Leaders

Tea has been a sworn legacy binding cultures together all over the world. Though its production started in the late 1830's in India (after being introduced by Robert Bruce, the commander of a division of gunboats in Upper Assam during the first Burmese war in 1826), the country has its own history with tea plantation and brewing. Indians have been savouring Tea typically in the form of Chai since decades, but little do they know about the Tea originally- The Speciality Tea in general. Hence, considering the dynamism and bringing Speciality Tea to people's notice through tea consulting is Susmita Das Gupta (Tea Artist & Founder of Tea With Susmita) through her venture Tea With Susmita- an organization all about Indian Specialty Teas - Product, Training, and Consulting.

Here is an exclusive conversation of hers with Women Entrepreneur team, where she talks about her exceptional organizational abilities and shares her thoughts on how Tea is specifically needed to gain awareness other than Chai amidst the Indian culture.

Give Us A Brief Overview Of Tea With Susmita. What Was The Initial Motivating Factor Behind The Inception Of The Company?

Tea With Susmita is a Tea Consulting enterprise that creates awareness about Indian Specialty Teas. Not only does it offer creative & strategic solutions to creating new tea blend recipes and designing tea and paired menu, but it's also available for Consulting & Advisory engagements on Tea rooms, Tea sourcing, and Tea training for the hospitality industry. It's also a Tea event curator, Tea Tourism designer that organizes Sensory Tea Appreciation Programs for Signature & Bespoke Tea Blenders, and conducts Tea etiquette and training programs for F&B crew.

The initial motivation started when I was a child, because I grew up in a household where fine tea was purchased, served and drank. My father is a Tea connoisseur. We would always go around, hunt for the best tea in the city and my mother would brew it. Since then I knew what good tea is all about.

Also, a few years back when I was working for a multinational tea brand (who were my client from my other venture Smart Ideas), researching, branding, and creating the go-to market strategy for helping them enter the Indian market, it triggered my childhood memory with Tea. I formed a Tea interest group to see how many people I get to share my love for Tea with. Surprisingly there were many and hence my Tea interest group turned into a club and then a company- Tea With Susmita.

Take Us Through Your Educational Journey And Also Tell Us About Your Prior Industry Experience Before Coming Onboard With Tea With Susmita?

I hold an M.B.A in Marketing & Finance from Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai and a short course on Personal Innovation & Design Thinking from IIM-K.

I am a serial entrepreneur enriched with over 24 years of experience in branding & marketing field. Including Tea With Susmita, I also have founded 3 other companies, amongst which Smart Ideas has been one of my oldest- a 14 year old company.

Since I have been passionate about Tea since a very young age, it has motivated me to venture into the Tea Curation & Consulting space. I wanted to do more for the industry, therefore I did extensive research about understanding first-hand how tea is plucked, processed, measured for quality, tasted, and more. In this process, I visited major tea factories & gardens in regions like Darjeeling, Kunnur, Munnar, and others and also stayed back to work with them. Eventually, I also did a certificate programs on Sensory tea Appreciation & Blending.

“My future plan is to start a tea school where interested candidate can learn all about good tea and decide to embark on a very lucrative, global tea career”

What Kind Of Expertise Are You Providing People Through Your Venture Tea With Susmita?

I believe there's a misconception about `What is Tea?' & `What is Chai?'. People in India do understand Chai, but they do not understand Tea. There are plenty of good, expensive, and fine Teas produced in India, but unfortunately, not even half of Indian population knows about it. My attempt has always been to educate people about the difference that persists between Tea & Chai along with shining a light on the good tea that we produce in India.

I tell stories about those teas to people to abreast them with the Speciality Tea beyond the CTC Teas that they are used to. I also organize Tea Appreciation Programs where people can learn to distinguish between Teas by tasting it and creating new tea blend recipes. Additionally, there's Tea training conducted by me where I teach & train a group of candidates from Hotel Management Schools, including people who would be interested in learning about Tea. I have also forayed into Tea Tourisms i.e. taking people to different Tea Estates. Visitors get to stay in the ecosystem and are engaged in various immersive activities there. Conclusively, I strive to stimulate and quench people's curiosity about understanding Tea.

Overviewing The Tea Industry That's Growing In India, What Opportunities Are You Personally Looking Forward To Tap Into? What Is Your Future Roadmap?

There are two kinds of Tea in the world, categorized as Specialty Tea & CTC Tea. While India being the second-largest producer of tea in the world, the country majorly savours the CTC Tea (manufacturing 95-96 percent of the total produce). It is also noteworthy to find that India produces one of the finest Specialty Teas (manufacturing 3-4 percent of the total produce) in the world like Darjeeling Tea (also known as the `Champagne of Tea), and more. Though, most of the Specialty Tea comes from China, Japan, Korea etc, it's a fact that people are known to the goodness of whole leaves Tea and there's even more scope for its growth in India.

My focus has always been to hold onto that edge by increasing awareness about Specialty Tea ­ in terms of its health benefits, fineness, exclusivity just like a fine wine or a premium scotch. Beside this, my future plan is to start a Tea School where interested candidate can learn all about good tea and decide to embark on a very lucrative, global tea career. 

Susmita Das Gupta, Founder, Smart Ideas

A Business Ideator and a Serial Entrepreneur, Susmita is a Branding & Marketing Specialist with over 24 years of professional experience in running successful start-up businesses as well as managing global diversified teams in strategic roles in large organizations. Also, passionate about Tea, she is a Speciality Tea consultant enriching people with the goodness of whole leaves Tea, in the country & worldwide under the brand name Tea With Susmita.