The East African Tea Trade Association is a voluntary organization bringing together Tea Producers, Buyers (Exporters), Brokers, Tea Packers and Warehouses, all working to promote the best interests of the Tea Trade in Africa. Currently, membership comprises over two hundred member companies extending across the East and Central African borders.

These are member companies involved in the tea planting, farming, harvesting and production of tea. The companies do production, trading and value addition of tea. Producers teas are presented by brokers at the Weekly Tea Auction held in Mombasa. The factory/farmers owns the registration mark, sends a sample of their produce to brokers in Mombasa who then send the samples to buyers for evaluation before the auction day.

Mombasa has gained a reputation as a centre for some of the best CTC top grades in the world and an international blending floor with teas coming from within and outside Africa for blending. The variety of quality and progressively increased quantities offered have made Mombasa the second largest black tea auction centre in the world.

The Warehouse's function is in keeping physical custody of the tea to safeguard the interests of both the Producer and the Buyer. In this respect, the Warehouse acts at one time as the agent of the Producer and at another time the Buyer's agent. His involvement with the tea starts on the day the Producer's lorry arrives with the tea until the time the tea is placed in the vessel for onward transmission to the final consuming country.