AMBOOTIA MADE IN INDIA he hill station of Darjeeling of Darjeeling tea—be it for the quality, on the foothills of the flavour and depth of their range, the Himalayas, also known sustainable practices being followed by Tea Time with Fine Wine of as Queen of the Hills, has them or their reputation for reviving Darjeeling Tea been a favoured summer sick tea estates. • Darjeeling tea has a unique Muscatel Tretreat since the days of the British Raj. According to Bansal, the tea garden flavour favoured by connoisseurs. Darjeeling promises a number of exotic model basically depends on leveraging • Darjeeling produces around 10 million and enthralling experiences that would two critical and long term factors of kg of tea annually. stay with you for a lifetime—a ride in production—land and workers. He • Ambootia Tea Estate produces 180,000 kg the toy train, the view of the sunrise firmly believes that if tea gardens don’t of tea annually. over the Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill, do well, the reason generally is bad • First Flush Darjeeling tea is grown in a walk across the Chowrasta, a treat of entrepreneurship or bad management. mid-March. The spring variety of tea is hot chocolate at Keventer’s, a visit to the If both these factors of production are a connoisseur’s must have. It has light Buddhist monastery at Ghoom and cared for, the tea estate business is quite green colour, light floral or earthy flavour of course, a visit to any of its mystical lucrative in the long run. and is mildly astringent. Each garden has tea gardens. To improve the productivity of the its own signature first flush Darjeeling tea. Tea from Darjeeling has an exalted farm, Ambootia Tea Group adopted • The Champagne of Tea, is believed stature in the pecking order for tea the biodynamic method of farming. to be blessed by the wind that blows connoisseurs worldwide. Around Interestingly, this holistic farming there which is said to be the breath of 10 million kg of this tea is produced practice, which was initiated by Austrian Lord Shiva and watered by river Ganga annually. For its unique and exquisite scientist and philosopher Dr Rudolf flowing from Lord Shiva’s head. Muscatel flavour, Darjeeling tea is Steiner, has been influenced by ancient • A perfectly brewed cup of Darjeeling tea regarded as the Fine Wine of Tea Vedic practices of agriculture. The theory is said to tingle all the five senses. and the best Darjeeling tea varieties postulates that an ideal biodynamic (Source: http://interestingfactsandinformation. command exceptionally high prices at farm is a self-sufficient unit, a closed blogspot.in/) global auctions. One would therefore ecosystem that will produce its own consider the ownership of a tea estate compost, seeds and livestock. Besides, A 100 KVA Hydel Project was also made in Darjeeling as a treasure trove. But such a farm functions effectively within operational in 2004, which powers the its true worth can only be actualised the larger context of its local community factory during the period from June to through painstaking efforts over a long as well as the rhythms and relationship October while maintaining a positive period of time, led by exemplary vision of nature and the entire cosmos. impact on the environment. The garden and enterprise. Sanjay Prakash Bansal, Today, the biodynamic farming has also been selected as a model farm Chairman, Ambootia Group, was born initiative at Ambootia Tea Estate is duly for cultivation of Darjeeling Organic Tea in the Ambootia Tea Estate (Ambootia recognised as a successful case study in under the United Nations FAO project. means the place of mango trees) and the field. Ambootia uses preparations The management has also been spent his childhood in a tea garden from locally available herbs and cognisant of the needs of workers (although, he also admits that he had fermented manure to grow the tea crop. with specific focus on areas like his first cup of tea at the age of 17!). The tea grown is of better quality and healthcare, education, nutrition and When his father took over the estate in flavour and is also healthier. “Once the income augmentation. Besides cash 1987, Sanjay was asked to go and turn it soil gets healthy, the tea becomes healthy emoluments, they get provident fund around, as it had become a sick unit. The and the inherent quality of the green and gratuity benefits. Workers are also garden was set up in Kurseung North leaves improves, thereby getting us provided free medical facilities and over a surface area of 966.7 hectares higher quality produce and generating expenses for doctors, free housing to (348.43 hectares under tea) and average higher revenues. The other impact of every worker in a space of around 330 annual production of 180,000 kg. biodynamic farming is that the shoots sq ft with toilet and kitchen, free water, we get from tea leaves become softer. rations that are almost free along with Responsible Enterprise So it is easier for the tea pickers to protective clothing, blankets, footwear What followed was an inspiring saga of pick those leaves without hurting their and fuel for cooking. Education of their success in the tea plantation business fingers. Additionally, in the biodynamic children is also a key priority area as for the group, which has grown from system of farming, we do not use any Bansal emphasises, “Their children strength to strength over the years. agrochemicals and there is no collateral are provided free education till the Ambootia Tea Group is currently one of damage to the workers’ health,” explains level of primary school along with the most popular brands in the world Bansal the benefits of organic farming. uniforms, study material, etc. We are www.ibef.org | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014 47.