PROJECT

ON

“ PRODUCTION PROCESS OF BLACK TEA OF SAHARIA GROUP ”

Subject: PRODUCTION AND OPERATION MANAGEMENT

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Prof. S. K. DUBEY ANKIT KR. SRIVASTAVA(23)

BIKASH SRIVASTAV(42)

GOVIND GUPTA(59)

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES GHAZIABAD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

If words are considered to be sign of gratitude then let these words convey the very same.

We are highly indebted to lecturer Dr. S. K. Dubey who have provide us with the necessary information and also for the support and her valuable suggestions and comments on bringing out this report in the best way possible.

We feel great pleasure to cordial thanks to all faculty members of management department of IMS who sincerely supported us with the valuable insights into the completion of this project and we are thankful to that power that always inspire us to take right step in the journey of success in our life.

Abhay Singh Solanki(03)

Abhineet Jaiswal(05)

Afroz Khan(11)

Ankit Kr. Srivastava(23)

Bikash Srivastav(42)

OBJECTIVE

1. The project will help us to understand how different departments in production process works.

2. We will come to know how to do effective management of inbound logistics and outbound logistics, which in turn helps in bringing down the cost for the organization.

3. With the help of this project we would come to know different stages of production. i.e. inputs, conversion subsystem and finished goods stage.

4. To understand how and what types of machines are used while production.

The Saharia group is well known in the Tea industry in India and our experience dates back over a century being amongst the first few Indians as tea planters and today the group is a leading producer in India owning several gardens.    Being in the industry for more than a century we have also developed excellent contacts with other tea producers all over the country and so we are in a position to offer original garden invoices whether Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim, Green Tea or whether First Flush, Second Flush, Autumn from India's premier tea gardens. For those who would prefer to drink one type of tea the whole year we offer our finest blends which are available throughout the year.   

 It also offer a range of flavoured teas. All our teas are made with the best tea leaves and natural ingredients. It offer teas in bulk packing in plywood chest as well as in different form of packing. This gives you the opportunity to choose from a variety of teas as well as packing and these selected teas can be shipped or air freighted to you. It also offer you tea accessories to make your tea experience enjoyable. 

India is the largest producer of tea accounting for as much as 810 million kilograms or 32% of world production. India is also the largest consumer of tea and 75% of our total production is consumed at home. The Indian tea Industry goes back over 150 years and directly employs over 1 million brothers, India produces both orthodox as well as CTC Tea. The main growing regions of India are Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiris. 

Nestling in the foothills of the snow covered Himalayan Range, the Darjeeling district grows this exclusive tea at altitude ranging from 600 to 2000 meters. Sheltered by the mighty Kanchanjunga peak, lie about 20,000 hecteres of bushes producing teas unequaled anywhere in the world for their delicate flavour, rich aroma and exquisite bouquet.  The combination of a cool and moist climate, the soil, the rainfall and the sloping terrain, not found anywhere else in the world all combine to give Darjeeling its unique "Muscatel" flavour and exquisite bouquet. Hence this finest and most delicately flavoured of all teas has over the years acquired the reputation of being the "Champagne of Teas". Like all precious things, these teas are available in very limited quantities. Infact Darjeeling accounts for only about 3% of india's total tea producing about 12 million kg. Naturally, these are the teas that are in great demand all over the world and thus fetch the highest prices. 

To the far North east of India is the state of ASSAM, the land of the one horned Rhino and the land through which the mighty river, the Brahmaputra winds its majestic course. 

On both sides of the mighty Brahmaputra river, lie the rolling plains of the world's largest tea growing areas with the highest per acre yield. Impeccably pruned tea bushes cover 2,16,200 hectares growing more than 360 million kg. of tea annually yielding the strong pungent, full bodied liquor that has made Assam tea famous all over the world. 

Assam is the birthplace of India tea. More than 165 years ago, in 1823, Robert Bruce discovered the plant growing wild in the region. In 1839, the first 8 chests of India tea that found their way to the london auctions came from Assam. 

The cropping season begins as early as march and extends almost to mid-December. March ushers in the hectic plucking season. the dormant bushes come to life and the first leaves of the new season start sprouting. The plucking of this first flush goes on for two to two and a half months. June starts off the season for the eagerly awaited second flush teas. July to September brings the heavy rains. Nature wears a fresh green look and everything grows at a tremendous rate, even the tea bushes. This accounts for the fact that about 75% of Assam tea is produced during this season. Gradually, as the climate becomes colder and less wet, the autumnal make an appearence. They are very similar to the second flush in quality. With December, the bustle of activity peters out and the dormant period sets in. Assam teas offer rich, full bodied, bright liquor. For those who favour a bright , strong cup of tea, Assam is the answer.

Blue mountains or the Nilgiris are situated in South India, a picturesque range of undulating hilly landscapes where tea is grown at elevations ranging from 1000 meters to above 2500 meters. Nilgiri teas are relatively mild teas with a mellow, light and clean liquor and grow all the year round unlike the seasonal Assam and Darjeeling's. 

The Nilgiris soils are red and yellow loam and are lateritic in origin. Most tea plantations get two monsoons owing to which the tea bushes in South India 'flush' all the year round. Therefore the cropping season continues all the year round. 

Fine flavoury teas are produced in the Nilgiris. Stylish leaf throwing very bright, brisk, quality liquors with strength and pronounced flavour; cup-character is the dominant features of these teas. Flavour is derived from the high elevation and prevails throughout the year in the varying degrees. They are the blender's dream, for while other high-grown teas have flavour, Nilgiri teas give the liquor body and strength as well. 

To ensure that the consumer gets their "Pure Darjeeling", "Pure Nilgiri Teas", the Tea Board has created a logo for each of the types of teas which can be used on a packet only when it contains 100% Darjeeling, Assam or Nilgiri Teas. So the next time you but a packet of Tea with the Darjeeling logo, rest assured that the packet contans 100% Darjeeling tea. 

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF BLACK TEA

PLUCKING

The botanical name of the tea plant is "Camellia Sinensis". It is hardy, multistemmed, slow growing evergreen shrub which if allowed to, can grow upto 2.5 mtrs in height. It takes four to six years to mature and is known to have an economic life of well over 100 years. A set of agricultural practices have been developed to sustain the growth of shoots, which maintaining bush heights suitable for manual plucking. Only the young tender shoots are skillfully hand plucked as soon they are ready. Each tea bush in the entire estate is plucked every 6-8 days depending on the season. Plucking begins in March and closes by early December; the cold winter months of December to February are a period of dormancy. Each kilogram of fine tea consists of more than 20,000 individually hand plucked shoots. This gives an idea of the extent of human effort involved in its production. 

WITHERING

Once the leaf reaches the factory, it is "withered". The object is to evaporate from the moisture slowly over a period of 14 to 16 hours. The leaf becomes limp so as to withstand twisting and rolling under pressure without crumbling. Liquor characteristics also begin todevelop following physical and chemical changes within the leaf structure. The green leaf are segregated according to type and spread evenly on wire mesh screens fitted ove specially designed "trough" which resemble very long wooden boxes. Each such trough is a air chamber which enables  fresh dry air to be passed in a regulated manner through the green leaves till the desired "wither" is achieved. Approximately 65% of the water content in the green leaf is removed at this stage. 

ROLLING/CTC

The withered leaf is then removed from the trough and loaded into rolling/ CTC Cutting machines.    Two basic methods of manufacture are followed in India - CTC & Orthodox. CTC is produced by the cutting method employed to produce granular teas with thick strong liquor. This form of manufacture is a relatively recent development over 50 years. Th Orthodox teas follow the traditional form of manufacturing and by the rolling process, produce twisty leafy tea with lighter and more flowery liquor.    Orthodox tea is made during rolling by subjecting the withered leaf to a rolling movement under pressure, twisting the leaf, rupturing the cells and releasing the natural juices, promoting oxidation and acceletating the pigmentation. Rolling pressures and sequences are very meticulously supervised to ensure that the optimum style is imparted, without the detrimental effect of overheating. in the CTC process the withered leaf is cut by three sets of rollers in different stages to get small    granules. 

FERMENTING

Next, the leaf is thinly spread in a cool, well ventilated room to slowly oxidise(ferment). This stage, in which the flavanols combine with oxygen in the air develops the flavour as well as changes the colour from green to brown over a period ranging from 2 to 4 hours, mainly depending on ambient temperature and leaf pedigree. The experienced tea maker judges the extent of quality development from the fragrance progressively expressed by the leaf at regular intervals. this sensory judgement is critical to the quality of the infused liquor. For the visitor, the rich aroma emanating from the rolling and fermenting room is heady, almost intoxicating and definitely unforgettable. 

DRYING

Once optimum fermentation has been achieved, the rolled leaf is taken for firing (or drying) to arrest further fermentation by deactivating the enzymes, and to remove almost all of the remaining moisture of the leaf. The Tea Dryer is a chamber which exposes the fermented leaf to hot dry air at regulated, varying temperature within its parts, for a duration of 20 to 30 minutes. A good fire reduces moisture content in the final product to about 2%, resulting in crisp dry tea which is then graded through    vibrating meshes according to size. These grades are finally invoiced and packed.

GRADING

After final grading has been completed, nomenclatures are assigned according to the size of the grade as follows.   ORTHODOX   

1. Whole Leaf    FTGFOP (Fine Tippy Golden, Flowey Orange Pekoe)

2. Brokens        TGBOP (Tippy Golden, Broken Orange Pekoe)

3. Fanning         GOF (Golden Orange Fanning)

CTC

1. Brokens         BOP(Broken Orange Pekoe)

2. Fanning          OF(Orange Fanning) PF(Pekoe Fanning)

3. Dust                PD (Pekoe Dust)

THE ART OF BREWING TEA

A good cup of tea and the pleasure you derive from it depends entirely on the method of brewing.   The best of teas can be ruined if left exposed, brewed with Chlorinated water, or over boiled. Good tea should also be enjoyed with right accessories. Connoisseurs dispute over exact temperature of the water, the quantity of leaf per cup (and for the pot), and how long the infusion should brew. We give below ways to brew a good cup of tea. However, tea is best appreciated on its own. Personal preferences may permit the addition of small quantities of milk, sugar or lemon to taste. It is always necessary to adjust the quantity of tea per cup, approximately 2 gms, according to type, size and preference. Fine tuning in terms of brewing time(3 to 5 minutes) is often rewarding.