Kundalpokhar Tea

In the village of Kachakali, things are very quiet. We are located in the Chandanidanga post area, which is part of Chopra in the Uttar Dinajpur district. It’s a long way from the big cities, and that’s just how we like it. Kundalpokhar Tea is more about the land than anything else. We spend a lot of our time dealing with the actual leaves as they come in from the fields nearby. The weather in Uttar Dinajpur is what dictates our schedule. When it rains, everything slows down, and the mud makes it hard for the trucks to get through to the village. We have a basic setup here for sorting and packing. It’s not a polished operation, just some local folks working with what they have. Most of the people around Kachakali know us by name. We don't really have a front shop for people to walk into; it's more of a place where the tea is gathered before it goes off to the bigger markets. The air here smells like damp earth and fresh tea most of the time. We don't have fancy signs or a big office. It’s just a building in the village where we do the work. It’s hard work, especially when the humidity is high, but it’s a living. We just take it one day at a time.