News — Chota Tingrai Tea Estate

One thing tea bushes do not like is the cold. Nor do they take to dry weather. Every year from mid-December to the beginning of March, Assam experiences its cold dry season. The tea bushes go dormant, refusing to put out any new leaf. We have not plucked a cup’s worth of tea at Chota Tingrai since December. But that does not mean we have not been busy! Here’s everything we doing in the gardens. We prune the tea bushes: To promote healthy growth in the spring, we prune tea bushes on a three-year cycle—unpruned, deep skiff, and light prune....

What we have accomplished so far As of January 15, we have managed to open bank accounts for all Chota Tingrai’s permanent workers. Additionally, 85% of casual workers now have accounts. We hope to complete casual worker bank account enrollment in a few weeks. The credit for this progress goes to our banking correspondents. They have worked tirelessly, helping workers fill out applications. They have met with bank officials innumerable times to ensure the bank understands workers’ needs. Thanks to the banking correspondents, the bank has agreed to install ATMs with biometric identification. This will eliminate the potential of pin...

As Mana looks forward to 2017, we see a lot that we want to accomplish. This includes a lot of business goals (develop 3 new tea blends) and travel dreams (Israel!). But what really gets us going are our sustainability goals. Check them out below! Goal 1: Plant 25 Hectares of new organic tea in Chota Tingrai tea estate   New organic tea plantings at Chota Tingrai Tea Estate Mana has converted over 75 Hectares of tea into organic over the last 4 years. Last year, our customers only had one request—more tea! To meet the growing demand, Mana is...

 “At 11:29 PM you had 2500 INR in your wallet. At 12.00 AM you had 5 pieces of paper.” If you follow the Indian news, then you have heard about demonetization- the sudden removal of 1000 and 500 Indian currency (INR) notes, or 76 percent of the currency, from economy.  This has had huge impacts, both good and bad. Every Indian has debates the merits and costs of the move. Their only certainty: that the Indian economy will never be the same. On this blog, Mana provides an on the ground view of developing a social business in India. Because...

At Mana Organics, we do a lot of things differently from other tea companies. We focus on quality production, ethical sourcing, community profit sharing, and authentic organic production to a degree we haven't found matched in India or beyond. Here are 5 ways Mana Organic tea differs from the competition and give you a better cup of tea. 1. Mana Organics Teas provide a unique, SINGLE ESTATE  experience Most tea bags you buy contain a mix of teas from all over the world. Even single region tea bags contain a blend sourced from multiple gardens. This mixing allows the seller...