The Hindu Business Line : Tea major Goodricke plans special brand for South

TEA major Goodricke Group Ltd, which is part of the UK-based Camellia Plc, has begun re-launching all its packet tea brands. It also plans a new, exclusive brand for south India.

To start with, the company recently re-launched Goodricke Perfect packet teas across India. This is a blend of 40 per cent Darjeeling and 60 per cent Assam CTC teas.

Goodricke 3-in-1 would follow next and, later, the Zabardast brand. While Goodricke 3-in-1 is the main brand, Zabardast targets the mass segment.

The company also had a soft launch for Goodricke Premium late last year in Gujarat. According to Mr Arun Grover, Vice-President (Marketing), this brand would soon be launched all over India.

"We have planned to re-launch our tea bags too after some time. We have realised there is a strong need to re-launch all our brands," Mr Grover told Business Line.

Goodricke, which is mostly a bulk tea player, has been in the packet tea business for over 17 years now. However, most of its packet tea sales are in the country's northern half.

It enjoys good market share in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Goodricke's presence in south India, which is predominantly a branded packet tea sector, is almost negligible.

"We are planning a brand exclusively for southern India because the preferences are different. Southern Indian tea-drinkers prefer a strong cup of tea. So we would be offering strong Assam dust in our new brand," he said.

Goodricke owns 10 gardens in Assam, 12 in Dooars and eight in Darjeeling. Its annual production is 30 million kg. The company's instant tea plant, located in North Bengal, caters to clients like Coca-Cola Ltd and Hindustan Lever Ltd.

According to Mr Grover, Goodricke's packet tea business was growing 25-30 per cent per annum. In 2004, it sold six million kg and expects to touch eight million kg in 2005.

In the tea bag segment, the company sells Assam CTC under the Goodricke Fine Estate brand, mostly to institutions such as the Indian Railways.

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