Maison Kanthé, African tea from tradition to international conquest
From events to tea ceremonies
Maïmouna Kanté-Quentrec’s career path is that of an entrepreneur driven by a deep need for autonomy and respect. As a teenager, she took her first professional steps as a model and hostess. Faced with what she saw as unfair treatment, this early experience prompted her to set up her first events services company. Her aim was to ensure that her employees were properly remunerated and respected in the workplace – the first proof of her social commitment.
Later, after studying aesthetics and perfume in France, she switched to the salaried side, but the quest for independence led her to create her own structures.
However, her true vocation lay in tea. Initially intrigued by the culture of white tea and the great Asian vintages, she soon realized that a thousand-year-old tradition also existed on the continent: the Ataya ceremony. Noticing that waiters in France lacked knowledge of the beverage they were serving, Maïmouna made transmission her new driving force.
Attaya, a social bond at the heart of African identity
The brand, initially named Comptoir des Thés, was eventually renamed Maison Kanthé, a tribute to the family name that evokes Guinean pride and heritage. The objective is clear: to legitimize Africa’s place in the tea industry. The entrepreneur points out that, with countries such as Kenya and Rwanda, Africa is the world’s third-largest tea producer, a reality too often obscured by Asian imaginations.
Maison Kanthé focuses on African teas of exceptional quality and on promoting Ataya. This ceremony, an integral part of West and North African cultures (Senegal, Mali, Mauritania), is not just a drink, but a genuine moment of social bonding and sharing.
To deconstruct clichés and pass on this culture, Maïmouna Kanté-Quentrec came up with the pioneering idea of offering Ataya workshops for companies and individuals, often via platforms such as Wecandoo. These teambuilding workshops aim to recreate that moment of connection when participants leave their titles at the door to (re)discover each other in a different way, as they would over tea in Africa.
The “Queen of Africa” collection and the conquest of the continent
Maison Kanthé, distributed by Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, recently took a strategic step forward with the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for its new “Queen of Africa” range.
This collection is more than just a product extension; it’s a manifesto. It pays tribute to the powerful female figures of the African continent, often overlooked by Western role models. The funding enabled the introduction of new, higher-quality packaging and, above all, biodegradable and compostable sachets, reaffirming the brand’s environmental and societal commitment.
The next major challenge for Maison Kanthé is to establish its presence in Africa, where distribution is not yet established. Senegal is the first country targeted for the introduction of this new tea collection. Maïmouna Kanté-Quentrec is pursuing her ambition to make Maison Kanthé the tea house that invites you to discover Africa in all its richness.
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