Assamese start-up launches tea named after Zelenskyy

Kolkata, March 17 (PTI): Aromica Tea, an Assam-based startup, has launched a CTC tea named after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “honour his valour and courage” in the face of Russian invasion.

Ranjit Barua, the director of Aromica Tea, told PTI that the brand Zelenskyy’, a strong Assam CTC tea, was launched on Wednesday.

“The basic idea is to honour the valour and courage of the president who rejected the US offer to escape the war-torn country. Zelenskyy said he does not need a free ride but ammunition. This shows his character,” Barua maintained.

The Ukraine president, “knowing fully well that victory is nowhere near”, is still fighting.

“We are trying to draw an analogy between his character and valour and that of the Assam tea,” the director of the firm, which as incubated at IIM-Calcutta Innovation Park in 2020, said.

The brew will be available for sale online, he added.

According to Tea Board data, Russia, the largest importer of Indian tea, had sourced 34.09 mn kg of brew in 2021.

Ukraine, on the other hand, imported 1.73 mn kg tea from India during the year.

Tea planters and exporters have recently expressed concern over their possible impact on shipments to Russia amid the war.

Exporters fear that payments, which are usually in dollars, would get affected with the US having imposed sanctions on Russia.