In a move that could serve as a wake-up call to the tea industry to improve its marketing techniques, the Tea Board of India hosted a meeting of young entrepreneurs, who narrated innovative ideas to make tea appealing to the youth.
The speakers were mostly founders of start-ups such as TeaBox, Chai Point and Chaayos.
Noting that the per capita tea consumption in India was low at 786 grams annually, ITA secretary general Arijit Raha told The Hindu that there was scope for increasing consumption through value-addition. “Through our earlier promotional campaigns on college campuses, we have seen the demand for tea-based drinks,” said Sujit Patra, ITA secretary.
“In these days, it is important to establish a consumer connect,” Director - Tea Promotion, Tea Board, S. Soundararajan said.
Shift in focus
Pointing out that increasing domestic demand and exports were crucial, Tea Board Deputy Chairman Arun Kumar Ray indicated that the regulator may shift its focus from output augmentation to market promotion.
Mr. Ray said that Tea Board was also reviving advisory body Tea Council of India, which will carry out random sampling of tea to ensure compliance with FSSAI norms.