.....not just a good cup of tea!

unique organically-grown teas
that support growers and their families,
 and celebrate the culture of Assam

Introducing featured tea grower - Hirokjyoti Konch!

​Hirok at a growers meeting early in 2020 that was attended by the owners of Level Ground Trading and Peggy Carswell from The Small Tea Cooperative.
Hirok's a member of Chenehi Natural Tea Group, a group of small-scale growers living near Dibrugarh, Assam. Inspired by longtime independent tea growers & producers like Dhiren Phukan & Someswar Phukan, Hirok's hand-made green tea is one of Small Tea's best-selling teas!
His garden receives regular application of compost and natural formulas made from local plants and inputs.
About the Chenehi Natural Tea Group
A small tea growers group established in 2015 that's dedicated to protecting the ecology of earth and producing handmade natural tea through completely natural processes.
Meetings and training sessions for growers from Assam and other states in northeast India are regularly hosted at Dhiren Phukan's garden.  Growers learn how to prepare compost, vermicompost & low-cost formulas that repel insect pests & protect tea bushes from
bacterial and fungal infections. 
Discussions buyers like Small Tea and Level Ground Trading have shared with workers & garden owners have helped increase understanding of the importance of fair trade practices -  a philosophy we've seen reflected in many independently-owned gardens. 
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Growers in the group share ideas and experiences with a wide range of practices, techniques and affordable tools that have helped them produce flavorful, affordable teas     - many of which are sold locally.

Click here to view images from a visit with 
small-scale growers we're working with in different regions of Assam!

Read a message from Bijit Basumatary describing some of the challenges he and other growers in north east India are facing - and how our partners at Fertile Ground can help!.

   the small tea co-op is a family-based business. 
We carry out our work differently than most tea retailers.
 Here's why.

For almost a century, the tea industry in Assam has been controlled by large, non-Assamese business interests.  Relying on a work force originally brought in from other parts of India, it has historically offered few direct benefits to the people of Assam.

In the early 1990’s, a number of Assamese families began planting and cultivating tea in an effort to improve their livelihoods. Today, most of the tea leaves they harvest are sold to bought-leaf factories - often at prices that barely cover production costs.
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Without access to processing equipment, technical and educational support or a market for their teas, many of the families who’ve shifted to growing tea as a cash crop are struggling simply to survive. 

The small tea co-operative is dedicated to assisting some of Assam’s tea growers to develop the capacity to process and market their tea. 

Along with a limited quantity of these very special teas, we're also able to offer other naturally-grown teas not available elsewhere in Canada.  You can read more about this on our site!

Contact us for prices and for information about where you can buy our teas. 
Convenient online ordering will be available soon!
smallteacoop@yahoo.ca


Download our fabulous chai recipe here!