Coca-Cola partners with Darjeeling's Makaibari tea estate for iced green tea: BS Report

Coca-Cola has tied up with Luxmi Group’s Makaibari, a Darjeeling based tea estate, to launch ready-to-drink iced green tea in India, as reported by Business Standard.

Crafted from organic green tea sourced from Makaibari estate, the ready-to-drink iced green tea is available in two flavours: lemon-tulsi and mango.

Marketed under the Honest Tea brand, owned by Honest Corporation—a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company—the exclusive launch of the bottled iced green tea occurred on November 22, 2023, marking the conclusion of the Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata.

Honest Tea, established in 1998 by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff in the United States, was acquired by Coca-Cola in 2011. In 2022, Coca-Cola revealed plans to streamline its beverage portfolio, opting to phase out the Honest Tea product line and concentrate on fewer, larger brands.

Karthik Subramanian, director of marketing- hydration, coffee and tea category, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, commented, “We are thrilled to introduce our new ready-to-drink iced green tea. With Honest Tea, we are offering consumers a unique experience of a great tasting green tea-based beverage.”

Rudra Chatterjee, managing director, Luxmi Group hailed Makaibari as the paramount tea estate in Darjeeling during the event. “It is the last word among teas, whether in Japan or England, royal houses”, he added.