Ordering Kib

• To which countries does Kib ship?

  We currently ship to the UK, USA, and Canada.

  Do you live outside these countries and want to order Kib? We're working hard to make shipping available to more countries and would love to send Kib to you. Send us a note at hello@kibtea.com.

• How quickly will my Kib order arrive?

  UK customers:

  Standard shipping: 3 working days

  Free shipping (for orders over £35): 3 working days 

  Please note that due to strike actions at Royal Mail during November and December 2022, certain shipments may be delayed.

  Christmas 2022 shipping: please place orders by December 16 to ensure delivery by Christmas 

   

  USA and Canada customers:

  Standard shipping: 10-15 working days

  Expedited shipping: ~7 working days

  Christmas 2022 shipping: please place orders by December 4 to ensure delivery by Christmas

  If you placed an order and haven't received it within the expected window, please send us a note at hello@kibtea.com. We'll sort it out and get you your Kib as soon as possible.

• How much does it cost to ship Kib?

  UK customers:

  Standard shipping: £3.75 per order, with free shipping on orders over £25

  USA and Canada customers:

  Standard shipping: £10 per order

  Expedited shipping: £32.90 per order

Our herbal teas

• Are Kib herbal teas organic?

  All the herbs used in our herbal teas are grown organically, without the use of chemicals or pesticides and in compliance with EU organic standards.

  However, our teas are not certified organic. The reason for this is that in order to be certified, farms must first go through a 3-year transition period. Our sustainable, circular approach means that we work with hundreds of smallholder farms to grow our herbs, and as we grow, so does our number of partner farms. With new farms onboarded each year, this means we will always have some farms who are officially certified as EU Organic and some who are still pursuing certification. 

  We’re proud to buy crops from farmers who are pursuing certification because it encourages more farms to invest in organic practices, giving the world more certified organic farmland for the future.

• Are Kib herbal teas caffeine-free?

  Yes! All Kib herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free because our blends don’t include camellia sinensis. Known as the “tea plant,” camellia sinensis is the source of caffeine found in traditional teas.

• Are Kib herbal teas gluten-free?

  Yes, all Kib herbal teas are gluten-free.

• Are Kib herbal teas GMO-free?

  Yes, all of our teas are GMO-free. We grow all of the herbs for our teas according to EU Organic standards, which prohibit the use of GMOs. And we didn’t stop there: We’re so committed to being GMO-free that all of our packaging — even the string used to sew together our teabags — is GMO-free too.

• How are Kib herbal teas flavoured?

  Kib herbal teas are flavoured with the natural ingredients in each blend — nothing more, and nothing less.

  Many other brands add ‘natural flavouring’ to enhance the way their herbal teas taste, which includes processed essential oils or essences derived from a plant, fruit, or spice.

  The way we grow every herb brings out the best flavour in every ingredient, so we don’t need additives to improve our teas—they’re already amazing, naturally.

• How are Kib herbal teas sweetened?

  Our teas are flavoured with natural herbs, and without additives. We never add sugar or other “sweet” flavourings to any of our herbal teas or bury the natural flavour of our ingredients under sweeter flavours like liquorice, anise, or fennel. Instead, each blend is thoughtfully created to let the natural flavour of our ingredients shine through.

• What’s the best way to enjoy a Kib herbal tea?

  All of our herbal teas taste as amazing hot as they do cold. Steep your Kib herbal tea in hot water for at least 5 minutes and enjoy it warm, or chill for a refreshingly cool drink.

• Where are Kib herbal teas made?

  We partner directly with more than 200 smallholder farmers in Ethiopia to grow most of the herbs, spices, and fruits used in our herbal teas. Anything that we can’t grow with our partner farmers is sourced from organic growers and suppliers around the world via the Organic Herb Trading Company. After the ingredients have been harvested and dried locally, the herbs are shipped to the UK. Finally, they arrive in Gloucester, where they’re cut, blended, and packed.

Our packaging

• How sustainable are Kib's tea bags and packaging?

  We did a lot of research to find and use the most sustainable packaging available on the market today. Our ultimate goal is to use entirely natural and home-compostable materials for 100% of our packaging, but we’ve still got a little way to go. So far our tea bags and box are home-compostable, and we’re advocating for more innovative packaging solutions so we can keep pushing the (compostable) envelope.
  
  You'll note that on our box we tell our Kib fans to recycle their box when they're finished. This is simply because we want the box to keep circulating and more people have access to a recycling bin than a compost pile--we wouldn't want Kib fans putting a Kib box in landfill just because they don't have access to compost pile.  

• Why are Kib tea bags packed in individual envelopes?

  Packing each tea bag in its own paper envelope provides an extra layer of protection, keeping light and moisture out so our herbs stay as fresh as the day they were picked. 

  We weighed several methods of ensuring our tea bags keep their flavour on their way from our factory to your home, and found this to be the most sustainable. The other options include wrapping the entire box in plastic (which is hard to recycle), or putting all the tea bags into an inner bag (also hard to recycle). Not only are our paper envelopes easy to recycle, they have the added benefit of letting you take Kib with you on the go, making them the best solution for everyone.

• What are Kib tea bags made of and how should they be disposed of responsibly?

  Our tea bags are made from all-natural fibers using a blend of abaca (a type of banana), wood pulp, and plant cellulose. They’re plastic-free and staple-free, and instead bound together with organic cotton thread. Because we only use all-natural materials, they don’t need a lot of processing to break down and can easily be composted at home (or placed in your food waste bin). We’re currently working on getting them independently certified to guarantee their home-compostability—stay tuned!

• What are Kib tea bag envelopes made of and how should they be disposed of responsibly?

  The envelopes that we pack our teabags in are made from FSC-certified paper, which guarantees that they’re made from trees sourced from sustainably-managed forests. A thin layer of BPA- and PVC-free plastic coats the interior to ensure freshness, but it’s so thin that it doesn’t affect recyclability, so you can go ahead and recycle them like normal paper.

  We’re already at work developing a plastic-free and home-compostable version of this envelope, and we’re excited to switch to this more sustainable option as soon as we can.

• What are Kib boxes made of and how should they be disposed of responsibly?

  Our boxes are made from FSC-certified cardboard, which guarantees that our cardboard is made of trees that are sourced from sustainably-managed forests. We use vegetable-based inks on the uncoated cardboard, so you could put your box in the compost heap. We recommend recycling it, though, as that’s the best way to get it circulating as something else.

• Is Kib packaging plastic-free?

  Our tea bags and boxes are entirely plastic-free, but there is a thin coating of plastic on the paper envelopes that our tea bags are packed in. This layer of BPA- and PVC-free plastic is so thin that you can still recycle our envelopes like normal paper. We’re already at work developing a plastic-free and home-compostable version of this envelope, and we’re excited to switch to this more sustainable option as soon as we can.

Our impact

• What is Kib's approach to making an impact?

  Here at Kib, we’re part of a movement that’s reimagining life on this planet by embracing circular systems and ways of growing that give back as much as they take. Our herbs are grown in ‘food forests’ — dense, and diversely-planted farms — that create better soil, better plants, and better flavour. We buy as many ingredients as we can directly from our partner farmers at fair prices, enabling them to grow better food in a better way and support their own communities.

• What does circularity have to do with food?

  Most of our food systems are linear: they’re all about what we can get out of the planet now, and not about what we might want and need in the future. In contrast, circular food systems are all about giving back as much as they take, ensuring that our land, resources, and ecosystems survive for many years to come.

  We take a circular approach to everything we do. We grow all our herbs using regenerative techniques that preserve and improve the soil and ecosystems. Our packaging is designed to be easy to responsibly dispose of so all the materials can keep circulating. Circularity is the guiding principle in everything we do, and we want it to become common practice for everyone. Learn more on our Circularity page.

• How is Kib rethinking the way our food is grown?

  Our ingredients are grown in 'food forests' which allow us to grow a variety of plants in a small space. The farms mimic the way plants evolved, allowing different types of plants to grow together and protect one another. This way of growing puts more nutrients back into the soil, fends off pests without the use of chemicals, and captures carbon. Put another way, growing our teas makes the planet better. Learn more on our Circularity page.

• How does Kib support its partner farmers?

  We partner directly with a network of over 200 smallholder farmers in Ethiopia to ensure that their land can support them and their families for years to come. We commit in advance to purchasing the crops they grow at a fair price, help them identify higher-value crops that would thrive on their land, offer necessary purchases (like seeds) on credit, help them access the financing and technology needed to solar-irrigate their farms, and provide rigorous training and weekly check-ins as they implement regenerative agricultural techniques.

Our brand

• What does Kib mean?

  'Kib' is the Amharic word for 'circle,' the idea at the heart of everything we do. Amharic is a widely-spoken language in Ethiopia, where most of our herbs are grown by smallholder farmers who are as invested in circularity as we are. Together, we’re part of a movement that’s reimagining life on this planet by embracing circular systems — something our name embodies.

• Who is behind Kib?

  Kib is a brand founded by The Perennial Foods Group (PFG). PFG was founded to grow better food and get it into more people’s hands while helping smallholder farmers get more out of their land through regenerative growing techniques. PFG supports our partner farmers in Ethiopia in growing a wide variety of complementary crops that they can harvest year-round. We use the herbs they grow in our teas, and our sister brand, GreenPath Food, exports the produce they grow.