Tea Industry professionals with over 40 years experience in the Insurance Industry

Mixing a wealth of Tea specialist knowledge with leading global insurance capacity.

Who we are

A Consortium of Industry professionals with over 40 Years experience in Africa. We bring together our local knowledge of the Tea Industry with leading global insurance capacity (including Lloyd’s of London).

We provide primarily high value International Cargo and inland Marine Transit coverage, with leading terms at cost effective premiums, underwritten locally by our domestic insurance partners across the continent but 100% reinsured internationally.

See who we work with

Why us

Many Tea companies when transporting their goods from Point A to Point B frequently make the mistake of believing that their goods can be transported risk free. More often than not this is not the case.

If goods are lost in shipping and/or transit these goods may not be properly or fully insured. This is where we and our local partners come in.

We understand the Tea value chain and can source (re)insurance for a wide variety of risks

See how we work

Where do we work

Tea Insurance Africa has partnered with a number of leading insurers and brokers across Africa to provide local policies backed by internationally renowned insurance companies.

We operate across Africa - but with particular focus in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda Burundi, Malawi, DR Congo, Mozambique, Madagascar & Ethiopia.

See where we operate

Working with local partners

We provide specialist insurance products to local Tea markets throughout East Africa ensuring that your clients' Tea risks are appropriately covered. From international shipping, to trade credit insurance - we work with local insurers to ensure the Tea Industry's needs are met.

Our Products:

Tea Insurance Africa - can provide local partners with products that cover the entire Tea value chain from plantation right through to international purchaser:

Marine Cargo (Re)Insurance

We provide to local carriers, through our in-house facility, access to International Cargo covers covering shipments of Tea to almost anywhere in the World from any Warehouse to Warehouse or more normally any Port to Port. We offer limits of up to $5m a shipment

Trade Credit (Re)Insurance

We can offer, though our international connections (re)insurance for the non-payment for, or delivery of, Tea shipments across the globe. Offering limits of up to $22m for Contract Frustration and Political Risk and up to $10m for standalone Credit Risk

Crop & Weather Parametrics

We offer products to local carriers that can provide them with the ability to cover Tea Planation owners against the risk of crop failure and blight due to inclement weather, with payment triggers set to specific individual locations and growing areas

Goods In Transit (Re)Insurance

Through our partners at Africa-GIT we can offer marine inland transit cover to local carrier for tea transporters and logistic firms. Providing limits up to $1m a load we can cover tea shipments by road or rail throughout East Africa

Property (Re)Insurance

Our international partners are able to offer Property insurances to local carriers focusing on the warehousing of the Tea and the storage of Tea before auction

Political Violence & Terrorism

We are able to offer local carrier access to market leading standalone PVT facilities for their inland Tea transits where there current standalone inland GIT coverage is insufficient

Jonathon Lane

Co-Founder & CEO

Jonathon Lane has over 20 years specialist insurance industry experience and owns a fully regulated international insurance brokerage based in London founded in 2021. Jonathon also owns an insurance consultancy business formed in 2010. Jonathon has worked in the UK, US and Bermuda and has consulted to some of the largest insurers globally. Jonathon has extensive insurance industry experience in Africa, having structuring complex insurance transactions and conducted business in the region for over 10 years.

Giles Russell

Co-Founder & Chairman

Giles Russell is the son of a tea planter who worked mainly in Assam, India but ended his career working for George Williamson in Tanzania. Giles therefore has a detailed understanding of tea cultivation and manufacture. He began began his career as a Tea Taster for James Finlay in London before starting a 20 year career in the Royal Hong Kong Police and subsequently moving to South Africa and developing Giles Russell and Associates, a Johannesburg-based risk assessment and loss adjusting company specialising in marine insurance, Goods in Transit and Stock Throughput risks.

The business has taken Giles throughout southern, central and east Africa where he has developed a broad range of contacts with valuable skills relevant to his business.

Giles’s previous involvement in security related matters and his background in tea make him a valuable resource to companies looking to develop their businesses locally and oversea.

The Consortium:

Tea Insurance Africa is a unique consortium between; Abimar Brokers Limited, a London based International Insurance Brokerage who are Appointed Representative of ES Risks Limited which is a Lloyd’s of London registered broker and is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority; and Giles Russell & Associates a specialist Risk Management consultancy based in Johannesburg, South Africa.