Manipur Organic Tea Startup Dweller Tea
Elizabeth Yambem grew up in Manipur but had to relocate to the UK for further studies as her hometown hardly had any good college. She graduated in accounting and finance and had a cushy job in Singapore. She though quit her coveted bank job in Singapore and came back home and continued with her passion for promoting local strengths. She started off with a small start-up named Dwellar teas.
Elizabeth’s start-up received an immense boost from the locals and the start-up that started with an initial capital of 20lakhs in 2017 is worth millions today. She put her entire focus on promoting authentic Manipuri tea instead of traditional tea (chai). She made tea with herbs and spices, to make a healthy and delicious cuppa. She was aware that horticulture produce is the main source of income of Manipuri’s. However, the perishable nature and lack of harvest management result in unrealized potential loss.
Dweller Tea tapped on this opportunity and made teas using traditional herbs. Dweller Teas offered delightful sips to customers and thereby created new livelihood opportunities for the people in Manipur. Dweller Teas has a long list of product range and Hei-Mang red tea and lemongrass ginger tea is among the brand’s highest-selling tea. Dwellers have in-house manufacturing and the tea is made using locally grown ingredients. The company also claims that they don’t use any added preservatives, flavor, or color.
Yambem’s vision was to have a sustainable venture. Dweller tea also claims that besides being health conscious their products are environmentally friendly as well. She currently has a team of 12-members and targets to make it a 100-member team in the next few years. She recently opened her second café in Imphal citing huge demand for her tea. Her gamble of producing tea using local ingredients has fared well and today her tea is shipped not just in her state but has a pan-Indian presence.
She started her start-up with the aim of creating jobs in her own region. She has thus far been successful but she has said that this is just the beginning and there’s still a long way to go. Her start-up purchases fresh local produce items such as fruits, plants, herbs, etc. and then develop them in unique tea flavors. Her products are available in stores and various online channels as well.