Jun Chiyabari Story
 
Technology & training

Apart from having highly experienced tea masters and managers from Darjeeling who have worked in reputed gardens like Margaret’s Hope, Castleton, Selimbong and so on we have been fortunate to get training by tea masters from Taiwan and Japan. Fusing these three tea cultures we constantly try to create new and high quality teas that have constantly delighted our customers.

Annual production

In 2010 season we made only about 25,000 kgs of tea. All our high quality leaf grade teas are sold directly in Japan, USA, Europe (mostly Germany and France) and Canada with no sales in Calcutta / India. However our lower grades like broken, dust and fannings are usually sold in India. Our ultimate aim is to produce about 50,000 kgs of tea. We like to manufacture limited quantities of very high quality teas. For the existing output and for the garden work there are a total of 160 workers out of which 90 are seasonal workers.

Certification

Jun Chiyabari is HACCP certified for food safety. It is in the process for Organic Certification through IMO even though we have always been bio-organic from the beginning. We are also in the process of applying for ISO 22000.

Farmers

As a result of our small size we also work with farmers and buy tea leaves from them under our strict quality control. Our ultimate aim is to have about 60% of the total output from our own tea garden and the remaining from the farmers. Farmers are encouraged to do mixed farming and not only tea cultivation. There are about 130 farmers working with us. Some are organised in cooperatives and some work directly.

Philosophy

In the field, we believe in sustainable farming practices with emphasis on bio-diversity and commitment to organic cultivation. Our support to the local community which includes farmers, local schools, children and old people’s home is well known. We have supplied computers to local school and are giving scholarships to some local girls. Further for our workers we have interest free loans for good income generating schemes. This is administered by a committee of workers and management. Through these income generating loans workers have established shops and some are in the process of buying cows.

We have a fair price policy wherein we offer the local farmers substantially higher prices for green leaves year-round. This is beside our free help on technical matters pertaining to all aspects of tea cultivation. Latest developments and trends in tea cultivation including but not limited to bio organic farming and biological diversity are imparted to them. This symbiosis has resulted in the great teas that we are able to offer to you.

All of these together constitutes and underpins our tea philosophy and gives Jun Chiyabari a well respected name in the community.