Tea Tree Tea Tree (KenyaAustralia)

Why Australia?

Tea tree essential oil is derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree of the Myrtle family. This tree is native only to Australia, where it has existed for tens of thousands of years on Australia’s eastern seaboard, according to fossil records[1]. It has traditionally been used for wellness purposes by First Nation Australians, and at the beginning of WWII, most members of the Australian Army carried a small bottle of Tea Tree essential oil with them. The open woodlands, freshwater lakes, and swamps near the coast, bordered by the Great Dividing Range, create an ideal environment for Melaleuca alternifolia to thrive.

Why Kenya?

Parts of Kenya offer growing conditions similar to Australia, making them ideal for cultivating high-quality Tea Tree. By sourcing from Kenya, doTERRA supports smallholder farmers in rural communities while maintaining premium essential oil standards. The tea tree that doTERRA purchases offers significantly higher returns than staple crops like maize—up to five times more per acre—due to the fair prices our partner pays to farmers, which are often significantly above market price to make it a viable crop. This income boost has encouraged many farmers to transition from conventional crops, using their earnings to purchase food, pay school fees, and support their families with pride. doTERRA’s Kenyan sourcing partner works in regions where most households live below the poverty line, aiming to improve livelihoods through a sustainable tea tree value chain. Today, hundreds of smallholder farmers in Kenya’s coastal region grow tea tree. A third-party audit by Fair for Life® confirmed that these farmers earn more than a living income.

The Harvesting and Production Process – Australia

In Australia, kangaroos run wild in the tea tree plantation . Native kangaroos, wallabies, and domesticated cattle benefit the plantation by eating the weeds that compete with the trees. All water in the distillation process is recycled, and the plantation is one of the very few irrigation-free tea tree farming areas in the world, thanks to its idyllic positioning amongst the tree’s natural habitat. Tea Tree essential oil is derived from the leaves of the plant, which are harvested at least once a year. The tea tree is evergreen and shrub-like. The trees grow from spring through the autumn, with harvesting only done during the Australian winter months, around July, mostly to maximize regrowth during the warmer months. The same trees can be harvested every year because they coppice, or begin to grow again, 3 to 6 weeks after harvest. The sustainable harvesting process , done mechanically, at our sourcing partner’s farm in Australia has allowed the same trees to thrive for more than 25 years, providing high-quality tea tree oil season after season without the need for replanting.

The Harvesting and Production Process – Kenya

In Kenya, tea tree is typically cultivated from seedlings that take about 12 months to reach the first harvest. Afterward, the trees are coppiced every six months, yielding around 8,000 kilos per acre per harvest, usually timed just before the wet season to allow healing and prevent infections. Here, harvesting is done manually with specialized saws, and the biomass is weighed on-site, with farmers paid within 24 hours. Like doTERRA’s Australian sourcing partner, in Kenya, tea tree is mainly rainfed, and re-coppicing of the plant reduces soil disturbance, aiding in protection of the soil microbiome as well as the sequestration of carbon in the soil. The rainfed crop can thrive for over 50 years, offering a long-term income.

At our sourcing partner’s factory in Kenya , the biomass is chipped, weighed, and the leaves are steam distilled for over 2.5 hours, producing 1 kilo of oil per 100 kilos of biomass. It takes approximately 3 pounds of tea tree leaves to produce a 15 mL bottle of doTERRA Tea Tree essential oil, varying by season, region, year, and other variables.

Reducing Waste

No part of the tree is wasted in the process of producing Tea Tree essential oil. In both Australia and Kenya, the steamed tea tree biomass is returned to the farms as mulch to prevent weed growth and deliver important nutrients to the soil. This practice also enhances soil moisture retention and fertility, which supports better yields during dry seasons.

doTERRA Tea Tree Essential Oil Sourcing

Co-Impact Sourcing® Story

Building Supplier Capacity

To ensure quality and sustainability, doTERRA’s sourcing partner in Kenya provides ongoing training in best farming practices, pest management, and soil and water conservation. Internal audits help maintain compliance with Fair for Life standards. Beyond farming, the sourcing partner offers training in nutrition and financial literacy—key to maximizing income impact and promoting food security and healthy living. doTERRA’s sourcing partner also pays a premium that funds community-led projects like beekeeping and livestock rearing, helping farmers diversify their income and enhance their environment. Social Impact

Impact in Australia

In Australia, doTERRA’s oil supply partner has invited doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation Australia & New Zealand to join them in supporting Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services (Liberty). Liberty is a charity that provides specialist support and housing services to women and families affected by domestic and family violence and homelessness in the Port Macquarie Hastings region, where doTERRA sources tea tree essential oil. Victim-Survivors are supported through trauma-informed, culturally safe and accessible services that support long-term recovery while new initiatives will focus on prevention in schools within the area.

Impact in Kenya

The doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation has funded numerous projects in Kenya. Below are projects funded since 2021:

Kiwegu Maternity Unit: Supporting Wellness for Kenyan Farming Communities

In Lunga Lunga, Kenya, where doTERRA sources Tea Tree and Lemon Eucalyptus oils, maternal and child health (MCH) services have historically been limited. Many families, including the 3,500 smallholder farmers who grow these crops, have faced challenges accessing timely and comprehensive care—especially during pregnancy and childbirth.

To address this, doTERRA and its partners improved the Kiwegu Dispensary, the closest health facility to the distillation factory, to accommodate maternity services. The transformation included: A fully equipped maternity wing with:

• A welcoming reception area
• A one-bed delivery room with an obstetric bed and baby cot
• A postpartum room with two beds for recovery and observation
• A kitchenette for patient meals
• A sterilization area for medical equipment
• A cold-storage room for essential medications
• Clean drinking water infrastructure to support hygiene and patient care.

Since its completion in April 2025, the unit has become a vital resource for over 5,000 residents, including 590 households in the Kiwegu catchment area. It complements traditional practices by offering a safe, nearby option for mothers who may face complications or prefer facility-based care.

In addition, in May 2025, doTERRA commissioned a wider project—the Heal Initiative—aimed at addressing mother and child mortality rates within the Lunga Lunga region, and led by Response Med, an expert health care improvement organization. The project distributed 7 point-of-care ultrasound machines and trained 18 medical staff on usage. These kits will go a long way to cover the gaps that exist on access to ultrasound for pregnant women. In addition, medical camps for conducting hydrocele surgeries are being planned to address the hydrocele challenge in the region.

These medical initiatives are already:

• Encouraging more women to seek antenatal care and skilled birth attendance
• Helping reduce maternal and infant mortality in high-risk cases
• Promoting spousal involvement in maternal health
• Providing counseling and nutritional support to address common health concerns like anemia

During the groundbreaking ceremony, local mothers performed a heartfelt skit illustrating the challenges of childbirth without medical support and the hope brought by the new facility. It highlighted how access to care can make a life-saving difference in critical moments, while also inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in healthcare.

To promote long-term sustainability, doTERRA and partners collaborate with the local government, which has committed to staff and maintain the facility. This model of community empowerment and government collaboration supports the wellness of farmers and their families so they can continue to thrive.

Menstrual Hygiene Management

The project was in partnership with Days for Girls® to provide over 2,000 reusable sanitary kits to students in Tea Tree essential oil sourcing areas. The project also had a training component on sexual and reproductive health. doTERRA also partnered with Girls on Fire Leaders to provide training to over 100 girls to reach their full potential by focusing on their growth, quality education, leadership, health and well-being. School Improvement program

This project included construction of river crossing bridge for the students, classrooms, staff quarters, library, toilets and installation of rainwater harvesting systems in Kiwegu and Mwamose primary schools where most children of doTERRA’s partner farmers attend school. The project also constructed a kindergarten school at Majengo mapya. The total number of beneficiaries is 2,200 students.

Scholarship Program

The scholarship program supports high-achieving students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds by covering their secondary school tuition fees. From 2019 to 2023, the program supported 31 students and in 2024, 27 new students were added to the program. In total, 58 students from doTERRA’s partner farming communities have benefited from the scholarship, 22 boys and 36 girls. Marenje Primary School Project (doTERRA Brazil Sponsored)

This leader-led Co-Impact Sourcing® project entailed construction of sanitation facilities, painting of the classrooms, and installation of a solar powered water distribution system for the Marenje Primary School. The school is the main education facility for the majority of the tea tree farmers.

Safe Drinking Water in Schools

This project connected Kiwegu Primary and Marenje Primary schools with safe drinking water from a nearby source. Equally, Mwamose primary school received a pipeline of treated water from the community water project. The schools now has access to safe drinking water for over 3,000 school children.

Community Water Treatment Project

The Community Water Treatment Project in Lunga Lunga involved the installation and commissioning of a reverse osmosis water treatment plant to purify low-quality groundwater for safe drinking. Community members continue to access clean water from a kiosk at a subsidized rate of KES 15 per 20-liter jerrycan. The project has become self-sustained, with a steadily increasing demand for safe drinking water each month.

Landless Project

The Landless Project is designed to perpetually give families without land titles and households, interested in joining the project, an opportunity to own land to better their lives and those of their children. The project secured 235 acres for commercial farming and an additional 300 acres for residential resettlement. Participants in the program are allocated one acre within the commercial farming area, where they cultivate crops such as ylang ylang. They earn a monthly income from their farming activities, with a portion of their earnings set aside to gradually pay for a plot in the resettlement area, which they eventually own. The plan directs that once a participant has completed the program and received a title deed, they would exit the project to make room for new beneficiaries. Graduates would also have the option to continue farming as independent out growers on their newly acquired land.

Community Based Organizations Livelihoods Projects

This project entails supporting farmers organized in groups to implement livelihoods projects including bee keeping, livestock rearing and poultry, and an environmental project focusing on mangrove restoration around the Landless Project Farm. Covid-19 Response in Schools and Health Care Facilities

This project improved access to water for hygiene and sanitation in one of the primary schools and a dispensary. The project entailed drilling of a borehole and installation of permanent handwashing facilities in the school and connection of the dispensary to a clean water supply source.

Community Meeting Hall

The hall was constructed to provide a meeting venue for all farmers and the wider community. The hall continues to be used for trainings and other community and farmer meetings.

Dental Clinic Camp

A free dental clinic camp was held on November 26, 2023, at the Kutoka-Ardhini Lunga Lunga Community Social Hall, sponsored by doTERRA’s sourcing partner in collaboration with Kenya Dental Association, Kutoka-Ardhini Ltd, and doTERRA Healing Hands. The event featured 10 stations—4 for consultation and 6 for treatment—set up in private booths. Ten dentists, supported by two nurses, attended to 224 patients, including 14 children. Services included consultations, extractions, and referrals for advanced care like scaling, fillings, and X-rays. Attendees received dental hygiene education, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. The camp emphasized the importance of oral hygiene and was well received by the community, with requests for future events.

Water Maintenance Trust Fund

This project entailed supporting a local enterprise to provide repair and maintenance services to water points, mainly handpumps, that are used by the communities. The local partner maintains the water systems, keeping them operational 24/7, and all repairs are done within 3 days.

Climate Change Adaptation: AgriFi Challenge Fund

In December of 2021, doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation contributed to the AgriFi (Agriculture Finance) Kenya Challenge Fund Project in partnership with doTERRA’s sourcing partner and in-country NGO to improve the capacity of smallholder farmers in sourcing areas to practice environmentally sustainable and climate smart agriculture for essential oil value chains including Tea Tree, Lemon Eucalyptus, and Geranium. This multi-year program supported smallholder farmers in three ways:

1. Expansion of the smallholder farming network on both regions
2. Improving access to irrigation water for farmers
3. Improving food security and nutrition for farmers

In addition to donations from the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation, the sourcing partner has established a Community Development Fund in Kenya. For every kilogram of essential oil produced by its farmer cooperatives, a portion of revenue is set aside in a fund overseen by the cooperatives themselves to finance livelihood development projects at their discretion.

[1] CSIRO PUBLISHING | Australian Journal of Botany Reproductive biology of Melaleuca alternifolia (Myrtaceae) 1. Floral biology by L. Baskorowati A D , M. W. Moncur B , J. C. Doran C and P. J. Kanowski A

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