Waterfall Estates takes up vacuum packaging for bulk teas

In an effort to prevent tea adulteration and ensure the freshness and quality of the products, Anamalai-based Waterfall Estates has come up with vacuum packaging for bulk teas.

Addressing a press conference, K Gopalakrishnan, director of the company, said the new technology aimed at capturing the freshness of the produce and seal its rich anti-oxidants, which give tea its unique healing properties. Moreover, this system ensures nil moisture thus making the teas gain their flavour even after long period of shipment.

Explaining the advantages of vacuum packing, he said that it retained the garden freshness of the tea devoid of any moisture. The technology helps to retain the right flavour of the tea till it reaches the end consumer. "The shelf life of the tea gets extended beyond 12 months while storage and handling of packages also become easier due to compact packing," he said.

Waterfall Estates, along with a Kochi-based tea machinery manufacturer, has invested around Rs 5 lakh in designing the state-of-the-art machinery needed for the vacuum packaging technology. The company has gardens in Kenya and Sri Lanka with a combined annual production of 22 lakh kilo, of which 65 per cent is being exported to Dubai and West Asian countries, Gopalakrishnan added.