On 9th April, the Indian Tea Association (ITA), the Tea Research Association (TRA) Tocklai, the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) hosted the largest gathering of organisations interested in the future of the Indian tea sector. TEAM UP India brought together the whole of the tea supply chain, with 165 delegates from over 50 organisations in attendance. Delegates included producer companies, Indian and International packers, UN organisations, specialist implementation agencies, international funders, certification bodies, tea associations from both India and abroad, smallholder and bought leaf sector representatives, and development partners.
The objective of the event was to determine how to develop and scale-up approaches to deal with the sustainability challenges facing the Indian tea industry and communities so that producers thrive, workers lives’ and the environment are improved, and buying companies can be assured that they are sourcing sustainably produced teas.