Sarah Holby

Co-Founder and CEO, Ajiri Tea

Sara and her sister, Kate, co-founded Ajiri Tea Company in 2009. The goal of Ajiri is to create a sustainable cycle of employment and education and, of course, a delicious cup of tea! The word "Ajiri" means "to employ" in Swahili. They currently employ about 60 women to handcraft the labels for the tea and coffee boxes using dried bark from banana trees. The tea is handpicked on small farms in Kenya, and Ajiri purchases it directly from a cooperative of small-scale farmers. Using the same model as Newman's Own, Ajiri donates 100% of profits to their non-profit to pay school fees for orphans. This year, they are sponsoring 30 students in school. Sara lives in Somerville and works out of the MassChallenge office space.