You’d think a cup of tea is the simplest pleasure in the world. Hot water, a handful of leaves, five quiet minutes. Done.
But under that peaceful swirl in your mug? There’s a whole nitrogen story bubbling away - and it’s not as calm as it looks.
So, where’s the drama?
Let’s spill it:
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Tea plants are hungry. They crave nitrogen to grow those crisp green leaves.
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Farmers help out — with fertilizer. Usually the synthetic kind, pulled from fossil fuels.
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Here’s the twist: plants don’t use all that nitrogen. A good chunk washes away every time it rains.
Where does it go? Not into your teapot — but into rivers, then lakes, then the ocean. Algae throws a party. Fish lose their breath. Whole patches of ocean turn silent.
Your tea didn’t ask for that — but here we are.
A small leaf with a big footprint
Billions of people sip tea, coffee, or cocoa every single day.
Billions never see:
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The fertilizer bills that bleed farmers dry
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The soil that loses its spark year after year
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The rivers that carry the excess away, whether we want them to or not
But here’s the good news: we can grow smarter.
No shame for the farmer — they’re doing what they have to do.
The fix? Better tools. Smarter soil. Less leak, more yield.
We’re field-testing Green Lightning — a simple tech that helps crops make more of their own nitrogen.
Think of it as a tiny factory underground.
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Less fertilizer bought
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Less runoff lost
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More profit kept
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Cleaner rivers, cleaner oceans
Your cup of tea stays the same — maybe tastes even sweeter.
So, next time you sip your tea…
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Give a tiny nod to the nitrogen.
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Think about the farmer up on that hillside.
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And maybe ask: What if the soil did more of the work?
Tea shouldn’t poison rivers. Farmers shouldn’t lose money to runoff. Oceans shouldn’t pay the price for our morning cup.
We believe we can fix this — one crop, one field, one mug at a time.
Farm Forward - Let's Grow Together!
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