The Art of Brewing & Blending
Life is an unpredictable and unexpected adventure—nothing defines my journey with Octavius Tea and Industries better than these words. As someone who hails from the tea haven that is Assam, after marriage, when I entered a family that was adept at the science and economics of tea, it all seemed written in the stars.
Innovating my cuppa
Our family-owned company enjoys a rich heritage that spans more than a century. It began its journey in the late 1800s during the British Raj, when a tea loving Scotsman incepted Octavius Tea and Industries Ltd. on the majestic hills of Darjeeling. Cut to 2003, the company was acquired by my family, who retained the original name even after the acquisition. This gave us a comprehensive understanding of the tea production process right from the leaf to the cup. It also enabled us to expand Octavius into a brand that boasted immaculate quality and immense variety.
One success led to another and Octavius went on to acquire an excellent coffee plantation in Kushalnagar, in Coorg, along with a coffee curing unit. This not only gave us full control of the plantation but also production of both tea and coffee. In 2007, we began to spread our wings, extending our footprint to international shores, and then steadily we grew into one of the top exporters of tea and coffee, which brought accolades from the government too.
New-found passion
Every dream requires encouragement and, for me, it was my father-in-law, the late Madanlalji Jain. After marriage, he encouraged me to start supporting the family business. Had there not been this support and belief from my in-laws, including my husband Jayant Jain, my journey would have been incomplete. They always considered me a pragmatic individual who could maintain a healthy work-life balance. In fact, everyone seems to have been kind enough to back me in my endeavours and being a daughter-in-law in a Marwari family has been nothing but amazing.
Tea products for retail
The eureka moment
Though I was not professionally trained in tea manufacturing, once I set foot in our tea plantations, I knew it was a match made in heaven. I observed our workers doing what they do best and that is when I had my eureka moment. I experimented with blends that came from organic and premium quality teas, herbs, spices, et al. One thing that my family agrees on is to never get complacent and settle down with
Something’s brewing
One of my passions is to ideate and develop unique blends of tea using all-natural and premium quality ingredients. With the help of my team, I source and procure the best quality raw materials for the blends. Thanks to my rich experience, I also developed a clear understanding of customer’s needs, which I keep in mind during the manufacturing process. As I delved deeper, my responsibilities grew. Today, I steer the company’s profits with a sustainable and result-oriented mindset and ensure top standards when it comes to quality. I leverage my decade-long expertise to conduct market analyses, customer research before taking major corporate decisions. Be it operations, resource management, product launches, or acting as the bridge between the board of directors and marketing, I am blessed with the ability to handle these responsibilities. the existing state of affairs, no matter how rewarding. It became my vision to epitomise the art of manufacturing gourmet teas in India, and with that, Octavius blossomed into a retail brand.
It was this ‘out of the box’ zest that also gave birth to Octavius Tea Resorts. It all began when Octavius opened the doors to its elegant tea estates so that commoners could witness the beauty of tea manufacturing and get an experience of staying in quaint bungalows in the midst of lush tea gardens—an experience of a lifetime for tea enthusiasts. This idea attracted a lot of interest and in no time both our bungalows were fully booked, as they still continue to be.
Ekta Jain with her husband Jayant Jain
The legacy continues
I cherish being with a brand like Octavius owing to its rich legacy of producing premium grade teas with the help of tea growers, blenders, and tasters, who have been part of Octavius for generations. We don’t just sell teas—we let consumers indulge in a holistic tea experience, offering more regular teas, herbal teas, exotic blends, tea gifts, tea accessories, tea resorts and so much more! We have control over the tea manufacturing process, right from plucking to production, packaging, distribution, and final delivery through retail or online channels. And this is where our expertise lies. My long-term vision is to offer every tea drinker natural, home-grown, premium quality product. We strive to provide consumers a diverse range of teas, tea gifts, accessories, tea spices and much more. Looking forward, we want to be the name that comes to mind when anyone mentions ‘tea’.
While my work is a full time passion, I am also a die-hard travel bug and can occasionally be seen crooning a tune or two behind the mike. So don’t be surprised should you catch me spontaneously humming a tune while blending my cuppa.
