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Wagh Bakri Tea Group, the country’s third largest packaged tea company with a turnover of over ₹1,000 crore, announced its entry into Karnataka on Thursday, its second foray into the southern market after Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in December 2014. The company launched its flagship premium brand Wagh Bakri, premium economy brand Mili and economy brand Navchetan in Bengaluru on Thursday and plans to launch super premium brand Good Morning, its first international blend of teas from Kenya, Sri Lanka and Assam next month.
Product rangeThe 15 SKUs (stock keeping units) launched, include premium CTC leaf tea, dust tea, instant spiced teas with seven Indian spices and instant iced teas in orange and lemon flavours.
“Bengaluru will play a very important role in our strategy for South India. After successfully introducing Wagh Bakri tea and gaining acceptance in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we are confident that the cosmopolitan population in the city, which is home to the cream of the nation’s talent, will accept our premium brand Wagh Bakri with great fervour,” said Parag Desai, Executive Director, Wagh Bakri Tea Group.
Expansion plansThe company, which claims to enjoy leading market presence in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Hyderabad, recently entered Chhattisgarh and Goa.
Asked when the company plans to launch its teas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Desai said, “Once we consolidate our sales and distribution in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we will enter the other two southern states.”
The company sources its tea from India, SriLanka and Africa; distributes 45 million kg of tea, of which 5 per cent is exported while the rest is for domestic consumption across 11 states.
Second plantRasesh Desai, Managing Director, Wagh Bakri Tea Group told BusinessLine that the company is considering setting up a second tea blending plant in South India and is looking for land in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the same.
The company has a modern, eco-friendly tea blending plant spanning 90,000 sq metres and an NABL accredited laboratory for quality control, 45 km away from Ahmedabad.
To popularise the Wagh Bakri brand, educate consumers on how to brew and serve tea as well as introduce the Indian palate to teas from around the world, the company opened its first 5 Star Tea Lounge in Jaipur in 2005 and has grown the footprint to 9 Tea Lounges in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Goa.
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