I come from a family in Assam that has been actively involved in tea cultivation for more than 100 years. My maternal great-grandfather, Someswar Sarma, worked at Moabund Tea Co. (under George Williamson & Co., UK) as their first Indian manager. Upon his retirement in 1895, he was gifted a tea estate by his employers—Oating Tea Estate—in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to tea cultivation in the forests of Assam. By the time he passed away in 1910, he had expanded his holdings to 21 tea estates. Visiting family estates and listening to stories about the early days of tea cultivation have always fascinated me and deepened my passion for tea.

I joined the tea industry in 1999 with the Indian Tea Association, which allowed me to witness the industry up close. The tea sector in Eastern India (Assam and West Bengal) is one of the most vibrant and disciplined industries, employing over a million people while ensuring gender equity in one of the most underdeveloped regions of India. Covering more than 500,000 hectares of land in Northeast India, the industry provides a vast green cover of tea bushes and shade trees, silently contributing to environmental sustainability.

The workers of the Indian tea industry have been its backbone for the last two centuries, and they will continue to be so. I sincerely believe that if tea producers and farmers can earn well from their produce, workers should receive a greater share of these increased earnings.

The introduction of electronic auctions tempted me to join the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre in 2003, where I was able to witness the brilliance of the tea auction system in fair price discovery. I firmly believe that with the necessary reforms, the tea auction system remains one of the best mechanisms for price discovery in the industry.

Life has come full circle for me since joining the Tea Research Association of India, popularly known as TRA Tocklai. Established in 1911, TRA Tocklai has played a pivotal role in making tea an economically viable crop in India. I consider myself fortunate to be part of an organization that has contributed immensely to the evolution of commercial tea cultivation in India over the past 115 years.

It is magical to step into a tea factory and breathe in the aroma of fresh tea leaves as they are being processed. I have always wished that the fresh scent of tea leaves found in factories could be replicated in brewed tea—if that happens, there would be no turning back for this timeless beverage, which has been cherished for over 2,000 years.

One of the high points in my tea journey was when I proposed the idea of International Tea Day on October 16, 2015, during the FAO Intersessional meeting at the Milan Expo Grounds. This vision ultimately became a reality in September 2019 after the United Nations General Assembly approved it. Countries including China, Sri Lanka, Canada, the USA, Kenya, Japan, and the UK worked together as a team to make this initiative a success.

Although born in tea I was actively involved in tea cultivation since 1974 and with non-traditional tea growing area of Bihar since 1998 – this 50 years long association alongwith world tea travels for promotion of tea made to face tea problems.

Via information flows of culture, history, economic & local activities, values can be created through the spreading of knowledge; via product flows of teas, a harmonious and meaningful life can be shaped.

With an industry experience and a tea knowledge base of five decades and counting, I literally live and breathe Tea.

Starting my career in 1975 as an Assistant Superintendent with Malayalam Plantations Ltd, rolling up my sleeves by 'dirtying' my hands at the grassroots level and having literally 'grown' in the business, my experiences have matured me into a ‘one of a kind’ unique entity in the industry.

My journey in this industry which started from the tea nursery, has run the whole gamut, stretching all the way up to the consumer shelf and international trade, is in many ways quite exceptional. Regularly roaming the tea world, delving into the most remote areas wherever tea is grown or consumed, constantly interacting with Tea folk, I have continuously been learning and innovating. The invaluable experiences along this very interesting route have culminated into a unique new venture, a one-of-a-kind specialty tea manufacturing facility unit in the Nilgiris - www.teastudio.info at the end of which, most thankfully, this very interesting Tea journey continues as an ongoing learning experience.

What most interests me in tea is the intersection of origin, relationships, and real-world demand. I care deeply about how tea moves from farm to finished product—who grows it, who processes it, who buys it, and where value is created or lost along the way.

I bring a strong, practical understanding of what consumers actually want and how to translate that into products and brands that sell—not just sound good on paper. I’ve worked across sourcing, formulation, manufacturing, branding, and go-to-market, so I naturally operate as a connector between farms, manufacturers, and buyers who often aren’t speaking the same language yet.

At this stage, tea isn’t just about flavor or trends for me. It’s about building durable supply chains, aligning origin realities with market expectations, and making smart introductions that lead to better products, stronger brands, and long-term partnerships.

Getting into the tea sector became a necessity for me as an offspring of a tea farmer. In the last 20 years, I have seen the struggle of Nepali tea farmers and producers, do build an identity, find a market and sell their products. And thats what motivated me to get into this tea sector.
I work directly with the small farmers and tea producers in Nepal to build programs, train people about food safety, traceability and foster meaningful international connections.

My wife LiMei is a 4th-generation tea maker from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province. Her family owns the land, grows the tea, and processes every leaf by hand in their own factory. We moved her family to Vancouver to bring authentic artisanal tea to North America.

Very few small farmers have the capability to expand outside of China. Most sell to brokers who blend teas but reserve the best leaves for Chinese customers willing to pay a premium. What doesn't sell in China gets exported to North America. PINYE exists to change that. We are single-origin, organic tea direct from farm to cup. No brokers, no blending, no middlemen.

We believe the right introductions create more value than the best marketing. One connection with someone who understands quality tea opens doors that no ad budget could. We grow our followers the same way we grow our tea: organically.
We're looking to connect with the community of people who appreciate authentic Chinese tea, whether they're growers, retailers, chefs, or fellow founders. The people who taste our tea and understand why single-origin from a family-owned terroir matters. Those are the relationships we want to build.

My passion for tea began more than 40 years ago, rooted in the heart of tea history and tradition. What started as a lifelong passion has evolved into a professional career spanning more than two decades, dedicated to tea expertise, sensory evaluation, education, production and international industry development. Yet, after all these years, I remain deeply curious and eager to learn.

What interests me most in tea is the extraordinary relationship between the leaf, its origin, the people who produce it, and the way it expresses itself in the cup.

I remain fascinated by tea's complexity and by the fact that every tea tells a story of terroir, cultivar, season, harvest, processing and human knowledge. My professional experience in tea tasting and sensory evaluation has taught me to look beyond appearance and reputation, assessing teas through aroma, liquor colour, flavour, mouthfeel, structure and overall character. I am particularly interested in understanding how processing choices, storage and freshness influence what ultimately reaches the cup.

I am equally interested in the cultural and historical dimension of tea: its origins, its evolution from medicinal plant to cultural and ceremonial beverage, and the different traditions that have developed around it. My work between Italy and China has allowed me to explore these traditions from both a professional and cultural perspective.

Another major area of interest is the connection between tea knowledge and the tea industry. I am passionate about quality standards, professional education, sensory competence, responsible sourcing and helping producers, importers, retailers and tea professionals better understand and communicate the real qualities of their teas. As a member of the FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG/Tea), I also maintain a close connection with the producing world and with the challenges facing tea-growing communities, including production, environmental and social issues. This perspective is particularly important to me because the quality and future of tea cannot be separated from the people, territories and ecosystems that make its production possible.

Through my work with the Italy Tea & Infusions Association and the SlowTEA Alliance, I am particularly interested in how we can return greater value to tea, its producers, territories and knowledge. For me, this means promoting a more informed tea culture—one based on competence, transparency, respect for tradition and genuine appreciation of the leaf.

Ultimately, what continues to interest me most is tea itself: learning from every tea, questioning what we think we know, and helping others discover the depth and diversity contained in a simple leaf.