Sustainability

Ghograjan Tea is proud of its unwavering commitment to sustainable farming. Dating back to the Ghograjan Tea Estate’s founding in 1948, our tea farm has existed in harmony with the surrounding environment. Grown in the fertile region of Assam, India and hand-plucked by experienced workers, Ghograjan Tea has a long-standing model of sustainability.

We know our customers enjoy their tea even more when it is eco-friendly. Our loose leaf tea contains minimal packaging as is meant to be brewed with durable teaware. On a personal level of consumption, this creates significantly smaller carbon footprint than individually bottled beverages or a to-go cup from a café.

Growing tea trees is a naturally sustainable practice. The tropical climate of Assam provides an abundance of water. Our district within Assam, called Dibrugarh, is an especially wet area of the province, receiving around 100 inches of rain each year. This rain supplies all the water the plants need.

The Ghograjan Tea Estate invested in a rainwater harvesting program back in the 1980s. Rain is harvested via a water pump and filtration system that supports the farm, the community, and 5 nearby villages. This made us the first tea estate in Assam to implement a water irrigation system. Harvesting our copious rainfalls ensures that water is not wasted and that all the tea plants have access to equal amounts of water.

The monsoon season that brings us huge rainfalls also comes with the threat of flooding. Along with the rainwater harvesting program, the topsoil beneath our tea plants protects us from dangerous floods. Soil erosion poses a serious threat to people and property in Assam. Without properly cultivated topsoil, high water levels can sweep up land will little resistance, so maintaining the topsoil on our farm is a must.

When regenerating topsoil, we do so as naturally as possible. We only use organic fertilizers, neem and cow manure, to enrich the soil. And before planting new tea saplings, the soil is treated with plants such as Guatemala and Citronella for almost 18 months. This helps with nitrogenation and soil improvement that a tea plant will enjoy for its lifetime.

Finally, Ghograjan Tea could not last without the people involved. While tea farms in other parts of the world use gas-powered machines to pluck their tea leaves unevenly, we rely on our well-trained workers to select the best pairs of leaves. Using only hand-plucked tea means better taste, less pollution, and more jobs. Our workers and their families all reside on the farm. They are offered housing, education, and healthcare facilities. Agricultural work is a large part of the local economy and culture, and it is essential that we continue to provide these jobs to the best tea farmers in the world.