Rural Women Entrepreneurs (RWEs) from Karbi Anglong, who are part of Grassroots Tea, were among the Small Tea Grower Entrepreneurs who showcased their teas at the North-Eastern Tea Innovations Expo in Bengaluru on September 12 and 13.
The RWEs are part of the Udyamini programme, implemented by Transform Trade, which supports women from Small Tea Grower households to become entrepreneurs and participate in multiple stages of the tea value chain.
Held at Nexus Shantiniketan Mall in Whitefield, the expo brought teas produced by small tea growers from Assam and the Northeast directly to consumers, giving visitors an opportunity to taste different varieties, learn about their origins and interact with growers. Visitors attended from Bengaluru and other parts of India, as well as from abroad.
Among the international visitors was Sebastian from Germany, who visited the Grassroots Tea stall and tasted the teas.
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“I really liked the tea. I also appreciated the exhibition and the opportunity to meet the Rural Women Entrepreneurs,” he said.
Siva from Andhra Pradesh also sampled teas from several stalls and said he particularly liked the Grassroots Tea products.
The event also drew interest from tea industry professionals. Abhijeet Hazarika, Executive Director of TCPL, attended the expo and highlighted the initiative in a LinkedIn post following his visit.
Mr Abhijeet Hazarika, Executive Director of TCPL, with Rural Women Entrepreneurs and Tea Board India officials at the North-Eastern Tea Innovations Expo in Bengaluru
Describing the expo as “a commendable initiative by the Tea Board of India”, Hazarika said it was encouraging to see growers, particularly women entrepreneurs, take the initiative to create a segment for specialty tea directly from their farms.
He also expressed hope that such initiatives would provide growers with “the much needed consumer contacts and a route to the premium tea segments.”
For the Rural Women Entrepreneurs, the opportunity to present their own products and share their stories was an important part of the experience.
Regina Rongpipi, an RWE from Karbi Anglong, said: “When people taste our tea and ask us about where it comes from, they are also getting to know the women who grow and make it. For us, that recognition matters.”
Priya Engtipi, another Rural Women Entrepreneur, said the response showed that visitors were interested not only in the teas but also in the women behind them and how the teas were produced. She said this interest gave the women confidence that their work and products had a place in the wider market.
The expo also offered growers insights into consumer preferences. A Tea Board India official present at the event said the Bengaluru edition received an overwhelming response, with CTC teas attracting particularly strong interest. Some visitors looking for premium products also showed interest in specialty teas, including green teas.
“These interactions are important because the growers get to hear directly from consumers what they like and what they feel can be improved. It gives them an opportunity to understand the market and work on their products accordingly,” the official said.
The expo also provided visibility to the Tea Board India’s Tea Mark initiative and its Tea Marketplace, through which Tea Mark-certified teas can be listed for consumers. Such platforms can provide smaller tea brands and growers with additional avenues to reach consumers directly.
The participation of the Karbi Anglong RWEs has also received wider recognition. The Chief Minister’s Office of Assam shared a post on X featuring the women at the Grassroots Tea stall during the Ahmedabad edition of the expo and highlighted their efforts.
Amarsing Tisso, MP from Karbi Anglong’s 6-Diphu ST Parliamentary Constituency, also shared a post on Facebook featuring the Rural Women Entrepreneurs and the Grassroots Tea stall from the Ahmedabad event.
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