As the first flush of 2020 approaches, we at the Welcome Group find ourselves entering a season unlike any other in recent history. The morning mist still hangs low over our partner gardens, but this year, our sense of anticipation is mixed with caution and gratitude.
The pandemic has reshaped how the world operates, and our foremost responsibility remains the health and safety of our people. From our pluckers to our factory engineers, we have implemented extensive safety measures – staggered shifts, sanitisation routines, protective gear, and regular health checks across Welcome Tea Company, Kheram Tea Company.
At our flagship Welcome Tea Company factory, we have prioritised stability and precision. Maintenance work carried out in the off-season – from trough calibration to drier upgrades – ensures our machinery operates at optimal efficiency even under restricted manpower. We’ve also introduced batch tracking logs to help supervisors record withering times and moisture levels digitally, allowing better control over consistency and quality.
The pandemic has also accelerated our thinking about self-reliance. We are strengthening our local supply networks, securing spare parts and packing materials from nearby vendors, and supporting smaller growers through advance leaf-purchase commitments.
Across the group, our goals for this season are grounded but clear:
- Maintain production continuity without compromising safety.
- Strengthen worker welfare systems.
- Preserve the signature flavour, colour, and character that define our teas.
Even as global markets face uncertainty, tea remains a symbol of comfort. This season, our gardens remind us that nature endures. The sound of fresh leaf being loaded onto withering troughs offers reassurance – a promise that while the world slows down, the rhythm of tea continues.
Manager’s Notes – Mid-Season 2020
Reaching the midpoint of 2020, we feel immense pride in the dedication shown by every member of our teams. Despite logistical challenges and intermittent lockdowns, production across the Welcome Group has remained remarkably steady.
At Welcome Tea Company, our focus this mid-season is on sustaining consistency amid unpredictability. We have optimised withering cycles to adapt to higher humidity variations and reduced manpower. Real-time data logs now help supervisors track ambient temperature and fermentation duration with precision. This balance of human experience and data-based monitoring has enabled us to preserve flavour integrity across batches.
At Kheram Tea Company, which produces high-elevation teas in Arunachal Pradesh, the team has innovated with low-oxygen fermentation trials – resulting in a brighter liquor with floral notes.
We’ve also focused heavily on our people. Welfare teams have distributed masks, sanitizers, and essentials to workers’ families. Pay schedules have been maintained without interruption. In challenging times, this dependability becomes the foundation of trust- and the Welcome Group is prepared to work extensively towards our worker-partners.
Externally, we are engaging with long-standing buyers to ensure smooth movement of tea despite auction disruptions. While much of the world stands still, our gardens continue to move forward.
Manager’s Notes – End of the Season 2020
As the final dispatches of the season leave our factories, we take a moment to reflect on what 2020 has taught us.
Despite reduced yields in some months, our teams have achieved exceptional quality consistency. Welcome Tea Company’s late flushes in September and October showed a distinctive, bold cup character, earning strong buyer feedback at auction.
Operationally, we made crucial upgrades – installed new fibre trackers in the rolling section and introduced moisture calibration tools. These improvements will form the backbone of efficiency for years to come.
Our group’s human commitment has been our greatest achievement. We expanded day-to-day support, and invested in housing maintenance for estate workers. A small but meaningful initiative – distributing reusable cloth masks sourced locally – not only safeguarded our workforce but empowered our nearby communities.
2020 reaffirmed our identity: we are growers, manufacturers, and caretakers. As the world slowed, our gardens reminded us of continuity.
Manager’s Notes – Beginning of the Season 2021
After a year of adaptation, this new season begins with optimism and purpose.
Our maintenance and replanting teams at Welcome Tea Company helped with extensive pruning and soil rejuvenation for our partner estates during the off-season. We’re also helping our partner estates implement targeted replantation across 25 hectares with higher-yield varieties that promise both better quality and improved resilience against pests.
In our factories, updates on automatic driers and improved sorting lines have been installed, enhancing throughput and product uniformity. Alongside, we’ve upgraded energy systems to reduce fuel consumption by 10% – a significant step toward more sustainable operations.
Strategically, our marketing and export teams are strengthening buyer relationships through direct engagement. We are also preparing to pilot traceable batch coding – where each consignment can be linked to its estate and production date. Transparency, we believe, will define the next era of tea.
As the first flush begins to roll in, the aroma in the factory signals hope. We move into 2021 not just as producers, but as stewards committed to quality and sustainability.
Manager’s Notes – Mid-Season 2021
The monsoons have arrived, draping our gardens in lush green. This is the most demanding period of the year – when the pressure for volume meets our unyielding standards for quality.
At Welcome Tea Company, we’ve been recalibrating fermentation times to counter higher moisture from monsoon leaf, while maintaining the liquor’s brightness and strength. Our technical teams have introduced small but impactful improvements – like leaf-load balance checks and top-class moisture sensors. These steps, though subtle, uphold the excellence our buyers expect.
Meanwhile, our estates are also growing greener in another sense. We’ve begun helping our partners replace synthetic fertilisers with organic compost prepared onsite, and are setting up corridors to attract pollinators and improve long-term soil health. Employee-led initiatives have been instrumental here – our estate partners take great pride in seeing the land they nurture thrive naturally.
These achievements are possible because of our people – their skill, patience, and care. Mid-season reminds us that every leaf counts, and every person matters.
Manager’s Notes – End of the Season 2021
As 2021 draws to a close, we look back at a season defined by steady progress and renewed purpose.
Across the Welcome Group, production has not only stabilised but improved in consistency. Our end-of-year evaluations show higher average cup scores across all factories – a result of tighter process discipline and continuous skill development.
At Welcome Tea Company, the introduction of maintenance processes has reduced downtime by 15%. Our field teams have expanded soil testing to include micronutrient analysis, improving bush health and leaf yield projections.
We’ve also strengthened our partnerships beyond our estates. Direct collaborations with small blenders now enable us to tell our teas’ stories more vividly – each batch carries not just flavour, but provenance and pride.
Looking ahead, our focus areas for 2022 are clear:
- Deeper investment in automation systems.
- Enhanced training programmes for our supervisors and leaf graders.
- Strengthening traceability across all units.
- Expanding to green and orthodox tea to meet new demand trends.
The 2021 season reaffirmed that, like the tea bushes we tend, our foundations grow stronger each year.
Manager’s Notes – Beginning of the Season 2022
Every season begins with a sense of renewal, but 2022 feels particularly promising. The last two years have tested our resilience and taught the group the importance of continued innovation.
At Welcome Tea Company, our preparations for this season began months ago. Pruning across our main divisions has been completed, soil health analysis conducted, and organic manure applications increased. This year, we are piloting a precision nutrient-management system – using soil-testing data to guide balanced fertilisation schedules for better leaf texture and cup brightness.
Our engineering teams have also modernised the rotorvane and CTC sections to reduce energy consumption and leaf breakage. In parallel, our R&D unit is testing humidity-controlled withering, which can help achieve uniformity during fluctuating weather conditions.
Beyond production, we are investing in people. This year, we’ve launched a “Skill to Grow” programme — training young supervisors in quality control, digital tracking, and sustainable partner estate practices.
Globally, the demand for teas that combine authenticity with wellness continues to rise. We see this as an opportunity to reinforce what Assam and Arunachal stand for – quality grown with integrity.
Rooted in our heritage yet adapting with time, we begin 2022 with quiet confidence: to produce tea that uplifts everyone it touches – from the plucker’s hand to the consumer’s cup.
Manager’s Notes – Mid-Season 2022
The rains have returned, and our gardens are at their lush peak. Every corner of the estates hum with activity – trucks move between divisions, factory floors alive with rhythm, and supervisors watching leaf inflow carefully.
Mid-season gives us a clear view of where we stand – and this year, we’re proud to say that our progress goes beyond volume.
At Welcome Tea Company, we’ve reduced diesel use by 12% through the upgradation to energy-efficient dryers and insulation upgrades. We’ve also started help build and improve small-scale compost pits at each of our garden partners, converting pruning waste and biomass into organic fertiliser.
Operationally, quality has remained good despite erratic rainfall. Our field managers have adapted plucking intervals to ensure the tender two-leaf-and-a-bud standard even during humid weeks. We’re also seeing buyers increasingly prioritise traceable sourcing.
Mid-season 2022 reaffirms our belief that excellence and responsibility go hand in hand. Every improvement we are making today is an investment in the Welcome Group’s tomorrow.
Manager’s Notes – End of the Season 2022
As the season winds down, we take a step back to appreciate what truly drives our success – our people.
At Welcome Tea Company, every improvement this year – from energy conservation to production gains – is the result of hundreds of hands working in harmony. Our factory operators, pluckers, fitters, and quality controllers have shown remarkable commitment. Their precision has ensured that each lot leaving our estate maintains the bold character and deep colour that Welcome Tea is known for.
Operationally, the results speak for themselves:
- Improved leaf handling and fermentation monitoring increased cup consistency by 8%.
- Upgraded sorters reduced fibre content across bulk teas.
- Digitised production records improved traceability for all export consignments.
Globally, we’re observing a shift – buyers now value not just taste but the story behind the tea. And our story is one of care – for community and for nature.
Manager’s Notes – Beginning of the Season 2023
The new season arrives with clarity and ambition. Over the past two decades, Welcome Tea Company has built a reputation for dependable quality. In 2023, our vision is to make that identity more visible – from the factory floor to the global shelves.
This year, we’re introducing new branding for select batches under our “Kaizen” label — a mark that highlights origin, consistency, and care.
Our production priorities are equally strong. We’ve installed a new sorting line and upgraded the withering trough fans for better airflow control. Field operations are now supported by handheld data devices to record plucking weights and quality variance across divisions. These small technological shifts are helping us link field data directly to finished tea outcomes.
The group’s diversification remains robust. Driven by the growing global demand for healthier tea choices, we are delighted to announce our expansion into Green Tea manufacturing under a brand-new unit — Green Twigs Tea Company.
This manufacturing will be among the very few dedicated green tea factories in the region, strengthening our commitment to product innovation, health-focused beverages, and value-added tea solutions for domestic and international markets. The project is still under construction phase and should be ready for trial production by year end.
2023 is the year we begin to share our story with the world – not just as producers, but as custodians of Assam’s legacy.
Manager’s Notes – Mid-Season 2023
Halfway through 2023, we see the world’s relationship with tea evolving faster than ever. Tea is now at the intersection of sustainability, wellness, and storytelling — and we at the Welcome Group are embracing this new era.
At Welcome Tea Company, mid-season evaluations show steady yield with excellent liquor character. Our R&D team has been fine-tuning oxidation curves using controlled humidity chambers, achieving a more balanced flavour profile. Field audits show reduced pesticide dependency thanks to expanded integrated pest management (IPM) training.
Internationally, we’ve participated in several trade events, including virtual showcases for European buyers. The feedback is consistent – Assam teas are valued for authenticity, but buyers seek partners who demonstrate traceability and responsibility. This is exactly where our investments in data and quality systems position us strongly.
At the group level, Kheram continues to perform strongly in niche markets. Green Twigs Tea Co. is perfectly on track to begin operations by year-end, strengthening our presence in the premium green tea segment.
To further meet the rising demand for high-quality and consistently superior CTC teas, we are proud to announce our next major project — Bamunjuli Chai Udyog Private Limited, located in Udalguri district, Assam, which is scheduled to be operational next year. This will be a fully dedicated CTC manufacturing facility, equipped for superior quality control and high-efficiency production. The plant is also future-ready, with provisions to expand into Orthodox tea manufacturing, enabling a broader and more versatile product offering for both domestic and global markets.
Manager’s Notes – End of the Season 2023
The close of the 2023 season brings with it a deep sense of continuity. Our teas, once again, have reached homes and markets, carrying the strength of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in every sip.
At Welcome Tea Company, the year has been one of steady advancement. Our analytics module – introduced earlier this year – now helps forecast leaf yield better. This has improved harvest planning with our garden partners and reduced waste by nearly 6%.
Perhaps the most exciting change is cultural – the next generation of leadership within the group has begun to take active roles in digitalisation, partnerships, and export diversification. Their energy blends seamlessly with the experience of our long-standing teams, creating a balance of wisdom and innovation.
Across our subsidiaries, Kheram continues to pioneer niche teas, Green Twigs has commenced trial production with highly promising results, and Bamunjuli remains on track to begin production by June next year.
Looking forward, our collective mission remains unchanged: to protect the soil, empower our people, and elevate Indian tea on the world stage.
Manager’s Notes – Beginning of the Season 2024
The 2024 season begins with excitement across our estates. Over the past year, our group has grown stronger – not just in volume, but in vision. This year, we embark on a phase of thoughtful expansion while staying true to our roots in quality and sustainability.
At Welcome Tea Company, we are setting up a new state-of-the-art blending and packaging wing. This facility will allow us to better serve the domestic markets, offering blended grades tailored to regional taste profiles.
Field operations are also evolving. Our agronomy team has launched the “Healthy Soil, Healthy Leaf” project, introducing vermicomposting units and microbial soil conditioners to improve long-term fertility for our partners’ gardens. A 10-hectare replantation drive using high-yield, drought-resistant clones is underway – a direct response to shifting climate patterns that now define our growing cycles during the spring seasons especially.
Across the group, Kheram Tea Company is expanding its portfolio with golden-tip specialty teas. Green Twigs Tea Company is set to begin commercial production following successful trials last year, while Bamunjuli Chai Udyog is on track to be production-ready within the next couple of months
As we enter this season, we do so with gratitude – for the hands that nurture every leaf, for our buyers who believe in us, and for the land that continues to reward care with abundance.
Manager’s Notes – Mid-Season 2024
Mid-season finds our gardens vibrant and our factories operating at full rhythm- the sound of CTC rollers and the aroma of freshly fired teas fill the air.
At Welcome Tea Company, we are observing a steady rise in demand for differentiated flavours. The world’s palate is evolving: cold brews, fusion blends, and wellness infusions are reshaping consumer expectations. To meet this shift, we’ve begun research into international tea buyers to create prototype blends using our Assam teas as base.
Operationally, the mid-season focus has been efficiency. We’ve introduced predictive maintenance schedules, reducing downtime by nearly 20%. Leaf wastage across divisions has also fallen due to improved leaf-routing systems between the garden and factory.
Meanwhile, Kheram Tea Company’s specialty tea batches continue to attract discerning buyers, and Green Twigs is operating steadily with a strong focus on high-quality green teas. Bamunjuli has also commenced commercial production and is well on track for a successful year ahead.
Beyond numbers, our commitment to community remains unwavering. We’ve expanded our “Tea for Tomorrow” education drive, now providing help to over 60 needful children. These small actions ensure that as we grow, our communities grow with us.
The tea industry is changing – and so are we. Not by chasing trends, but by evolving meaningfully to chase and define the direction in which tea is headed globally.
Manager’s Notes – End of the Season 2024
As we conclude another successful year, we reflect on how far we’ve come – and how much further we aspire to go.
2024 has been a year of deliberate progress. At Welcome Tea Company, our blending unit became fully operational, streamlining production for bulk teas. This vertical integration has strengthened our brand identity and reduced dependency on third-party facilities.
On the field side, pest resilience remains a key focus. Trials with natural repellents like neem oil and pheromone traps are showing encouraging results. These measures not only safeguard yields but align with our commitment to responsible farming.
Across the group, Kheram continues to establish itself as a reliable producer of fine teas, Green Twigs has entered premium segments across India, and Bamunjuli has completed major automation upgrades, ensuring consistency even during peak flushes.
As we close 2024, we do so with deep gratitude – to our workers, buyers, and partners who made this journey possible.
Manager’s Notes – Beginning of the Season 2025
The year 2025 marks a milestone in our group’s story. Two decades since our founding, the Welcome Group enters this season as both a heritage name and a forward-looking organisation. The focus in hand this year will be going international.
The sustainability roadmap we developed last year is now in motion:
- 20% of our power requirement will come from renewable energy by the end of 2026.
- All packaging for premium grades will transition to sustainable film.
- We’ve set an internal goal of achieving 20% carbon reduction by 2030.
In our gardens, new clonal plantings are showing excellent vigour, and pruning cycles have been aligned with updated soil-moisture models. Across the group, Green Twigs is expanding its wellness offerings in Green Tea with a focus on exports; and Bamunjuli is digitising its supply chain to improve traceability.
Perhaps our proudest initiative this year is our effort towards “Shreeji Foundation” – our sister NGO which has been established since 2016 and has successfully helped plant 50,000+ trees in north-east India.
Innovation, to us, is not just technology – it’s thinking differently and responsibly.
Manager’s Notes – Mid-Season 2025
By mid-2025, the monsoon has arrived early, a reminder that climate variability is no longer a future challenge – it’s here. Yet, through adaptation and foresight, our gardens continue to thrive.
At Welcome Tea Company, we’ve implemented advanced drainage systems in low-lying divisions in our partner gardens to prevent waterlogging and root stress. Our field teams are experimenting with shade-tree intercropping for our partners using native species to stabilise microclimates and enhance biodiversity.
Across the group, Kheram Tea Company is experimenting with new planter partner compensation models; Green Twigs is testing sustainable drying systems for its green teas; and Bamunjuli is optimising its logistics flow to minimise turnaround time between leaf intake and dispatch.
Externally, the global tea market continues to evolve toward transparency and sustainability. Buyers increasingly seek verifiable environmental credentials – and we are ready.
This mid-season, we reaffirm that adaptation – both human and technological – will define the future of tea.
