Satemwa was founded in 1923 by Maclean Kay, who was a rubber planter from Malaya where he worked from 1910 after emigrating from Ayreshire, Scotland. He bought Satemwa (then called Hunterston) from Timunke. It was one of the original 74 certificates of claim that were registered in 1892 with Sir Alfred Sharpe, the then Cousul General resident at Chinde on the mouth of the Zambezi.

His first agricultrual venture was tobacco which had been grown on the Satemwa Estate since the turn of the century. Some of the original Eucalyptus planted in 1895 remains to this day. In 1924, Maclean Kay planted Satemwa's first Camellia sinensis nurseries and in 1926 established the first tea field on Satemwa. Part of this field is kept as a museum stand to this day and remains one of the companies highest yielding fields!

In 1928 Maclean Kay introduced the first Camellia sinensis var.assamica seed into the Nyasaland tea industry from India. (This seed formed the basis of expansion until the late 1960's). This original tea was planted 'seed at stake' between rows of planted tobacco. Two seasons of tobbacco were harvested in order to generate cash flow to sustain the business through the first 2/3 years before any tea leaf could be harvested from the bushes.

The first leaf was transported by head load to a neighbouring factory (5kms away!), until the present factory was built in 1937.

During the great depression of 1929-34, Maclean Kay worked for Don & Ross (a Glasgow based company) as a means of survival. He worked on Mianga estate at this time and was able to visit Satemwa every weekend to monitor progress. In 1929 maclean Kay married Flora Jean Moffat - Baiely and had three children; Alexander Cathcart Kay, Robert Gordon (Chip) Cathcart Kay and Juliet Cathcart Kay, all of whom were born at Namireme house on Mianga. In 1934, they returned to Satemwa to rebuild their home (which had been destroyed by fire in the interim), now the Guest House.

Tea Factory

The Tea Factory has been through many interesting changes of technology. It started out with rollers and tray driers driven by steam powered line shaft producing orthodox teas. All equipment was of indian design and made in the UK by such names as; Davidsons of Belfast.

In 1959 electrical power was installed and this followed soon after by the introduction of pressure troughs - an idea bought from a visit to Kivu in the eastern Congo.

Energy for heating (drying of tea) has also been through many changes, starting with indeginous timber (which came from the fields that were being cleared to plant tea) for firing indirect heaters. The first consignements of coal from the new mine at moatize (Mozambique) became avialable in 1953. This inferior quality was later repalced by Hwange coal from Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). The latest change came during the Mozambiquean civil war. The rail links from Malawi to the coast and Zimbabwe were severed in 1981 and after a full circle, wood (although now sustainably grown in our own managed woodlots), is again the source of energy used for drying the tea.

Land Purchases

In 1945, Mwalanthunzi was purchased from the Blantyre and East Africa Co. one of the original land holding companies formed after the arrival of the early Scottish Missions during the 19th century.

In 1949, Sambankhanga was purchased from Mrs. Adele Price. Originally a tobacco estate, tea had been planted on it since 1929 and it had been managed for the owner by Maclean Kay since 1941.

Coffee

Coffee has been grown in Malawi since 1876 when the Scots mission introduced seed into the Blantyre-Zomba area. By 1900 Nyasaland was exporting over 1,000 tons of coffee per year, and after reaching highs of +/- 7,000tons in the late 1990's, the current Malawi crop estimate is<2,000tons!!

McKinnon was responsible for the development of coffee machinery used in pulping coffee to this day. He started a club in Tyhyolo (on the site of the current PTA) offices, which records show closed in 1905 due to lack of support. Mckinnon's house site is the present house site of Chip Cathcart Kay.

The original coffee plantings of the 19th century are lost to history, although the original coffee factory site is known, as there was a post office built on the same site (before the post office was moved to the Boma). Pests, Disease and lack of knowledge brought about the demise of the first phase of coffee in the country.

In 1971, coffee was reintroduced and remains to this day.

 Innovations

In 1941 Satemwa built the first 4 houses in the tea industry with glass windows and a non-grass roof. Apparently within a few weeks all the windows were bricked up as the new inhanitants were unused to this strange phenomenum! Unfortunalty there was now no ventilation (that would normaly have been provided by a traditional grass roof) for smoke to escape and a child was asphixiated. An early example of development (influenced from external forces) not fitting in with prevailing local culture