The Hindu Business Line : Premier's Tea to open more `tea boutiques'

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Ahmedabad Feb. 12 The Kolkata-based Premier's Tea Ltd is opening `tea boutiques' at Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore and offering franchises at other places to popularise premium export-quality brands of the drink in the domestic niche market.

The company, whose turnover in 2005-06 was Rs 15 crore, opened its boutique "Tea Moods" in Ahmedabad recently, its third after New Delhi and Jaipur. It would offer nearly 30 varieties and brands to the connoisseurs of the beverage, its Director, Mr Chayan H. Shah, told Business Line.

The idea to open such boutiques, like coffee shop chains, is to tap the burgeoning domestic niche market.

He said the company, started in 1988, was procuring thefinest tea from all three centres in India — Darjeeling, the Nilgiris and Assam — and its current production was about 200 tonnes per annum. Ninety-five per cent of this is exported but now the company is making efforts to popularise its premium brands, priced up to Rs 5,000 a kilo, in Indian cities also where the number of connoisseurs is increasing. Various fruit, flower or spice-flavoured tea varieties would be available in attractive packages at the boutiques.

The boutiques would not be the usual showrooms or sales counters but would act as tasting and advice centres for the customers before they decide to buy a particular brand. Each day, a few select brands would be offered, Mr Shah added.

An ISO 9001:2000 certified company, Premier's Tea Ltd has factory at Kolkata and overseas offices in Japan, France, Thailand and Singapore. It is to open an office in Moscow soon. The company is an organic tea packer company and a Governmentrecognised export house, he added.