EVERYBODY'S CUP OF TEA

Fourth-generation tea entrepreneur Bala Sarda parted ways with his family business to set up VAHDAM Teas at the age of 23. He spills the tea on the global reach of his home-grown brand, making it to Oprah’s favourites, and a new travel range.

- RASHIMA NAGPAL

Were you always keen on carrying forward your family legacy?

While tea has been an integral part of my life, I didn’t think of carrying forward my family legacy in the tea business. I have always been very entrepreneurial. Even in the early days, I wanted to create value and do something of my own. In college, I founded two student start-ups. Soon after I graduated, I started looking for my ‘big idea’. While I was brainstorming, incidentally, I ended up going to my family’s holiday home in Darjeeling—the land where the world’s finest teas grow. I visited the tea estates and got a chance to interact with various stakeholders in the industry, including veterans, tea growers, and even the customers. It was then that I realised there was something amiss. I saw an opportunity to add value. To gain a better understanding of the tea industry and its supply chain, I decided to join my family business for a couple of years, and finally in 2015, I launched VAHDAM (vahdamteas.in).

What was the thought process behind VAHDAM Teas?

India grows some of the finest teas in the world. In fact, it makes up 25-30 per cent of the world’s overall production. Unfortunately, there has been no home-grown brand to come out of India. Also, most Indian teas pass through multiple middlemen and are exported as a commodity to foreign brands and companies, who then add value and ultimately sell it to consumers globally. Additionally, tea is also the second largest employer of organised labour in India. Due to the absence of a home-grown brand and value addition, this massive industry is plagued with issues like low wages. This is why I decided to create VAHDAM Teas.