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the next web  |  MAY 06, 2015  |  By: Paul Sawers

TEABOX: A FRESH TEA SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE, DIRECT FROM THE PLANTATION

While the concept of a direct-to-door online tea delivery service is hardly new, Teabox is building its brand from within one of the world’s biggest tea-drinking and tea-producing countries: India. Production to consumption KAUSHAL: It...

While the concept of a direct-to-door online tea delivery service is hardly new, Teabox is building its brand from within one of the world’s biggest tea-drinking and tea-producing countries: India. Production to consumption KAUSHAL: It all started in 2012, when Kaushal Dugar, a former financial analyst at KPMG, sidled back into an industry that had been in his family since the 1940s. Covering famous tea estates such as Darjeeling and Assam, Dugar and Co., which at present counts 10 people in its main Bangalore office and 11 in a Darjeeling fulfillment center, are striving to build a global brand by delivering leaves direct from plantations to consumers around the world. Yes, it’s all about cutting out the middle-men, which include behemoths such as Tata – the India-based corporation that owns well-known brands such as Tetley. And if that seems like a tall-order, Teabox recently raised a $1 million round from Accel Partners – the VC firm that calls Silicon Valley home and counts Facebook, Spotify and Dropbox among its previous funding roster. Teabox is in good company. Thus far, Teabox’s main markets have been the US, Canada, Australia and Russia, with orders ranging from less than 10 grams to as much as 100kg. And the ordering process is very much focused on the detail. It’s not just ‘black tea’ – you can specify the plantation (e.g. Darjeeling, Assam, Kangra), specialty (e.g. classic, bio-organic, exotic) flush (e.g. first, second, autumn) and more. The exact same level of detail applies to green tea, white tea, oolong, chai and blends.Pricing too is entirely localized, so whether you visit the website from the US, UK, Canada, Russia, or France, you’ll always be greeted with familiar pricing. Though it has been shipping boxes of tea for a while already, if you’re the sort who’s bamboozled by too much choice, this is where its just-launched subscription scheme comes into play. Each month, Teabox will select 10 different types of tea (10 grams each, roughly 50 cups of tea in total), and ships it to you in an elegant box. .

Moreover, it includes tasting notes to guide you through the flavors and story behind each tea, while brewing guides features advice from the experts on how to best brew each tea. The prices vary depending on whether you sign up for an annual, six-month or monthly plan, but it will cost between $30 and $35 (USD) (or your local currency equivalent) every month, which includes shipping. Yes, it’s more expensive than your typical industrial-sized box of Typhoo, but if ‘fresh’ and ‘quality’ is what you’re after, well, it’s this market Teabox is serving. The scale at which Teabox is already operating, with fully localized pricing and shipping to more than 70 countries, certainly bodes well for its future – after water, tea is thought to be the most popular beverage in the world. To date, the company has shipped the equivalent of five million cups of tea to customers in dozens of countries, and has reduced the typical production>consumption period from between 3-6 months to as little as one week, so we’re talking fresh here. “There’s a general tendency in the (tea) industry to use ad-agency manufactured slogans, as facts to sell tea,” explains Dugar. “Anybody can call their tea ‘the best’ or ‘the finest’ or ‘first-class’. But that doesn’t necessarily make it any of those terms, unless it really is fresh – and this is the core component of a great tea.” Fresh tea, on demand, direct from source, within seven days of harvesting – that’s the main selling point here. “When it comes to freshness and quality, the industry does not want to talk about in detail and books often lack real, hard information,” continues Dugar. “At Teabox, we’re changing this trend. We’re making all relevant information available, such as the date of picking of tea, its origin, the season it was picked in, and more to our customers.” Teabox’s ‘Fresh Beginnings’ hand-selected subscription service is in private beta now, though anyone with the link can sign up. The first boxes will start shipping on May 14. Meanwhile, if you know exactly what you’re after and don’t want a regular box arriving at your home each month, it’s business as usual at Teabox. .

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About Teabox.com

 

Teabox is an online tea shop that delivers, every single day, the freshest Indian teas from estates in Darjeeling, Assam, and the Nilgiris as well as freshest teas from Nepal to tea lovers everywhere.

As a company, we believe tea is so much more than just a staple part of mornings and meals. An exceptional cup of tea, for us, has a more exalted place in the everyday life.

 

Why Teabox.com

 

We believe tea is endlessly engaging, brings people together, provides a sense of peace and well-being, and grants of a moment to yourself when you most need it. Great tea touches upon art, defines a sense of culture, marks a ritual, and offers a sense of connoisseurship. But a truly remarkable cup of tea is one which enhances the everyday.

This is the goal we are trying to achieve through our tea store - to bring great tea into the everyday life.

 

Freshest teas that make a delicious cup

 

So, what makes our teas great? Well, it’s got a lot to do with freshness. And the reason why freshness matters is because tea is an agricultural product. So, fresher tea tastes better and is healthier. We buy the first pick of every season and take utmost care when it comes to storage and packaging. We work directly with tea growers who know to hand-select tea leaves for their texture, color, scent, and purity. And by sourcing the highest-quality Indian teas directly from the most capable and most interesting growers and estates, Teabox’s online tea shop makes it easy for anyone—from tea experts to complete novices—to experience the freshness, delicate aromas, flavors, and authenticity that fine loose-leaf tea has to offer. We can do this because we’re based in the same foothills and gardens where our teas are grown.

 

Shopping with Teabox.com

 

With Teabox, shopping for fresh loose-leaf tea from India is easy because you make an informed purchase and you know exactly where your tea is coming from. Every batch of tea we procure is put up on our online tea store along with its invoice number, date of plucking, specialty and tea grade. And so, every time you sip one of our expert-curated teas, you are in the company of the most authentic tea experience there is.

For someone who loves tea, commitment to good tea comes naturally. We are trying to uphold this commitment every day with Teabox.

 

*Not applicable on subscription and only TeaPacs orders. Min. value to be more than INR 100.

 

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