Tapal Tea, one of the largest tea brands in Pakistan, is tying up with an Indian companies to develop a new brand.
?We are working on a possible collaboration with Indian companies to blend and market a new brand in Pakistan,? said Mohsin M saify, general manager (tea & blend) of Tapal Tea. Saify, refusing to mention the name of any particular Indian company, said the collaboration would be done at the tea board-level.
Hopeful about the acceptance of the new brand, he said the proposed variant has to have co-branding.
According to experts, Pakistani tea traders are keen on importing low-priced tea from South India and Bangladesh. ?The palette of the Pakistani people is close to that of the north Indians?,? he said.
Pakistan imports almost 80% tea from African countries. African tea, tasting like north Indian tea, finds ready acceptance in Pakistan.
?We are trying to make it a blend of north Indian tea,? Saify said. Indian tea exports to Pakistan accounting merely 7% of total exports has seen a marginal rise during two years.
Pakistan, with a per capita consumption of 1 kg, is one of the major importers of tea in the global market, barring huge illegal imports through border points. Legal import during 2006-07 was 160 million kg. The business volumes of the genuine loose tea traders are shrinking owing to illegal imports.
?Pakistan is a very competitive market. To sell a commodity like tea is a huge task. We have to take care of our own brand while launching a new one,? Saify said.