High on Chai

Tea is one of the most popular drinks globally, which is consumed in various forms in different parts of the world. The global market for tea reached a volume of 6.2 million tons in 2018 and is expected to touch 7.58 million tons by 2024. In India, however, its consumption is pretty low as compared to several other countries. There is thus ample opportunity for entrepreneurs to increase the per capita consumption of this beverage by popularising this drink among the youth. This can be done by opening up more tea shops/lounges serving a variety of tea. They could also start marketing of packaged tea under their own brand. Ashok Malkani discusses about the low consumption of tea and how it can be popularised in the country.

- Ashok Malkani

British writer and lay theologian, Clive Staples Lewis said, “you can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” That is a perfect sentiment that one can think of for a nice cup of tea. This beverage, which comes in a wide variety of different flavours is one of the most popular drinks in India.

The British love the tea so much that they have specifically marked afternoon time as ‘tea time’. Legend has it that afternoon tea was created by Anna Maria, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. She is believed to experience a ‘sinking’ feeling around 4pm every afternoon; so she asked her maid to bring her tea and a slice of bread and butter to tide over the period between lunch and dinner. She found that tea was the perfect refreshment and asked her friends to join her. This quickly became a popular social event and the English afternoon tea was born.

In India, ‘Chai’ is more than just a cup of tea to start the day. It is an integral part of the rhythm of life. Tea is India’s most popular drink. It is not just a drink for the Indians but a ritual, a celebration or, one may say, a diversion from the regular mundane affairs. Tea is, today, among the most popular drinks in the country. No wonder India has a consumption of 837,000 tonnes per year.

India is the second-largest producer of tea (only behind China) but there is so much demand that 70% of the production is consumed within the country. No wonder December 15 is celebrated as International Tea Day in India. It has been celebrated, since 2005, in tea producing countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania.