FAQ: Tea Traceability

MultiTrace is being reinstated for Kenyan tea following a directive from the Kenyan government and strong interest from Kenyan producers in improving visibility across the supply chain.

The updated approach:

• Supports transparency and accountability

• Enables verification of mandatory premium requirements

• Helps prevent fraud and double selling

• Aligns with the Sustainable Agriculture Standard v1.4 traceability requirements

• Supports more consistent Chain of Custody verification

Online traceability in MultiTrace has been reinstated for Kenyan tea specifically in response to regulatory requirements in Kenya and strong demand from Kenyan producers for greater supply chain visibility. Outside Kenya, the Online Traceability Exception for Tea remains in effect, and current reporting processes are unchanged. The Rainforest Alliance continues to monitor traceability and premium reporting across the sector, and we will communicate directly with certificate holders should any changes to requirements in other origins be considered in the future.

Requirements depend on the origin of the tea and whether the Online Traceability Exception applies.

For Kenyan tea sold to the first buyer on or after January 1, 2026

Farm certificate holders must:

• Create and maintain selling marks

• Convert green leaf into made tea

• Make sales of green leaf (i.e. to other farm certificate holders)

• Declare sales to the first buyer* in MultiTrace

• Enter the premium amount committed by the first buyer*

• Remove volumes sold as conventional or under another certification scheme

For non-Kenyan tea and Kenyan tea sold before January 1, 2026

The Online Traceability Exception may apply prior to the first processor. In these cases, not all traceability activities are performed directly in MultiTrace by the farm certificate holders.

Use the Online Request Form only to report non-kenyan purchased volumes to Rainforest Alliance; Rainforest Alliance will record these in MultiTrace. Report 6 weeks after the end of the quarter from Q1 2026, until further notice.  

Use MultiTrace to perform activities such as blend and sell.  12 weeks (3 months) after the end of the quarter from Q1 2026, until further notice.  

Rainforest Alliance will only inject the volumes into Multitrace; the remaining activities must be completed by the certificate holder (blending and sold forward).

Use MultiTrace to perform activities such as confirm, blend, and redeem 3 months after the end of the quarter from Q1 2026, until further notice.

Under the Traceability Annex v1.4:

• Traceability activities must be reported within 2 weeks after the close of the calendar quarter.

Exception reporting timelines

Certificate Holders operating under the Online Traceability Exception:

• Have 6 weeks after the end of the quarter to report purchased volumes

• Have 12 weeks (3 months) after the end of the quarter to complete remaining traceability activities

Policy for Kenya (tea) timelines

For Kenyan tea under mandatory online traceability:

• Farm certificate holders and first buyers must complete required MultiTrace activities within 6 weeks after the end of the quarter.

The submissions are reviewed, validated and uploaded within one week, with any clarifications addressed promptly. Once confirmed and approved, the volumes are uploaded into the traceability system, and the certificate holder is immediately notified to proceed with transaction matching and reporting activities.

For certificate holders reporting under the Exception Policy from Q1 2026 (non-Kenyan tea and Kenyan tea sold or in stock prior to January 1, 2026), the form does not contain a space anymore to provide blending, processing, manufacturing, redeeming or removal information nor premium commitments, as these activities will be performed by the certificate holder in the Online Traceability Platform (MultiTrace).

The updated form is available here in the Knowledge Hub.    

The payment of premiums is the responsibility of the first buyer, who manages the process according to their own payment terms. The Rainforest Alliance provides guidance and oversight to ensure that premiums are reported and traceable, but the method and timing of payments are at the discretion of the buyer.

For Kenyan tea sold to the first buyer* on or after January 1, 2026

If the responsible entity (the auction buyer or the direct buyer from the farm certificate holder) and subsequent buyers agree, the premium invoice can be passed on to, and paid by, the subsequent buyer.

Such commercial agreements are made outside of MultiTrace and do not affect the responsibility of the responsible entity to ensure the payment of the premium to the farm, in compliance to the Policy for Kenya (tea).

The original responsible entity must still provide evidence of payment for that invoice within the deadlines set by the traceability activities of the entity responsible.

For non-Kenyan tea and Kenyan tea sold before January 1, 2026

For non-Kenyan tea reporting under the Online Exception and Kenyan tea sold before January 1, premiums will continue to be paid by the brand owner.

According to our Premiums Annex v 1.4, the private label manufacturer (packer) must commit, confirm and pay the premium on behalf of the retail brand owner. Retailers are required to compensate the private label manufacturer (packer) for this premium payment.

For Kenyan tea sold to the first buyer on or after January 1, 2026

For Kenyan teas sold to the first buyer from January 1, 2026, the premium and royalty are recorded by the first buyer, and volumes are registered in the Rainforest Alliance traceability platform, MultiTrace.

For non-Kenyan tea and Kenyan tea sold before January 1, 2026

Reporting for other origins and Kenyan teas in stock prior to January 1, 2026, is not conducted in MultiTrace  but according to the Online Traceability Exception for tea, via an Excel report through JotForm submitted to the Rainforest Alliance by the first processor.

The royalty and premium for this scenario will be triggered as it has been, with no change in the point of charge.

From January 1, 2026, teas coming from these two different flows need to be blended by the first processor and sold forward in the Rainforest Alliance traceability platform, MultiTrace.

The Rainforest Alliance assurance mechanism verifies that the committed premium is paid and reaches the intended recipients.

Supply chain actor certificate holders should work with their suppliers to identify which volumes will be coming through Multitrace and which volumes they should be reporting via the Online Traceability Exception. This will prevent a duplication of volumes and invoices.

First transactors in MultiTrace are responsible for informing producers which volumes have been purchased as certified and the premium amount to report. The minimum premium for Kenyan tea bought at auction is 0.05 USD/kg.

There is also a feature in MultiTrace that allows buyers to initiate transactions from the producer side, which can help facilitate these cases. However, this may not always be appropriate, depending on the relationship between the parties.

Under the Sustainable Agriculture Standard v1.4 and the Traceability Annex v1.4, premiums applicable to Rainforest Alliance certified tea must be reported in MultiTrace where online traceability applies. This supports transparency, auditability, and visibility over premium commitments across the supply chain.

Recording premiums in MultiTrace for auction sales allows Rainforest Alliance and auditors to verify compliance with the Kenya Tea Policy requirements, including the mandatory minimum premium obligation.

The first processor is the entity that alters the form of Made Tea (converted from fresh tea leaves) and/or mixes Made Tea.

These certificate holders will need to manage these activities themselves for Kenyan teas purchased by the first buyer after 1 January. Rainforest Alliance will continue to upload all other teas into MultiTrace on their behalf, including Kenyan teas already purchased or in stock before 1 January, as well as teas from other

For volumes originating from Kenyan farm certificate holders as of January 1, 2026, if the the auction buyer and subsequent buyer agrees then the premium invoice can be passed on to, and paid by, the subsequent buyer. Such commercial agreements are made outside of MultiTrace and do not affect the responsibility of the auction buyer to ensure payment of the premium to the farm, in compliance to the Policy for Kenya (tea).

The original entity must still provide evidence of payment for that invoice within the deadlines set by the Policy for Kenya (tea).

Those certificate holders that need to report as per the Online Traceability Exception had 6 weeks from the end of the quarter to report their volumes to the Rainforest Alliance.  This includes making their premium commitments.

The certificate holders, including all those after the first processors have 12 weeks (3 months) from the close of the quarter to perform their online traceability activities.  

Those certificate holders reporting under the Policy for Kenya (tea) have 6 weeks after the close of the quarter to report their purchased volumes to the Rainforest Alliance.

Only limited changes are needed in our traceability system. Transactions in MultiTrace will continue to work much like they did before tea was temporarily removed in 2024. The key new requirement is that the farm Certificate Holder must record, and the first buyer confirm the premium value agreed between them.

You can find training here.

The Multitrace manual has also been updated accordingly