U.K.-based premium tea company Newby Teas on Thursday entered the Indian branded tea market.
“In the first year, we will have presence in eight major cities and gradually expand it 15 cities and towns in the next three years. We will be introducing 50 varieties in India priced between Rs.800 and Rs.25,000 a kg,” Newby India Chief Operating Officer Aniruddha Sen told journalists here. Globally, Newby sells over 200 varieties of teas, and in India the company would gradually be introducing 150 varieties in next three years.
In India, the company planned to enter through the Horeca, a big brand in hotels, restaurant and the catering sector, and then followed it up with retail presence in lifestyle chain, Mr. Sen said, adding that Newby planned to open its own tea boutique soon. Newby India had already invested about Rs.25 crore in setting up a research and packaging facility in Kolkata with a capacity of about 360 tonnes a day. The company also had planned to invest about Rs.20 crore in the next financial year to ramp up its operations in India, he said.
