From Brokerage Floors to Global Cups: The Journey Behind Vayu Tea

Some brands begin with an idea. Others begin much earlier—with experience, risk, and years of understanding the trade.

Vayu is built on the latter.

1975: Where It All Began

The journey started in Kolkata in 1975, when Brijlal Bihani entered the tea industry—not as a brand, but as a broker.

At the time, the focus was simple: supplying tea within the city, understanding the market, and building relationships. Tea was evaluated, traded, and moved—but more importantly, it was studied.

Those early years laid the groundwork for something much larger.

The Second Chapter: Expanding the Reach

With Anil Kumar Bihani, the business evolved from local to national.

What began as Kolkata supply grew into a pan-India presence, with the company becoming one of the most recognised names in the tea broking world. The scale increased, but the core remained unchanged—deep knowledge of tea and an uncompromising approach to quality.

During this time, the company worked closely with some of the largest tea houses in India, and also became direct vendors to Unilever—a testament to both consistency and trust.

A Shift Towards the World

When the third generation stepped in, the direction expanded once again.

With Harsh Bihani joining the business, the focus began shifting beyond India. The intent was clear: to take the same understanding of tea to a global audience.

In 2021, the first export order was secured.

What followed was steady growth across international markets—
the UK, USA, Dubai, and Australia—each new geography reinforcing the same belief: good tea travels well when it is built on quality.

All of this continued under the umbrella of BG Tea.

Learning Before Building: The Teastoy Phase

Before Vayu, there was another experiment.

Teastoy, launched post-COVID, was an early step into e-commerce—focused on premix iced teas. While the product was ahead of its time, the market wasn’t quite ready.

The brand was eventually closed.

But it served a purpose. It offered something far more valuable than immediate success:
a clear understanding of how the online tea consumer thinks, chooses, and buys.

The Birth of Vayu

Vayu wasn’t part of a long-term plan.

It began with a conversation—when Amit and Harsh reconnected, what started casually turned into a shared decision: to build something of their own.

What followed was eight months of deliberate groundwork.

The challenge was clear.
The market was already crowded—with legacy brands like Tata and Red Label dominating for decades, alongside strong regional players.

Vayu needed to be different, not louder.

Getting It Wrong Before Getting It Right

The first launch included Indian Masala Tea and English Breakfast Tea.

But early on, things didn’t go as planned.

The initial batch faced a critical issue—the tea bags and envelopes malfunctioned, leading to tearing. It resulted in significant losses and forced a complete rethink.

Instead of pushing forward, the decision was made to step back and fix the problem.

And in that process, something unexpected happened.

Customers who received those faulty batches still experienced the quality of the tea inside—and the response to the loose leaf was overwhelmingly positive.

The Turning Point: Loose Leaf Success

That insight changed the direction.

Vayu introduced its now well-loved range of loose leaf blends in five flavours—focusing on real ingredients, visible quality, and thoughtful packaging.

Consumers responded not just to the taste, but to the transparency.
They could see what they were drinking.

A Clear Positioning

India is a market driven by two things: price and quality.

Vayu chose to sit right at the intersection.

Not cheap tea.
Not inaccessible luxury.

But high-quality, whole leaf tea—crafted to feel premium, yet priced to be part of everyday life.

Where It Stands Today

From a small brokerage operation in Kolkata to supplying globally, experimenting with e-commerce, learning through failure, and building a new-age tea brand—

Vayu is not a beginning.

It is a continuation.

Of knowledge built over decades.
Of understanding refined across generations.
Of a belief that good tea doesn’t happen by accident.

It is crafted, tested, and earned—one cup at a time.