Today it’s International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe. Gender equalities remain entrenched within the global system and International Women’s Day aims to highlight this, advocating for a world free of gender bias, discrimination and stereotypes. For 2023, the theme of IWD is ‘#EmbraceEquity’, a message that encourages us to focus on gender equity and put it at the forefront of all society’s objectives.
Why is International Women’s Day important?
Though the idea of International Women’s Day dates back to 1911, it wasn’t until 1977 that the day was adopted by the United Nations. Women have accomplished incredible things throughout history, they’ve played essential roles in the achievements of voting rights for marginalised groups as well as achieving remarkable accomplishments in fields such as medicine, science and literature. Whilst International Women’s Day is about recognising this, it’s also a call to action that more progress is still needed. According to the United Nations, women make up 70% of those in poverty across the globe as well as 80% of those affected by climate-related disasters. With this in mind, the empowerment of women and this year’s theme of #EmbraceEquity is absolutely paramount.
International Women’s Day and English Tea Shop
From farmer to strategy director, English Tea Shop is incredibly proud of the women that help our business thrive. This International Women’s Day, we’d like to celebrate and share the stories of just some of the women that have made English Tea Shop’s journey possible.
Chandra – Farmer
One of our most passionate and proud female farmers, Chandra, works within our Maarji Farming Community where we grow our botanicals such as lemongrass and moringa. She began farming 11 years ago and her growth has been inspiring; she now cultivates a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers across 2.5 acres of land. Noticing her passion for farming, English Tea Shop has helped Chandra increase her yields within dry seasons, by installing her irrigation system. Impressively, she has also invented her own ‘liquid fertiliser’ which she says has seen extensive results so far in combatting fertiliser shortages.
Incredibly proud of what she does, Chandra wants to see other women feel as empowered as she does through her farming. This International Women’s Day, her message is that “Women are capable of doing anything and everything” and wants to see more women choose farming as a mainstream job.
Rasika – Supervisor
Rasika joined us back in 2007 and her journey since then has been nothing short of remarkable. Entering the business as a packing assistant following the completion of her studies, her enthusiasm and dedication has seen her achieve promotion after promotion; first becoming the line leader of the packing section before being promoted to quality supervisor which she remains today. Rasika loves the stress-free environment at English Tea Shop and loves making sure spirits are high within the business.
Empowerment is key for Rasika and she takes great pride in passing down her skills to the other women within the English Tea Shop team. This International Women’s Day she wants women to be given more of a chance; her advice to all women is to “never forget their beginnings and to strive and keep moving forward without fear”.
Favourite blend: Perfect Peppermint.
Harshini – Accounts Associate (Recently promoted from Internship)
Harshini had always dreamed of being an accountant but that quickly changed once she joined English Tea Shop as an intern last year. From completing sales reports to inventory forecasts, Harshini quickly established herself as key member of the ETS team and achieved a permanent placement in our operations team within 6 months. She believes that English Tea Shop is like home and is a “family who takes care of me”. She loves the working atmosphere here and appreciates the support she’s been given in allowing her to thrive, something women aren’t always afforded.
Building close relationships with many of her female colleagues, like Dimali, Harshini stresses the importance of empowering each other through words of support whilst at work. For Harshini, doing “even the little things with love” should be at the top of everyone’s ethos
.
Favourite blend: Too hard to choose!
Sachini – Packing Member
Becoming a part of the ETS family following finishing her A-Levels, Sachini is always dedicated to her work and strives to reach her maximum potential. As a woman, Sachini was the first to work within her family and is proud that she has been able to break through a previously financially challenging situation and support both herself and her loved ones.
Working in a majority-female team, Sachini is motivated from the empowerment she feels within the ETS team and she believes this empowerment helps her strike to reach new heights of achievement within her role. Noting the struggles women face on a daily basis and the accomplishments they’ve achieved in spite of this, International Women’s Day is an incredibly important day in her eyes. Her message to women is that “with honesty and commitment to work, anyone can reach any heights”, a powerful piece of advice.
Favourite blend: Super berries.
Dimali – Overseas Operation Executive
Joining the English Tea Shop team 6 years ago was not intentional for Dimali, but she’s since found herself loving her job and can hardly think of doing anything else. Her favourite part of ETS is the relaxed and uplifting atmosphere within the company; she loves working with her colleagues Harshini and Buddhi and has become close friends with both. Another colleague, Nicko, has supported Dimali in improving her English, which she believes has changed her life and is just one reason why she claims ETS is so empowering. In fact, Dimali finds the English Tea Shop environment so empowering that she has even been visiting the office whilst on maternity leave!
Starting as an intern, Dimali has come on leaps and bounds since joining the team. She appreciates the support she received from ETS management in always pushing her to achieve new heights and putting education at the core of accomplishing that. She notes the ways that women are often wrongfully belittled in terms of their abilities within business, but encourages women all around the world to “keep trying and never stop” and reminds them that they are “more than what you are entitled to be and do”.
Favourite blends: Chamomile and Lavender, Calm Me and Perfect Peppermint.
Natalia – Distributor
Working with tea since 2009, Nata is our German Distributor. She is a passionate tea-drinker, fascinated by the variety of tastes and the differences that result from the different origins and processing methods. As a mother of two children and a working woman, Nata, like many other women, finds it hard to constantly have to do the balancing act between work, raising children and housekeeping. She remembers advice that has helped her navigating life along the way “Concentrate on the essentials, don’t let setbacks discourage you and learn from mistakes. Stay true to your values, even if it’s the more difficult path.”
International Women’s Day is a significant day for Nata, not just as a woman, but also as a representative of a company that values sustainability and corporate social responsibility. For Nata it is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and to draw attention to gender equality. This year’s theme of #EmbraceEquality shows her that “there is still much work to be done to create a world where every woman has
equal access to opportunities, resources, and support.”
Favourite blend: English Breakfast Tea.
Niluza – Director of Strategy & Finance
Women within the tea industry rarely reach decision-making roles, which makes us even more celebratory of our director of strategy, Niluza. Looking to change how business is done, since our formation in 2010, ETS has challenged ourselves to achieve high-order targets of inclusivity and diversity and address the fact that women are often at the “bottom of the pyramid”. Niluza finds herself empowered by the roles women play within the business, whether that be in strategy, finance or quality control and takes pride in the fact that nearly 50% of company shares are female-owned.
This International Women’s Day, Niluza encourages businesses to strive for even more progress. She stresses the need for more female leaders in boardrooms and encourages current female leaders to support the women they employ. For Niluza, the contribution of female employees at ETS has contributed immensely to the company’s growth and this is something she, and everyone else in the ETS family, are incredibly proud of. Niluza believes “women should be celebrated every day” and her message to other women?“Lets change the narrative and the stereotypical view others hold about us that we are not knowledgeable.”.
Despite their achievements, women often remain overlooked within society and gender inequalities continue to persist. This International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate the brilliant work our female employees have done in allowing us to reach this point in our journey today. We are unbelievably proud of each and every one of them.