Golden Tips Tea, the Darjeeling-based tea brand established in 1933, plans to enter the general trade market across West Bengal within six months as part of its retail expansion strategy
Golden Tips Tea, one of India’s oldest tea brands, plans to enter the general trade across West Bengal within six months.The company, established in 1933 in Darjeeling, currently has 15 owned stores and 16 franchise stores -- in West Bengal and Sikkim. Apart from online sales, its premium Darjeeling teas are currently available at a few lifestyle stores in some metro cities, except Kolkata.“We plan to start the general trade within six months. In the first phase it will be across West Bengal to start with. If we have distributors, we could later enter Assam, Bihar and Odisha, where people know our brand very well. But at present our focus will be Bengal,” Managing Director Madhav Sarda told businessline.For a pan-India presence, the company is looking to expand through a franchise model. “We will be going ahead with the franchise model, and that is very suitable for us, because in the franchise model, we don’t actually make any investment. The entire investment is made by the respective firms,” Sarda said.“In the next three years we want to open around 100 outlets across the country,” he said, adding the company has recently been very aggressive on digital marketing. The company exports its branded Darjeeling teas in China, Russia and Japan.Golden Tips Tea partnered with Tanishq, India’s largest jewellery brand, to commemorate International Tea Day on May 21 through an in-store experience, in a celebration of culture, craftsmanship, and fine taste. Hosted at the Tanishq showroom at Kolkata’s Ballygunge Phari, the celebration welcomed patrons to discover a thoughtfully curated pairing of exquisite jewellery and some of the world’s finest Darjeeling teas.Published on May 29, 2026
