HUBBALLI: A tea brand from a village of Shivamogga is all set to make its mark at global level. The Areca Tea of Mandagadde village of Tirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga has been nominated as the Prestigious Brands of India 2019. The nomination has been done by the Brand Advertising Research And Consulting Pvt Ltd (BARC) Asia and its the only product from Karnataka on the list this year.
The Areca Tea has already made its mark in global markets and is also stepping in domestic market as a health product. Considered as the best remedy for diabetes, the product has also played a large role in the lives of areca nut farmers of Karnataka.
“It's a proud feeling that a village startup is now making its name globally. Areca Tea is a proven product and helping people deal with health issues. The clinical tests for Areca Tea proved to be benefiting the diabetic patients and that is when the product became popular globally. In the last four years, we have modified our product, added flavours based on the feedback received by our customers,” Nivedan Nempe, Founder and CEO of Areca Tea, told TNIE.
The company has a production house in Udupi district and has a unit at Mandagadde in Shivamogga. Already several local populations are working for Areca Tea and farmers are being benefited through sales of their produce.
“Quality is the most important aspect of tea production. We chose first quality areca nuts grown in Shivamogga and other areca nut growing districts of Karnataka. We have developed a patented method to make tea out of areca nut and slowly the product is getting popularised in local markets as well,” he said.
The company is also involved in employing specially-abled persons and elderly citizens in working such as packing. “The manual packing work is outsourced from the people who are usually at home. We picked elderly persons and specially-abled persons and today they are making a life out of packing our products. And this is the most satisfying thing,” he added.
What next? The Areca Tea will now expand its business in sugarcane and rice sectors. “We are coming out with a product to help the sugarcane farmers and soon we shall launch the programme. Currently, we are involved in developing a new variety of rice which is more healthy in nature. We want our farmers grow the rice which will have health benefits. The rice variety has been developed locally in collaboration with a German company,” Nivedan said.