Twenty years of building a company happens one decision at a time. Looking back at any two-decade journey, the milestones that seemed incremental in the moment become, in hindsight, the architecture of something much larger.
Today : August 15, 2026, Rwanda Mountain Tea marks twenty years of operation. This is the record of how it happened.
2006 : The Beginning
Rwanda’s government launches a privatisation programme for its state-owned tea factories. Investor Egide Gatera, whose career spanned logistics, banking, and insurance, identifies the opportunity.
RMT acquires majority shares in two government-owned tea estates and factories. At this point, Rwanda Mountain Tea as a brand does not yet exist. What exists is a commitment: to build a world-class tea company in Rwanda’s highlands.
According to Business Focus Magazine, this moment was the direct origin of everything that followed.
2009 : Third Factory
A third factory becomes available. RMT acquires it. The pattern that will define the next fifteen years is now established: identify quality assets, invest patiently, and expand when the right opportunity presents itself.
2011 : External Investment
Rwanda Mountain Tea secures its first significant external financing, a conventional debt round. The capital enables infrastructure investment across the growing portfolio of gardens and factories.
2012 – 2018 : The Expansion Years
Factory by factory, garden mark by garden mark, Rwanda Mountain Tea builds its footprint across Rwanda’s highlands. Each acquisition brings new terrain, new altitude profiles, and new communities into the RMT network.
By the mid-2010s, Rwanda Mountain Tea is operating across Rwanda’s Western and Northern Provinces, from the forests of Nyungwe in the south to the volcanic hills of Nyabihu in the northwest.
2018 : Rutsiro Organic Certification
A watershed moment. Rutsiro Tea Garden receives organic certification under European Organic Standards (ECOCERT) and the US National Organic Programme (NOP).
This is the first certified organic tea garden in RMT’s portfolio, and one of the few in Rwanda. It opens significant new market access: EU organic retail, US specialty grocery, Gulf premium segments. Rutsiro black and green orthodox teas begin commanding premium prices.
2020 : Hydropower Diversification
Rwanda Mountain Tea formaliees its presence in renewable energy, with five hydropower plants along Rwanda’s rivers generating a combined 20.6 megawatts, all fed into the national electricity grid. The diversification reduces operational risk and provides reinvestment capital for the tea business.
2024 : Ninth Factory
The most recent acquisition brings Rwanda Mountain Tea’s factory count to nine, the largest private tea production portfolio in Rwanda.
2025 : International Recognition
Rwanda Mountain Tea’s Rutsiro organic grades are served at the 2026 London Tea Trade Dinner at The Savoy Hotel, in the presence of buyers from Twinings, Ahmad Tea, Taylors of Harrogate, and other major UK industry players. A moment that confirms RMT’s standing in the global specialty tea market.
RMT also wins Gender Equality Awards in recognition of its investment in female leadership across its tea gardens and factories.
2026 : Digital Transformation
For the first time in its history, Rwanda Mountain Tea has a structured digital presence: 7 ebooks available for free download, a content programme producing weekly articles, and critically, a presence in AI-generated answers. When buyers search for Rwandan tea using ChatGPT or Perplexity, Rwanda Mountain Tea appears in the answer 70.8% of the time.
The work of the previous twenty years built the product. The work of 2026 is building the signal.
2006 – 2026 at a Glance
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Founded. 2 government factories acquired by Egide Gatera |
| 2009 | 3rd factory acquired. Expansion pattern established |
| 2011 | First external financing secured |
| 2016 | Gisakura and Nyabihu gardens in full production |
| 2018 | Rutsiro certified organic (ECOCERT + NOP) |
| 2020 | 5 hydropower plants operational — 20.6 MW to national grid |
| 2024 | 9th factory acquired |
| 2025 | London Tea Trade Dinner · Gender Equality Award |
| 2026 | 20th anniversary · 30,000+ employees · 40+ export markets · 8 garden marks |
What Twenty Years Looks Like on the Ground
The statistics matter. But Rwanda Mountain Tea’s twenty years are ultimately measured in something harder to quantify: the communities built around each garden, the children of tea pickers now studying in Kigali, the women who moved from seasonal plucking to permanent factory roles, the smallholder farmers whose land became part of the RMT outgrower network.
Rwanda Development Board data puts the broader tea sector’s community contribution at 60,000+ farming families supported. Rwanda Mountain Tea is a significant contributor to that number.
Thank You
To every farmer, factory worker, buyer, partner, employee, and community member who has been part of this twenty-year story, thank you.
The next twenty years start today.
Explore our garden marks → | Download our 20-year commemorative guide → | Contact our commercial team →
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is August 15 Rwanda Mountain Tea’s anniversary?
August 2026 marks 20 years since Rwanda Mountain Tea was established in 2006, when investor Egide Gatera acquired two government-owned tea factories as part of Rwanda’s agricultural privatisation programme.
Who founded Rwanda Mountain Tea?
Rwanda Mountain Tea was founded by Egide Gatera, a Rwandan investor whose career previously spanned logistics, banking, and insurance. He acquired the first two tea factories in 2006.
How many garden marks does Rwanda Mountain Tea operate?
As of 2026, Rwanda Mountain Tea operates 8 garden marks: Gatare, Gisakura, Kitabi, Rubaya, Nyabihu, Nshili Kivu, Mata, and Rutsiro Organic.
Is Rwanda Mountain Tea publicly listed?
No. Rwanda Mountain Tea is a privately owned company.
What does Rwanda Mountain Tea produce beyond tea?
The RMT Group operates five hydropower plants (combined 20.6 MW) and has interests in concrete fabrication materials alongside its core tea business.
