In India, there’s been an emergence of a lot of home-grown tea brands lately. When and why did you decide to become a tea entrepreneur?

Growing up in India, I started noticing that tea is not just a routine drink, but is deeply embedded into the roots of Indian Culture. People with contrasting interests and jobs unify when it comes to tea. Generally, good quality tea is either exported or available at a very high price. I want to break this trend and introduce good quality tea that gives you a rich experience, beautiful color, and aromatic tea at an affordable price. 

Hindraj tea aims to build trust in consumers and preserve the old Indian heritage of tea. The flavor is so good that even half a teaspoon of Hindraj will be enough to give you the required dose of daily kick to get you through your day,

Why did you choose to start your entrepreneurial venture in the midst of the pandemic?

During the lockdown, we witnessed people being forced to spend time with their family and ended up bonding over a cup of tea  Sneaking a moment from the everyday conundrum and having a warm cup of evening tea is something nobody wants to miss now.

And hasn’t tea always been our magic potion, an ice breaker for a friendly conversation, a gup shup time with close ones?

One day I was sitting with my mom and having a cup of tea and I realized that I didn’t like the taste of the tea to which she replied that she got the best option available at the market pushed me to think for the alternates We got a survey done and we found, 73% of people are not happy with their cup of tea. 

In this lockdown, I got ample ME time which inspired me to find a solution to the limited good quality tea options in the market I developed a deep interest and read many books on tea history and it”s variety, processing, and sourcing. I did a Tea Aficionado course that helped me in understanding the minute details of tea. 

Given the pandemic-induced problems, what challenges did you face in establishing your brand back in 2020?

Actually, on the flip side, this covid induced lockdown helped me in launching my own brand. Before that I was always busy with my family business and social commitments, this ME time gave me so many ideas and thoughts that I decided to do something which is really close to my heart. Being a tea lover, I always wanted people to not compromise their love for chai because of a lack of options. And this is where Hindraj came which doesn’t compromise on quality or taste but is available at an affordable price.

Although due to the pandemic, some plans changed, I decided to make it an online product more than offline, my visits to the northeast valleys where we are sourcing our tea from were restricted and the sales got delayed because of the stalemate in the country. 

But tea is an essential commodity and we have also been active in helping society by way of free giveaways and providing other essential services as part of our outreach.

It's been less than a year since your brand launch but your order book is quite substantial. Tell us more about it?

Since launching this brand, my focus has always been on customer satisfaction, We got raving reviews for our product from all parts of the country and we wanted to deliver this taste across every nook and corner of India. Also, the internet penetration across the nation has increased significantly in the last few years and thus the online orders have been very healthy beating our own expectations for the first year.

Please share the USPs of your home-grown tea brand — Hindraj Tea.

With Hindraj tea, our goal is to deliver good quality tea at a reasonable price. We want to build lifelong relationships and trust with our customers. Hindraj embarks on the royal journey of good flavor, rich experience, irresistible color, and unforgettable aroma. Most people like a strong tea taste and thus keep on pouring tea leaves in their boiling pot which is not a traditional way of making tea. A very less amount of Hindraj tea is sufficient to give the best tea online experience.

I with my team of Tea experts/tea tasters in this field of tea industry for 35-40 years of work experience have made the blend by trying over 400 samples and tried making multiple blends. When we finally got the desired tea, we circulated among the tea lovers in the family and friends from whom we received very good reviews. This is an all-in-one package to deliver your expectations from tea.

How do you ensure the quality of your tea produce since that goes a long way in creating and maintaining the customer connection?

I started with this brand with a long-term vision where maintaining quality plays the utmost role in building our brand. We have a team of Tea experts who are in the industry for 30-40 years. We perform a high-quality inspection through experts who are specially placed near the bagaans. There is a 2-3 step laboratory test that we perform on every lot of tea that we source and it ensures the best quality as it checks for nutritional value and any presence of additives.

Your brand has an interesting community named, CommuniTEA — which is a partner program. Please share details about this unique membership plan of your company.

From CommuniTEA to ImmuniTEA, 

Making it all Kadak.

Being born and brought up in India, I always wondered about equal opportunities. At times, we all come across so many talented people who are not offered deserving chances. Many people couldn’t complete their education due to some personal reasons and don’t get suitable jobs.

Especially in covid times, some lost their jobs, some are not happy with their choice of work, some feel underworked, some want to be their own boss and some want to increase their earning. CommuniTEA program enables those individuals and doesn’t require any qualification, if someone has the zest to do something in life, this is the perfect opportunity to fulfill their thirst for the endeavor.

One can choose from our 3 plans- Lite plan, Business plan, and Enterprise plan. The main aim behind this program is to empower every individual to explore their entrepreneurial skills with minimal risk and great exposure.

Especially in covid times, some lost their jobs, some are not happy with their choice of work, some feel underworked, some want to be their own boss and some want to increase their earning. CommuniTEA program enables those individuals and doesn’t require any qualification, if someone has the zest to do something in life, this is the perfect opportunity to fulfill their thirst for the endeavor.  One can choose from our 3 plans- Lite plan, Business plan, and Enterprise plan. The main aim behind this programme is to empower every individual to explore their entrepreneurial skills with minimal risk and great exposure.

Once you plan to join our program, you contact our team and they ask you to fill out a registration form. One of our team members will be in contact with you, ask you to go through the plan and brief you about our 3 plans and what benefits it serves you.

• Low investment
• High margins
• Be your own boss
• Choose from options of easy operations including dropshipping.
• Full-time team support
• Once you are done with our first cycle, you become our Royal Hindraj Member that offers complimentary gifts and other benefits.

Our CommuniTEA Partner program is a “Start Your Own Business” Initiative. 

More than this,  This is an initiative for people to strengthen their social bonds in these un-social and social distancing times. Tea being a natural immunity booster, have been bringing people closer for ages, 

Connect with the community + Be a part of CommuniTEA + Bring a communiTEA together. 

What are the various channels to order Hindraj Tea?

Our products are available mostly online and at select retail outlets across Delhi NCR. Also, one can order our offerings at our website www.hindrajtea.com or through Flipkart. Adding to that we also take orders via our social media handle and our direct line.

What are your future plans for the brand?

My vision with Hindraj is to promote our “make in India” campaign which is also a pet project of our government. I want to give our consumers a rich tea experience and as of now, our focus is on tea because the tea world is very vast. 

Why the name Hindraj?

Chai never differentiates among its consumers be it daily wages workers or a CEO of a company. Wherever you go, to the most possible remote area, you will stumble upon a tea stall. Likewise, from the snowclad valleys of Kashmir to the sun rising north eastern bagaans, to misty hills of Coorg along with the Runn of Kutch, tea is the glue that bonds us all. 

Hindraj resonates with the vibe of the nation. HIND means India and RAJ is to rule over the Indian hearts.

Do you think that there are equal opportunities for both men and women in this 21st century?

Let me tell you something, this century will belong to women. I think these times are the greatest it has ever been for us with so many opportunities coming up, lessening the gender pay gap, financial independence, and self-awareness. Women have always been good at multitasking but due to the feudal mindset and patriarchal society, they couldn’t lead from the front.

But now Women are not only running their businesses but are also being appointed at high places in top management all over the world. They are following their dreams and there is nothing a woman can’t achieve.

Being a Woman Entrepreneur I see myself not only as a businesswoman but also want to bring warmth and tenderness in dealing with employees, consumers, and everyone around me so that it leads to the greater good of society and leaves an impact on everyone.

How your premium product is so affordable?

When I started with this venture, my main objective was to deliver a  quality tea experience to every doorstep at affordable prices. To provide a  royal experience to everyone I wanted premium products that resonate with the tea culture in India. I decided to work on minimal margins so that everyone can enjoy a good cup of tea.

Your focus is also on health and wellness. Please tell us more about it?

As time has advanced, people have understood that it is so important to invest in your health more than anything else. With so much exposure to social media, we can see mostly fit people around but being healthy both physically and mentally is so crucial. I started doing yoga 2 years back and I have never felt so healthier  I start my day with Yoga and meditation. It keeps me focused and positive all day long. Yoga was discovered in India and the whole world is benefitting from it.

Almost anything and everything can be cured from Yoga. I have become more conscious of what I eat and try to maintain a healthy and balanced diet that I can follow. We soon plan to launch our herbal tea collection that unfolds multiple health benefits.

Quotes by the founder

Tea was invented by Chinese, cherished by British but it is in India where it got its true home. We in the Indian Subcontinent are literally obsessed with Tea or as my dad would call it “chai”. Tea is not a mere commodity, its an emotion and a way of living and that emotion is Hindraj.

Tea can be me time, family time or office time, it is just the perfect break one can get from his daily chores. We all have so much expectations from it. It should get us through a office meeting or board exams or a 5 am flight.

We at hindraj believe in fulfilling all those wishes by providing a strong, flavourful and rich experience which not only caters to the stomach but to your mind as well. (Note to the editor-you can add, edit, subtract from these quotes and make a headline or quotes by the founder)