own certification to measure the sustainability of a particular farm’s practices.

Photo via Upworthy.

And that certification isn’t so easy to attain. It includes great attention to energy and water usage, commitment to biodiversity and conservation efforts, and fair and ethical labor practices (including access to safe drinking water, health care, and education). It also requires fully respecting the rights of people indigenous to the land where that tea is grown.

9. Those efforts have caught on — today, some of the most popular tea brands are making a concerted effort to promote sustainability.

10 years ago, Unilever — Lipton’s parent company — became the first major tea company to announce their commitment to sustainable sourcing of tea across their farms. And by the end of 2015, they had kept that promise: 100% of Lipton’s Black and Green tea bags are Rainforest Alliance Certified™.

10. In fact, one of the largest tea estates in Kenya has made incredible strides.

In Kericho, Kenya — Lipton’s largest tea estate and the first to be certified — substantial efforts have been made to improve biodiversity through reforesting, addressing water and energy use, and reducing carbon emissions.

Photo via Upworthy.

In fact, more than 1.3 million trees (yes, million!) have been planted in Kericho in the last eighteen years, ensuring a balanced ecosystem within the farm. Kericho is also making use of hydropower — amazingly, something they’ve done since the 1920s — thanks to a river running through the region.

11. The majority of tea farmers today are smallholder farmers — making tea a family affair.

Smallholder farmers own the plots of land where their crops are grown, and get the majority of their income from working that land. It’s estimated that a whopping 70% of global tea production comes from smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia.

In Kenya, those farmers are responsible for 60% of the tea that’s produced.

That’s why, in 2006, Lipton joined a partnership with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative, leading to the creation of Farmer Field Schools for locals to increase access to the best resources for farmers.

Photo via Upworthy

At these schools, tea-growers in Kenya can share best agricultural practices, as well as improve the quality of their crops as well as yields. They can also discuss issues around nutrition and health in their communities, as well as the impact of climate change on their work.

12. Making tea farming sustainable can empower women and their families, too.

Many of the farmers that benefit from programs like the Farmer Field Schools are women. In Kenya, for example, there are 42,000 women farmers who have benefited from the Farm Field Schools run by KTDA.

When farmers learn to increase their yields and tea quality, their income is boosted, too. That buying power allows them to improve the health and nutrition of their families, and increases access to education for themselves and their children.

Photo via Upworthy.

13. And that means your humble cup of tea could transform communities thousands of miles away.

Organizations like WE Charity — a non-profit offering resources to communities in need internationally — have been supporting rural communities in Kenya for the last 20 years. WE’s commitment to education, health, clean water, food, and financial programming has been transformative for those communities.

That’s why Lipton recently partnered with WE in an effort to further empower a new demographic of farmers — those that pick our morning cup.

Most notable to come out of Lipton’s partnership with WE are the new opportunities for women harvesting tea.

Photo via Upworthy.

This program will give women farmers the tools to increase their earnings and the guidance to leverage those profits; 80,000 women will receive small business and leadership training.

The result? The ability to purchase more livestock, grow their farms, send their kids to college, and start their own businesses.

So as it turns out, the story behind where your tea came from is a lot more significant than you may’ve realized.

Sometimes it really is the journey — not just the destination — that makes a difference.

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Three women, three MS journeys: How multiple sclerosis looks different for everyone

Gina, Nathalie and Helga share their reactions to being diagnosed with MS and how they stay informed and positive in the face of ever-changing symptoms.

Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga, Nathalie and Gina all have MS, and their experiences show how differently the disease can manifest.

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It’s been 155 years since neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot gave the first lecture on a mysterious progressive illness he called “multiple sclerosis.” Since then, we’ve learned a lot. We know MS causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, including damaging the brain and spinal cord. Resulting symptoms can be debilitating and include fatigue, blurred vision, memory problems and weakness. Huge advancements in our understanding of MS and its underlying causes, as well as treatment advances, have been made in the past few decades, but MS remains a complex and unpredictable reality for the 2.8 million+ people diagnosed around the world.

Ironically, the only real constant for people living with MS is change. There’s no set pattern or standard progression of the disease, so each person’s experience is unique. Some people with MS have mild symptoms that worsen slowly but sometimes improve, while others can have severe symptoms that drastically alter their daily lives.

All people with MS share some things in common, however, such as the need to stay informed on the ever-evolving research, find various lines of support and try to remain hopeful as they continue living with the disease.

To better understand what navigating life with MS really looks like, three women shared their MS stories with us. Their journeys demonstrate how MS can look different for different people and interestingly, how the language used to talk about the disease can greatly impact how people understand their realities.

woman with horse, woman riding horseGina loves riding her horse, Benita.Courtesy of Sanofi

Gina—Hamburg, Germany (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2017)

When her youngest son was 4 months old, Gina started having problems with her eye. She’d soon learn she was experiencing optic neuritis—her first symptom of MS.

“Immediately after the diagnosis, I looked up facts on MS because I didn’t know anything about it,” Gina says. “And as soon as I knew what could really happen with this disease, I actually got scared.”

As her family’s primary income provider, she worried about how MS would impact her ability to work as a writer and editor. Her family was afraid she was going to end up in a wheelchair. However, for now, Gina’s MS is managed well enough that she still works full-time and is able to be active.

“When I tell somebody that I have MS, they often don't believe me the first time because I don't fulfill any stereotypes,” she says.

Overwhelmed by negative perspectives on living with MS, Gina sought support in the online MS community, which she found to be much more positive.

“I think it’s important to use as many positive words as you can when talking about MS.” It’s important to be realistic while also conveying hope, she says. “MS is an insidious disease that can cause many bad symptoms…that can be frightening, and you can't gloss over it, either.”

To give back to the online community that helped her so much, Gina started a blog to share her story and help others trying to learn about their diagnosis.

Though she deals with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction sometimes, Gina stays active swimming, biking, riding horses and playing with her sons, who are now 11 and 6.

Cognitive dysfunction is common in MS, with over half of people affected. It can impact memory, attention, planning, and word-finding. As with many aspects of MS, some people experience mild changes, while others face more challenges.

Gina says that while there’s still a lot of education about MS needed, she feels positive about the future of MS because there’s so much research being done.

woman in wheelchair holding medal, woman rowingNathalie is an award-winning rower with multiple international titles.Courtesy of Sanofi

Nathalie — Pennes Mirabeau, France (diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2002)

Nathalie was a teenager and a competitive athlete when she noticed her first symptoms of MS, but it would take four years of “limbo” before she was diagnosed.

“Ultimately, the diagnosis was more of a relief, than a shock,” she says. “Because when you have signs and you don’t know why, it’s worse than knowing, in the end, what you have.”

However, learning more about the disease—and the realities of disease progression—scared her.

“That glimpse of the future was direct and traumatic,” she says. Her neurologist explained that the disease evolves differently for everyone, and her situation might end up being serious or very mild. So, she decided to stop comparing herself to others with MS.

She said to herself, “We’ll see what happens, and you’ll manage it bit by bit.”

By 2005, Nathalie’s MS had progressed to the point of needing a wheelchair. However, that has not dampened her competitive spirit.

Nathalie began her international rowing career in 2009 and has won multiple world titles, including two Paralympic medals—silver in London and bronze in Tokyo. Now, at 42, she still trains 11 times a week. Fatigue can be a problem, and sometimes hard workouts leave her with muscle stiffness and shaking, but she credits her ongoing sports career for helping her feel in tune with her body’s signals.

“Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my body, letting my body guide when I need to stop and take breaks,” she says.

Nathalie explains that she used to only look backwards because of the initial shock of her diagnosis. In time, she stopped thinking about what she couldn’t do anymore and focused on her future. She now lives in the following mindset: “Even when doors close, don’t miss out on those that open.” Instead of focusing on what she can’t do, she focuses on the opportunities she still has. Right now, this includes her training for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she will compete for another rowing medal.

“I only go forward,” she says. “Well, I try, anyway…It’s easy to say, it’s not always easy to do. But that’s what I try to do.”

woman exiting water after swimming, woman with great daneHelga's Great Dane has become a helpful and beloved companion.Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga—Johannesburg, South Africa (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2010)

When Helga first started having balance issues and numbness in her feet, she chalked it up to her training as a runner. But when the numbness moved to her face, she knew something was wrong. She never guessed it was MS.

“When I was diagnosed, I felt completely overwhelmed and clueless,” Helga says. “I felt that I had nowhere near enough information. I did not know anything about the disease…I had no idea that it was going to be a process of continually monitoring and adjusting your lifestyle.”

In the beginning, Helga’s symptoms developed slowly, and she didn’t appear ill to others. She was even able to run for a few years after her diagnosis, but she couldn’t do marathons anymore, and she began to fall frequently due to balance issues and right-foot dragging. Then her cognition issues became more problematic, especially in her job as a trainer in a printing company.

“My executive function, decision-making and short-term memory were affected to the point that I was eventually medically unfit for work,” she says. She stopped working in 2017.

However, she didn’t stop living life. Even though she could no longer run, she continued to swim competitively. She got a Great Dane puppy and trained him as a service dog to help her walk. She also serves as vice chair of the patient support organization Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, and she advises others who have been diagnosed to join a patient advocacy group as soon as possible to get reliable information and meet others with MS.

Helga says she is “hopeful” about the future of MS. “I must say that I am so grateful that we have all the new medications available, because my life would not be the same if it wasn't for that,” she adds.

Part of how she manages her MS is by looking at the positives.

“If I could tell the world one thing about MS, it would be that MS is an incurable disease of the nervous system, but it's also the greatest teacher of valuing your health, family, friends, and managing change in your life,” she says. “My life is diversified in a way that I never, ever thought it would, and MS has been honestly the greatest teacher.”

Each MS journey is unique – with each person impacted experiencing different struggles, successes, and feelings as they manage this unpredictable disease. But the common thread is clear – there is a critical need for information, support, and hope. We are proud to participate in World MS Day and share these incredible stories of living life while living with MS. To learn more about MS, go to https://www.sanofi.com/why-words-really-matter-when-it-comes-to-multiple-sclerosis.

MAT-GLB-2301642-v1.0-05/2023

This article was sponsored by Sanofi. Participants were compensated when applicable.

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