STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 45 TEA BAG MACHINERY FOR IMMEDIATE SALE ACMA T-2 ACMA T-4 ACMA T-10 IMA C-2000 IMA C-23 All in running condition & presently in Production lines Contact PCL Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. Tel: +94 772 342741 & +94 777 761704 thushantha.karunanayake@pclsolutions.lk chappel.fernando@pclsolutions.lk production in the 1960s, but it became a tea for blending, and not a tea to put Kangra on the map. New gen One of Kangra's other resources is a new generation of plant- ers and entrepreneurs who are committed to reviving the tea industry. They display a greater unity and camaraderie than seen among tea growers elsewhere. They have chosen to diversify — into producing specialty tea, going retail, hosting tea tour- ism. These initiatives have become value streams, and they have helped Kangra gain mindshare among consumers. The Wah Tea Estate, owned by the Prakash family, culti- vates tea on 182 hectares (450 acres). Located in Palampur, the estate produces orthodox black tea, green tea, and specialty tea. In 2016 Surya Prakash and his wife Upasana started an epony- mous retail brand. In 2019, they decided to shift base from Kolkata to Kangra to become resident planters. It allowed them to start a hospital- ity wing, The Lodge at Wah, which offers six rooms. Himachal's Land Ceiling Act prohibits the use of estate land for a resort or any other purpose besides tea planting, so the lodge itself is across the road. Guests can tour the estate, picnic, or taste tea at the on-site lounge. There is also a cafe overlooking the garden. Wah Estate's retail arm and hospitality have generated new rev- enues and brought more attention to its tea. Another prominent Kangra name is Dharmsala Tea Com- pany, which owns the estates of Mann, Hoodla, and Towa. It is located about an hour from Palampur, at a higher elevation, in Dharamsala. It too, has a retail arm offering a range of teas, including infusions and herbal blends. The brand's packaging features illustrations using Kangra's distinctive style of minia- ture painting. Dharmsala Tea Company also offers hospitality, including tea tours, tea blending sessions, and tea picnics. An estate called Manjhee Valley has 101 hectares (250 acres) under tea cultivation, owned by the family of Anamika Singh, a popular tea sommelier. Their brand, Anandini Himalaya Tea, offers a range of single-estate teas and flavored blends. The Raipur Tea Estate has been owned by the Sud family for a few generations, but it had long been closed down. In 2006, Rajeev Sud, who was born in Singapore, decided to move to Kangra to revive the factory. Although he relies mostly on bulk production for sale at the Kolkata auction, he created a brand called Himalayan Brew that is known for innovation. "We have a large retail chain and a fully functional package unit. While some of our tea goes to auctions and some to our brand, we also experiment constantly. I travel abroad every year to see what's happening outside, come back and experiment." The new gen planters took their first steps toward building a market by promoting it at home in Kangra, where consumers needed to be introduced to the style and flavors of local tea. It is slowly finding its footing and making its presence known else- where. Sud takes this mission seriously, hosting pop-ups where he offers novel products like green tea gelato, nine-spice masala gelato, and kombucha. Challenges Kangra struggles to hire enough skilled labor. Pluckers are all migrant workers from Jharkhand State. The factories need tea makers having experience. Distribution is also a problem. Cur- rently, all tea produced here is trucked to Kolkata some 2,000 ki- lometers away. The journey is long and expensive. Cargo trans- port costs as much as Rs 12–15 per kilogram of tea. Some planters are pessimistic about the tea estate business. Dinesh Butail's family arrived here in the 1800s and worked on tea estates as managers before becoming planters themselves. They established the Bundla Tea Estate in 1947. Today, they cultivate tea on 252 hectares. He says that the high cost of run- ning a large tea estate makes it unviable. He believes that "qual- ity tea" could help save Kangra if properly developed. But real estate and hospitality, not tea, will probably end up rescuing the valley, as seen on the eastern side of the Himalayas in Darjeel- ing. He notes that in its heyday, Kangra had many times as much land under tea as today. Buyers are more optimistic. Many believe that Kangra's leaf and bush quality are assets that can be developed using better agronomy and manufacturing. There needs to be a way to create newer and more viable business models, for both the estates and the increasingly dominant small tea growers. Production volume needs to be increased. Given these conditions, Kangra could be positioned as a niche producer, with an emphasis on its green tea. It should not mimic Darjeeling, lest it be seen merely as a substitute for the better-known origin. Kangra needs to reclaim its place in the Indian tea spectrum. Says Sarda, of Golden Tips: "I like Kangra tea for its unique taste and fragrance, attributed to seasonal va- rieties. The first flush black tea is preferred for its light liquor, subtle aroma, and fruity flavor." His company was established in Darjeeling in 1935, but he buys Kangra tea to offer his custom- ers options from the western Himalayas. Ultimately, Kangra's biggest strength and unique selling proposition is its green tea. With a strong and long legacy of green tea production, with leaf that is ideally suited to make this style of tea, and with a market that can be explored, Kangra's green tea could well reinvigorate the local industry.

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