New Delhi: Coca-Cola India, a subsidiary of the global beverage giant Coca-Cola Company, has entered the ready-to-drink tea beverages segment with the launch of ‘Honest Tea’. The new product is bottled iced green tea made with organic green tea sourced from Makaibari Tea Estate, a renowned Darjeeling tea estate owned by Luxmi Group.
The launch of ‘Honest Tea’ was announced on November 22, 2023, at the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), a two-day event that showcases the business potential and investment opportunities in West Bengal. Coca-Cola India and Luxmi Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the summit to formalize their partnership for the product.
‘Honest Tea’ is a brand owned by Honest, a US-based company that produces organic beverages. Honest was acquired by the Coca-Cola Company in 2011. ‘Honest Tea’ comes in two flavors — lemon-tulsi and mango. The product is aimed at providing consumers with wider beverage options that are refreshing and healthy.
Karthik Subramanian, director of marketing – hydration, coffee and tea category, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, said in a statement, “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 of Luxmi Group, said that Makaibari Tea Estate was the best tea estate in Darjeeling and the world. “It is the last word among teas, whether in Japan or England, royal houses.” He added that the partnership with Coca-Cola India would help promote the organic tea industry and the Darjeeling tea brand globally.
