Woolah: The Tea Bag Conundrum
There’s nothing quite like a hot, refreshing cup of tea to kick-start your day.
But did you know your favorite tea bags might be sprinkling a dash of microplastic into your brew?
A startling revelation by McGill University in Canada in 2019 alerted tea enthusiasts worldwide.
The study found a single plastic teabag releasing about 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nano-plastic particles into hot water.
Even seemingly innocent paper tea bags weren’t spared, with a wee bit of plastic used to seal them shut.
Here Comes the Game-Changer: Woolah
So, what’s a tea lover to do?
Enter Woolah, an innovation by Upamanyu Borkakoty and Anshuman Bharali in 2021.
Touted as the world’s first bagless tea dip, Woolah is the knight in shining armor rescuing us from the plastic-infused depths of our tea mugs.
Woolah’s patent-pending product is as simple and efficient as it gets: two tea leaves and a tea-bud attached to a string, ready to be brewed more than once.
Imagine the convenience of tea bags, sans the pesky microplastics.
The Road to Woolah: A Tale of Passion and Enterprise
The seeds of Woolah were sown quite unexpectedly.
Upamanyu Borkakoty, a native of Sivasagar in upper Assam, was comfortably ensconced in the corporate world, working with firms like Wizcraft and Sennheiser.
But a chance encounter with a farmer selling handcrafted organic green tea during a home visit stirred Upamanyu Borkakoty’s entrepreneurial spirit.
An extended stay in China’s Fujian province, exploring the intricacies of tea cultivation, further fuelled his passion.
A heart-to-heart with childhood friend Anshuman Bharali set the wheels in motion, leading to their venture, the Tea Leaf Theory, in 2016.
An Organic Revolution in the Tea Industry
The duo’s quest was to showcase the premium quality of Assam tea, amidst the vast regular-quality production.
Upamanyu Borkakoty realized that numerous organic tea farmers were being undersold, affecting the quality of their produce.
The duo’s challenge was to transform these small-scale farmers into specialty tea producers and carve out a niche market from Assam.
Thus began their experiments, crafting tea by hand and selling it to boutique outlets in Europe and North America.
Woolah: The Plastic Bombshell and the Birth of a Sustainable Solution
Upamanyu Borkakoty’s discovery of the McGill University research sent shockwaves through him.
Despite being four years in the industry, he was oblivious to the microplastics menace lurking in tea bags.
Pondering over the massive use of tea bags in countries like the UK and Germany, the co-founders envisioned a sustainable, eco-friendly solution, eliminating the need for tea bags entirely.
Unleashing the Authenticity of Tea: Two Leaves and a Bud
Woolah is all about getting the authentic taste of tea back on the tip of your tongue.
By picking the top two leaves and a bud, tying them with a string, and compressing them in a semi-dried form, they’ve fashioned a unique, bagless tea dip.
Simply pour boiling water over this tablet-shaped wonder, let it steep for five minutes, and voilà, you have the flavorful, orthodox tea ready to savor.
Empowering Local Communities: Women at the Forefront
Woolah isn’t just about tea; it’s a movement.
With two micro-organic factories in Dibrugarh district and Kakopathar and collaborations with 20 organic growers, Woolah is creating an economic impact.
Women, especially, are the backbone of Woolah’s operation, from plucking, segregating, to drying the leaves.
This model provides local women, even college students, the opportunity to earn and uplift their lives.
Woolah’s Journey So Far
Woolah is making its mark, selling one million dips via their website and Amazon, with operations expanding to the UK and Europe.
The Sivasagar-based company aims to clock a revenue of Rs 3 crore this fiscal, proving that it’s possible to balance a successful business model with sustainable practices.
Looking Ahead
The road doesn’t end here for Woolah. The founders are planning to penetrate markets in the US, Europe, and the Middle East.
Alongside scaling up, their commitment to the community remains strong, supporting the education of workers’ children and providing solar lamps to villages.
Woolah symbolizes the perfect blend of innovation, sustainability, and social empowerment, promising a healthier and more eco-friendly future for tea lovers worldwide.
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