Though the State of Assam and Darjeeling region of West Bengal are traditionally famous for the tea produced there, Uttarakhand is also making its presence felt in tea production. The brand of tea produced in Uttarakhand has caught the fancy of tea lovers, not only in the country but also in various countries across the world.

The cultivation of tea in the region dates back to 1835. During the colonial era, the first lot of 2000 tea plants were brought from China and planted in Lakshmeshwar area of Almora and Bharatpur near Bhimtal.

Later, tea gardens were extended in other parts of the region. Calcutta Chamber of Commerce rated and priced team from this region quite high in the market. The British had first had tried to develop tea production in this region establishing about 63 tea gardens in 1880 with total cultivated area of 10937 acres, providing employment to about 5,000 locals.

With the beginning of Quit India Movement, these tea gardens being property of the British were slowly ruined due to mismanagement. Further coupled with problems of transportation, the unavailability of local market, labour and factory for processing of tea leaves resulted in decline of tea production which by 1949 was almost negligible.

A fresh start to revive the tea gardens in the State was made in 1993-94 under the Uttarakhand Tea Development Project by the then Uttar Pradesh Government before creation of Uttarakhand State. Under this project various hybrid varieties of tea were planted in Kausani area, which had a rich aroma and taste.

After success in the endeavour, the first tea factory in Uttarakhand- the Uttaranchal Tea Factory was started in 2001 as a joint venture involving Giria’s Uttaranchal Tea Company with Government of Uttarakhand at Pingalkote in the Kausani area of Bageshwar district.

The factory initiated orthodox tea production by 2002 under the brand name ‘Uttaranchal Tea’. Later on, with the establishment of tea gardens in small pockets in different areas including Champawat, Ghorakhal in Nainital district and Nauti in Chamoli district, three small factories were also established in these areas by the Uttarakhand Tea Development Board.

As on April 2018, inorganic tea gardens covered about 572 hectares while organic tea gardens covered about 593 hectares in the state.

Tea tasters in Kolkata have rated ‘Uttaranchal Tea’ at par with Darjeeling tea due to which the demand for Uttaranchal Tea is on the rise the world over. It is being exported to South Korea, Japan, Germany, USA, Netherlands and Britain. It is also in demand in the domestic markets of Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Goa, Punjab, Haryana and Ahmedabad.

The revival of tea gardens in the State has provided a boost to employment generation and helped improve the economic condition of the locals.

Besides, being a perennial plant, it keeps greenery alive and helps maintain the ecological balance.

It prevents soil erosion and serves a good means for putting fallow land to productive use. The scenic beauty and produce of the tea gardens also attract tourists which add to the revenue generation.