History

In 1912, when the tea industry was predominantly British, PC Chatterjee founded Luxmi Tea as an Indian movement for self reliance.

(Image: PC Chatterjee (right), doting on his elephants)

Concerned with the growing Chinese monopoly on tea, the British traders sought to find an alternate source for their consumption.

During the same time period, the colonists found a wild variety of long-leaved tea shrubs in the backyards of tribes that lived in Assam. This is how the British discovered tea in India and began to cultivate it commercially.

The tyrannical regime of British Raj soon gave way to political unrest across the country and Indian activists spearheading the Satyagraha movement. A number of small farms sprouted in Assam starting to grow and process their own tea as a sign of self-reliance.

Among them, PC Chatterjee pioneered the independent farmers movement and founded Luxmi Tea as an expression of freedom from the British Raj. It has now come to stand for the freedom of spirit.

With a tract of land in Tripura to his name, he began to cultivate tea independently, without management agencies or advisors from London. Little did he know the extraordinary legacy that he would create and set into motion with Luxmi.

Other members of the Indian freedom movement - Assamese and Bengali students who also rebelled against British rule, joined his company, then called Indian Tea and Provisions. What started as an expression of freedom from the British Raj has now come to stand for the freedom of spirit.

 

“

PC’s first capital investment was on a family of elephants whom he doted on like his children. Elephants, with PC in the driver’s seat, could get you deep in the plantation.

 

Any instance where an inferior tea bush was spotted was remedied by a yank of the elephant’s trunk - uprooting all but the best bushes. This ensured an early emphasis on quality.

Bosses from British management agencies came and advised that Luxmi’s processes and systems were curious, but since we were clocking the best prices in the Calcutta auctions, while having a ball at it, we chose to remain different.”

In 1912, when the tea industry was predominantly British, PC Chatterjee founded Luxmi Tea as an Indian movement for self reliance.

Concerned with the growing Chinese monopoly on tea, the British traders sought to find an alternate source for their consumption.

During the same time period, the colonists found a wild variety of long-leaved tea shrubs in the backyard of the tribes that lived in Assam. This is how the British discovered tea in India and began to cultivate it commercially.

The tyrannical regime of British Raj soon gave way to political unrest across the country and Indian activists spearheading the Satyagraha movement. A number of small farms sprouted in Assam starting to grow and process their own tea as a sign of self-reliance.

Among them, PC Chatterjee pioneered the independent farmers movement and founded Luxmi Tea as an expression of freedom from the British Raj. It has now come to stand for the freedom of spirit.

With a tract of land in Tripura to his name, he began to cultivate tea independently, without management agencies or advisors from London. Little did he know the extraordinary legacy that he would create and set into motion with Luxmi.

Other members of the Indian freedom movement - Assamese and Bengali students who also rebelled against British rule, joined his company, then called Indian Tea and Provisions. What started as an expression of freedom from the British Raj has now come to stand for the freedom of spirit.

“

PC’s first capital investment was on a family of elephants whom he doted on like his children. Elephants, with PC in the driver’s seat, could get you deep in the plantation and any instance where an inferior tea bush was spotted was remedied by a yank of the elephant’s trunk - uprooting all but the best bushes. This ensured an early emphasis on quality.

Bosses from British management agencies came and advised that Luxmi’s processes and systems were curious, but since we were clocking the best prices in the Calcutta auctions, while having a ball at it, we chose to remain different.”

~Rudra Chatterjee

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