6 May 2015
Suppliers
Visit to our Cassia suppliers in Vietnam
Our Production & Standards Co-ordinator Matt Richards has just returned from a week-long visit to our suppliers of organic Cassia
Our organic Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) is sourced from the mountainous region of Yen Bai in Northern Vietnam, where the humid atmosphere is perfect for growing Cassia trees. The land is owned by the government and is passed down generations of families who rely on the Cassia for steady income.
A piece of land is selectively harvested and planted, ensuring a diversity of tree ages all year round. This helps to keep a natural cycle of nutrients and also provides valuable ground cover to prevent flash flooding of the river valleys below. The trees are chopped down, often by axe, and the bark is carefully removed using specialised hand tools. The remainder of the tree is then used to make furniture, ensuring nothing is wasted.
The older the tree, the higher the quality of the Cassia, the more spicy the cinnamon flavour. The growers we source from harvest their trees at the age of seven years. This age gives the best possible quality whilst enabling the growers to receive a steady reliable income from the land that they have. Some growers leave the occasional tree to grow throughout their lives as an investment for the next generation.
Matt’s visits to our suppliers focus jointly on product quality and our ethical sourcing policies. On top of the value of the Cassia, the growers we source from receive social benefits in the form of support for schools and medical centres. Working alongside local authorities books, dormitory equipment for children and medical equipment are supplied where they are most needed. Once children have gone through school and perhaps university, most return to their home areas to work in improving agriculture, local administration or growing Cassia.
To find out more about our Cassia please see our products & price list or contact us.