World Tea Awards: Teabox among top industry innovators

First published in May 2017; the nomination described here was for that year’s World Tea Awards.

We are thrilled to announce that we have made it to the Finalists’ list in the World Tea Awards, in the category of Best Innovator in the Industry. The awards, held annually by World Tea Media, are now a benchmark for brands and people who are working to further the industry.

We thought it a good time to answer a question we’re asked often – on why the industry needed innovation. The tea industry in India is two centuries old, created by the British but furthered by us. It’s a labor-intensive industry, making it the second-largest organized workforce employer, after the Indian Railways. As a commodity, it’s a significant contributor to the economy. As a product, it’s the second most consumed beverage, after water. Given all this, there was a yawning gap between product and consumer, between profit and people, between innovation and production. And that’s what we responded to, when we created Teabox.

A brand that’s homegrown in India but reaching globally, bringing tech innovations to the industry, bridging gaps wherever they cropped up in the conversations. Our innovations have been to simplify the chain of movement, and to treat the product with the care it deserves as a consumable – even as a tea bag.

Which is why we are excited about the nominations today – it’s an acknowledgment of our work and a validation of the path ahead.

From our readers

Comments left on the original Still Steeping post.

Sangeetha Shinde · June 2, 2017
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Originally published on Still Steeping, the Teabox blog, on May 31, 2017. Lightly edited for clarity in October 2026.