Having planned it to be one such, we literally had no choice other than to name this dream project as The Tea STUDIO.
What else could anyone possibly name such a unique artisanal facility? One in which we combine the delicacy of the finest hand plucked leaf with futuristic state of the art machinery, to craft a range of White, Green, Oolong, Pu'er and Black Teas so that every single Tea coming out of the Studio is an individually recognizable and distinctive character.
The Tea Studio Building
The project itself being a revolutionary 'out of the box' idea, our target was that we find an architect who was adventurous and creative and not afraid of experimenting. Our search ended with Aditya Menon, a young man straight out of architectural college who had not yet got into a rut was more than happy to be doing something different. With Aditya steering the project and hours of brainstorming, the culmination has been this 'state of the art' structure.
The Leaf
Located as we are, bang smack in the middle of one of the most fertile tea growing areas in the world, the starting point to our range of distinctive teas, is 100% naturally organic and chemical free Green Leaf supplied to us by a dedicated clutch of marginal, tribal tea farmers who cultivate their tiny land holdings within which the Tea Studio is sited.
Our unambiguous requirement being the finest hand plucked leaf, far superior to what is generally accepted as being 'super-fine', we pay a huge premium (10x and more) for our raw material. Which, in our own way, is also our support to the local community. The cultivation in these tiny holdings being 100% chemical free Green Leaf, all the regular teas produced in the Studio are deemed as being naturally Organic.
Certified Organic
As an extension to the existing range, the Studio has been certified as being Organic. Leaf for this range is sourced from a small IMO certified organic farm. Resultantly, besides the conventional, we also offer a range of certified organic teas. While the exquisite quality remains the same, the only difference being the mark of 'certified organic'.
The Machines
With their tea culture spanning almost 3,000 years, the Chinese are unquestionably the masters. In recent years to meet the growing demand for high-quality artisanal teas, the masters, by very creatively mechanising various processes which the leaf has to be put through to attain its final character, have revolutionised the manual art form of 'hand-made' teas. The result is a wide range of small, very specialized machines developed to mimic the manipulation, rolling, pressing and shaping of different styles of finished tea.
Sourced from the most specialised manufacturers in rural China, for the Tea Studio we have been very selective, equipping ourselves with 28 of these cutting-edge Chinese machines, capable of producing a host of distinct styles of finished leaf.
Those, coupled with the creativity of the women workforce behind the machines all add up to give us a very exciting playing field and point to an even more exciting future.
Powering the Studio
Being in the heart of the ecologically sensitive Nilgiri Bio-sphere, we took the difficult and relatively expensive decision that we would do our bit for the environment by shunning the use of any polluting fossil fuels. This led to us pioneering the use of clean LPG to provide all our heating requirements.
Our environmental consciousness has been further enhanced by the installation of a captive solar electricity plant which powers our machinery, taking care of 100% of our energy requirements.
Visitors to the Studio would be delighted to see that the air around the building is 100% clean. Not just the Studio but also the surrounding valley is a beautiful green, totally free and under no risk from any contaminants.
The Women Behind Our Teas
At Tea Studio, we believe that exceptional tea is made possible by the people behind it.
Led by Muskan, our close-knit, women-led team from the neighbouring village brings skill, dedication and care to every stage of tea-making.
Vaideghi
Our Tea Maker
leads our tea-making process, transforming fresh leaves into distinctive Nilgiri teas.
Ishvarya
Our Accountant
manages our accounts and keeps the Studio's day-to-day finances running smoothly.
Premila, Charulatha, Kalamani, Kowsalya and Priya
Our Factory Team
each one of them plays an integral role in producing every batch. It is the delicate hands of these ladies, coupled with their care and commitment, which brings out the quality of our teas.
We are proud to have created meaningful opportunities for women in the Nilgiris, building a team that learns, grows and works together with a shared purpose - crafting exceptional teas.