by loeyteaLOEYTEA IN ASSAM
06 May, 2024In April 2024, we traveled to India. It had been eight years since we started our TEA company, Clayton. While we are still relatively new compared to well-established brands with histories spanning 30 or 100 years, our journey has been far from easy.
One of the initial and most significant challenges was finding reliable suppliers and partners. We had to establish factories and import tea bag machines while advancing on multiple fronts simultaneously.
Currently, our partners include Sri Lanka, India, China, and Germany. Sri Lanka and India supply black tea, China provides Chinese tea, and Germany offers various herbal refining services. The tea industry is vast and global, involving large-scale operations across extensive plantations.
To build trust in our products’ taste, we began by focusing on both historical and operational scale. Our partner in India is a leading exporter with five plantations in Assam, plus an additional one acquired in 2022, bringing the total to six plantations, which include both tea fields and refining factories. For our Breakfast Blend, Assam, and Assam CTC, we cultivate directly without going through auctions, importing only the appropriate amount for the current year.
Most Indian teas, like those from Sri Lanka, are distributed through auctions, similar to other agricultural products, both domestically and internationally. Each company selects quantities based on tasting and requirements. In the case of Darjeeling, large-scale cultivation in mountainous areas is challenging, so we purchase the necessary quantity from auctions. All Indian teas are evaluated by a taster with 22 years of experience.
During our visit to India for discussions on black tea, we recorded our visit to the sixth plantation with the manager. For our international sales efforts, we are engaged in activities such as trademark applications for LOEYTEA, participating in exhibitions, and developing our YouTube channel and Amazon store. We aim to provide meaningful content on YouTube, including field trip footage, reflecting our past experience as a documentary producer.
We captured the manufacturing process of black tea and scenes from the tea fields, which were truly beautiful and pure.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our customers who consistently choose and support us. Thank you.