Profile
Set up in 1964 as a joint venture with UK-based James Finlay and Company to develop valued-added tea, the Tata Tea Group of Companies, which includes Tata Tea and the UK-based Tetley Group, today represent the world's second largest global branded tea operation with product and brand presence in 40 countries. Among India's first multinational companies, the operations of Tata Tea and its subsidiaries focus on branded product offerings in tea but with a significant presence in plantation activity in India and Sri Lanka.

The consolidated worldwide branded tea business of the Tata Tea Group contributes to around 86 per cent of its consolidated turnover with the remaining 14 per cent coming from bulk tea, coffee, and investment income. The company has its headquarters in Kolkata, and 51 tea estates in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and one coffee estate in Tamil Nadu.

Products and brands
The company has five major brands in the Indian market — Tata Tea, Tetley, Kanan Devan, Chakra Gold and Gemini — catering to all major consumer segments for tea. The Tata Tea brand leads market share in terms of value and volume in India and has been accorded "Super Brand" recognition in the country. Tata Tea's distribution network in the country with 38 C&F agents and 2,350 stockists caters to over 1.7 million retail outlets (ORG Marg Retail Audit) in India.

The company has a 100 per cent export-oriented unit (KOSHER & HACCP certified) manufacturing instant tea in Munnar, Kerala, which is the largest such facility outside the United States. The unit's product is made from a unique process, developed in-house, of extraction from tea leaves, giving it a distinctive liquoring and taste profile. Instant tea is used for light density 100 per cent teas, iced tea mixes and in the preparation of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages.

With an area of 26,500 hectares under tea cultivation, Tata Tea produces around 60 million kg of black tea annually.

Research and development
Tata Tea and the Tetley Group have full-fledged research and development centres that focus on the branded business. Tata Tea has a research centre at Teok (Assam) and a product development centre at Bangalore focused on the entire gamut of tea operations.

Overseas business
The Tata Tea and Tetley portfolios of branded offerings sourced from the India based JV, caters specifically to the Australian, Middle East, West Asia, North Africa, Poland, Russia and Kazakhstan markets. This is independent of the manufacturing and supply operations of its Tetley and other subsidiary companies.

Subsidiaries
Tata Tea has subsidiaries in Great Britain, United States and India.

The Tetley Group headquartered in Great Britain, is a leading international tea company selling over 60 Tetley branded products to over 40 countries world-wide. Tetley is the second largest tea bag brand in the world, it is the number one tea bag brand in Great Britain and Canada and has significant market shares in the United States, Australia, Poland and France. Beyond these markets Tetley is steadily growing its presence in the rest of Europe, particularly the former Eastern block countries and throughout the Caribbean and lesser developed markets such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Russia where Tetley was launched last year. Tetley has a customised portfolio of offerings for each country, ranging from black, green, fruit and herbal teas,iced ready-to-drink teas and an extensive range of exotic speciality tea. The Tetley brand is accorded "Super Brand" recognition in Great Britain.

Tetley own one manufacturing facility at Eaglescliffe in the north of England. Established since 1969, it currently occupies 220,000 square feet and is believed to be the largest tea bag factory in the world. Its quality management systems are accredited to the ISO 9002 standard and is also in the process of receiving the ISO 14001 certification.

Tata Coffee with instant coffee manufacturing facilities, R&D capability and plantation assets of around 8000 hectares, producing over 9000 MT of coffee annually, is the largest coffee plantation company in Asia. The company grows both the robusta and arabica varieties of coffee and markets both instant and "ground" coffee. Its curing facility has the Certificate of Approval for Quality Standards ISO 9002, the first curing unit in Asia to receive this certification.

Tata-Tetley is a Kochi-based EOU which services the branded business of specific Tetley and Tata Tea markets outside India.

Tata Tea Inc in the United States processes and markets instant tea from its facility in Florida, based on sourcing of Instant Tea products out of Munnar, Kerala.

Associate companies
Tata Tea has a substantial interest in the Sri Lankan tea industry through Watawala Plantations, Sri Lanka, where it focuses on production and marketing of tea, rubber and palm oil.

Kanan Devan Hills Plantation Company, established on March 31, 2005, has major interests in production and manufacture of black tea at its 17 estates in Kerala. Tata Tea has a minority stake in the entity.

Community welfare
Tata Tea contributes significantly to social and community development on its estates through comprehensive labour welfare programmes that offer free housing, healthcare and other benefits. The company has set-up and manages hospitals, adult-literacy centres, childcare centres and schools to educate the children of its nearly 40,000 employees. In addition, the company has special facilities to look after "differently abled" children of the workers who are taught how to operate in the environment by enhancing their skills and abilities.

Tata Tea has institutionalised a process of Annual Welfare Audit conducted by renowned WHO experts, among the first Indian companies to do so.

Committed to running its business responsibly, Tetley works with stakeholders around the world to understand the social, ethical and environmental impacts of its business and identify how to manage and improve the most significant of these. This approach results in a range of local activities and corporate initiatives - from waste management programmes at our Eaglescliffe Tea Factory to the provision of safe water for people in the tea growing areas of Malawi.

The Tetley Group also manages its social impacts by building partnerships with charities and non government organisations, focusing on causes with a clear relevance to its business. These partnerships go beyond traditional corporate fundraising, involving activities that change both the Tetley business and the partner organisation for the better. This means encouraging our staff to become personally involved in the partnerships, donating their time and skills, as well as money.