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L.N. Revathy

Coimbatore , Oct. 5

WATERFALL Estates in the Anamallais is coming up with vacuum packaging for bulk teas. The exercise is aimed at maintaining the aroma and preventing tea adulteration, says Mr C.D. Ganapathi, General Manager of Waterfall Estate (West) Private Ltd.

The first batch of the vacuum-packed bulk tea has been catalogued for sale no 42 from the Kochi auction centre.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Ganapathi said the estate was planning to switch over to vacuum packaging in toto. "Bulk teas are usually transported in jute bags. This results in the teas losing its flavour over a period of time because of oxidation. Our thrust has been in maintaining the garden fresh flavour and in supplying quality teas to the buyers. So we decided on vacuum packaging and transporting the bulk quantities in cartons. A carton of the dust grade tea will contain 54 kg while the leaf grade will be in 35 kg pack," he said.

Mr Ganapathi said to facilitate retail sale, the company proposed to place 250 gm packets in the cartons.

The company has invested Rs 7 lakh on a vacuum packaging plant, Mr Ganapathi said and suggested that the Tea Board could support such initiatives by extending a subsidy, as these were measures aimed at quality enhancement.

It has in the last two years spent close to Rs 2 crore on modernisation of plant and machinery, after availing itself of the quality upgradation subsidy from Tea Board.

"The investment on the vacuum packaging plant is expected to increase our cost by Rs 2 a kg, but we are confident of the quality and aroma of the teas from Waterfall Estates," Mr Ganapathi said.

Waterfall Estates made a clean sweep of the CTC grades - Leaf, fanning and Dust - at the Golden Leaf India Awards.

The annual production of tea from the estates garden spread over 600 hectares is around 2 million kg. The average monthly offer at Kochi auction is around 80,000 kg and around 20,000 kg at the Coimbatore and Coonoor auction centres. The rates hover around Rs 65/kg at present.

It has two-product offering - `Waterfall Premium' and `Waterfall Amrit'.

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