The Himalayan Times_PERSPECTIVES

March 6, 2016

Himalayan News Service                    

Kathmandu 

 A sip of the home grown

Local tea brands take an encouraging leap forward

Tea is the most consumed beverage in all households and there are plenty of variety and brands in the market to choose from. Nepal produces teas that are unique in appearance, aroma and taste. In Nepal one can find two types of teas — Orthodox tea which is flavourful, light in colour, and is produced in less quantity and CTC tea which is strong in colour, subtle aroma and produced in high quantity. Some of the well known local tea brands are Rakura, Tokla, Shakun and Muna.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Neeraj Rathi, Owner of Rakura Tea, says that he envisaged a brand that would encompass the nation’s finest teas and worked towards promoting and creating more appreciation on a collective level, around the globe. He says, “ It would have to stand tall amidst the finest brands of the world and yet be different. A vision that would create lasting sustainability and rejuvenate the whole Nepali tea market.” According to him, every feature of the Rakura brand of teas has been carefully researched, contemplated and executed.

From their collective tea experience of a 100 years in only selecting, perfecting and packaging the finest teas either from their own estates or through joining hands with other finer tea- producing estates to their gamble in using the latest technology in tea bags where the flavour of their teas would disperse from five sides instead of two or their pledge to using only the best food safe raw materials in packaging, their aspiration has always been to present consumers with the finest Himalayan tea experience. 

Rathi shares, “ We deem that it’s not just about drinking quality tea but our attention to details that strive to amaze you.” Rakura Tea understands the flexible demand and consumers’ need to have a variety of options in one brand. Some of Rakura brand of teas currently consists of 11 varieties of teas in both certified organic and conventional form through 18 SKUs divided into three segments, namely the SUPREME line of premium loose teas, CLASSIC Line of premium tea bags and Premium Natural Tea infusions in tea bags. Classic Green Tea and Classic CTC ( milk tea) sees the most demand in the market, Rathi says.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT 

Shakun Tea has been in the market for 32 years now and focuses on quality management from plucking raw tea leaves to final packaging. CEO of Shakun Tea, Ashwini Agrawal says, “ More than production, tea’s sampling and proper testing is more important to conserve the natural flavour and colour of the final tea.” In his view, brand can be upgraded through advertising in print media or audio- visual media but the most crucial part is awareness among consumers about local tea.

He says, “ The demand for CTC tea is high in the local market because consumers in Nepal like to drink milk tea with strong colour and flavour. Teenpate Special tea, Teenpate Illam Caddy and Nepal Caddy are some of the most sought after teas in the market.” 

LONG LASTING IMPRESSION

Muna Tea present over 30 years in the Nepali market has been a brand of choice for consumers in terms of quality and taste. Dinesh Saria, Director of Muna Tea, says, “ We always try our best to cater to all segments of Nepali society with our various brands like Muna, Welcome, Bihani and Royal Assam. Our pricing is also different for our different brands. So this helps supply to small tea hawkers to high end customers.” According to Saria, their signature brand is Muna, which is one of the oldest brands in Nepal.

It has a huge mass following, especially in the remote towns and villages. He says, “ There are markets where our Muna brand still holds 90 per cent market share. Then our relatively newer brand is Welcome Tea which was launched around a decade ago. It is popular in many urban markets and holds majority sales in some towns like Hetauda and Dharan. Our other products are Bihani Tea and Royal Assam. Royal Assam is our most premium tea which caters to tea lovers and tea- connoisseurs looking for a quality cup of CTC tea. We blend Nepali tea with the world famous Assamese tea to get this premium blend.”

 When consumers understand that the quality maintained in international tea brands are also maintained by local tea brands then Nepali tea brands definitely takes an encouraging leap forward, he says. Saria says, “ Very soon we are looking forward to launching our Green Tea segment. Our Green Tea is certified organic tea coming from the best gardens in Nepal. This will be a very healthy option for consumers who are weight conscious and health focused. We are also looking to innovate and automate in our back- end processes to give world class look and feel to our products.” 

BRANDING AT ITS BEST 

Harsh Sanghai, Senior Associate, Tokla Tea says, “ Our brand advantage is its persisting quality maintenance in every product. The brand speaks about trust, that’s why Tokla never compromises in branding.” Tokla Tea enjoys 25 per cent of market share by producing varieties like Tokla Gold, Tokla Rich and Tokla Premium Long Leaf Green Tea. According to Sanghai, they are more focused on in- store advertising like placing eye- catching displays of Tokla through attractive packaging and through wet sampling so that customers can provide immediate response.

“ Tokla Tea is not only limited to operating locally but also exports to countries like Australia, America, Russia and India. Our Tokla Premium Long Leaf Green Tea is becoming more popular among consumers because our green tea consists of powerful antioxidants which help consumer to overcome various health problems,” he adds.

All local tea brands are easily available in different outlets of departmental stores like Bhat Bhateni Supermarket, Saleways Department Store, Salesberry et cetera .