Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Luxmi Tea Launches Makaibari Collective With Small Growers
Luxmi Tea wants to help small tea growers sell their tea under the Makaibari name.
It plans to create a new brand called Makaibari Collective.
Small growers would provide about one-quarter of the tea used in the blends.
The company also plans to share profits with growers who contribute tea.
The new brand will combine two existing packet-tea ranges, Apoorva and Green Valley.
It is expected to launch during Deepawali.
J Thomas will help decide the tea’s quality and purchase price.
A grower said keeping quality steady among many small farms could be difficult.
Luxmi Tea hopes the project will help meet demand and grow the Makaibari brand by 20 percent.
Luxmi Tea plans to create Makaibari Collective with small tea growers in the Darjeeling hills.
Small growers will supply 25% of the blend, with procurement targeted at about 10,000 kilograms in the first full year.
Makaibari plans to pay growers for green leaf and share profits from the new range.
The initiative will combine the Apoorva and Green Valley packet-tea ranges under the Makaibari Collective brand.
J Thomas will help determine the quality and price of tea purchased from small growers.
- Who
- Luxmi Tea, small tea growers and cooperatives in Darjeeling, and tea auctioneer J Thomas.
- What
- Luxmi Tea plans to launch Makaibari Collective, using tea from small growers in blends and sharing profits with participating growers.
- When
- The brand is scheduled to be formally launched during Deepawali; the first full year of operations is expected to involve about 10,000 kilograms of procurement.
- Where
- The initiative will involve small growers in the Darjeeling hills.
- Why
- Luxmi Tea aims to give small growers market access while meeting demand for the Makaibari brand and pursuing 20% growth.
Collective supporters
Quality and pricing concerns
Market access for small growers
Collective supporters
Luxmi Tea says the collective will allow small growers to sell under the established Makaibari name instead of building a market from scratch, while also offering profit sharing.
Quality and pricing concerns
The articles do not identify opposition to the initiative, but Sonam Lama said small growers face challenges in maintaining good quality consistently and need education in good agricultural practices.
Pricing and product standards
Collective supporters
J Thomas said it would seek to ensure sustainable prices for small growers while maintaining the quality of tea used in the blend.
Quality and pricing concerns
The quality and price of the tea will be determined through J Thomas, and maintaining consistent quality across the growers remains a stated challenge.
- New brand
- Makaibari Collective
- Small-grower share
- 25% of the blend requirement
- First-year procurement target
- About 10,000 kilograms
- Existing ranges consolidated
- Apoorva and Green Valley
- Combined market represented
- More than ₹10 crore
- Pricing and quality assessor
- J Thomas
- Darjeeling production in 2025
- About 5.6 million kilograms
- Makaibari growth target
- 20%