Mapping Tea’s Growth Hotspots

Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?

My family has been a part of the Indian Tea Industry for over a century. My maternal grandfather was among the early Indian planters in Assam, and my father carried that legacy forward while working in the tea estates of Assam and West Bengal. Although in my early years I grew up surrounded by tea estates and had a brief glimpse of plantation life, leading me to choose tea ultimately, I took a slightly different career path, albeit within the same world.
After completing my degree in Hotel Management in 2007, I joined M/s. J. Thomas & Company, the world’s oldest tea auctioneers, as a trainee auctioneer. That experience taught me how to connect the art of growing tea with the business of trading it, whilst getting me hooked to the fascinating world of tea tasting.
Over the past 18 years, I’ve worked across many areas of the tea industry, from Tea Auctions to buying and blending, but my core strength—and greatest passion—is tasting. I have trained my palate on teas from a wide range of origins, learning…