Multinationals losing out in the tea category in India ?
In the packet tea business there have been shifts in the taste and preferences of customers . Much has been decided by first movers like Vikram Tea , Society and Wagh Bakri . The early movers like Brooke Bond , Lipton , Goodricke could easily be falling behind due to lack of creativity at their end on blend formulations . The above companies have been focused on margins , incurring large spends on advertising , have been tight on trade margins and have been surviving with psychographic play on customers . Gujarat based players have created an ownership of taste , used blends with Upper Assam Teas and have stayed close to retailers to build a close contact with trade , depending less on distributors and superstockists . Their customer contact and feedback has been exemplary and on many occasions have visited customers at their residence to understand their preferences . While most businesses have to fund on their own , the Gujarat players have focused on spending their budgets on