Luxmi Tea Co Announces Makaibari Collective to Integrate Small Darjeeling Growers

Luxmi Tea Co Private Ltd has announced the launch of the Makaibari Collective, a new initiative aimed at integrating small-scale, family-run tea plots in Darjeeling into an established commercial framework. Announced by Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director of Luxmi Tea Co Private Ltd, the collective seeks to address market access challenges faced by small organic growers in the region.

Under the new model, small-farmer cooperatives will produce organic tea to be marketed under the Makaibari name. The collective will incorporate Makaibari’s existing Apoorva and Green Valley lines, which represent a market worth over ₹10 crore. This structure is intended to allow participating growers to bypass the process of building a new brand, customer base, and distribution network from scratch.

To maintain quality, Makaibari will collaborate with participating organic-farming cooperatives to establish standards and provide training. This is designed to help growers consistently meet premium and international requirements. Additionally, J Thomas & Company will independently evaluate the quality of the tea supplied to the collective.

The initiative also incorporates a profit-sharing mechanism. Profits generated from the sales of the Makaibari Collective will be returned to the participating self-help groups and farmer cooperatives on a pro rata basis, determined by the amount of tea contributed by each group.

Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director of Luxmi Tea Co Private Ltd, stated that the collective extends the trust built around the Makaibari estate to small growers who have historically contributed to the region's tea production. He noted that every leaf will be verified, tasted, and priced before packaging, and that participating growers will share in the value created by their produce.

The Makaibari Collective is scheduled to begin rolling out from Diwali 2026, positioning the initiative to leverage the festive gifting season while aiming to build sustained, year-round demand.

"The Makaibari Collective presents a structured approach to integrating smallholder farmers into established supply chains. By leveraging an existing brand value of over ₹10 crore and providing independent quality evaluation alongside a pro rata profit-sharing model, this initiative addresses traditional market access barriers for small agricultural producers. Setting a clear rollout timeline for Diwali 2026 allows the collective adequate preparation for quality compliance and training." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes