Meet Tinjure Tea Coop– Nepal’s First Cooperatively Run Factory
Just across the border from India’s acclaimed Darjeeling, Ilam is Nepal’s best-known tea producing area. On a clear day, one can see Mt Everest standing hundreds of miles away nestled among the other Himalayan high peaks. Since Nepal was never colonized, all of the tea production in this region has been self-organized, and as a result, Nepal has a higher number of cooperatively run factories than across the border in India.
The Tinjure Cooperative is Nepal’s first cooperatively owned and operated factory. In the early 1990s, local villagers banded together and sold their harvested green leaf collectively to a nearby factory. In 2013 they raised the funds to establish their own processing facility to produce finished tea. Today the Tinjure Cooperative is comprised of 240 members who both grow and process the tea. “Tinjure” itself literally means “3 – Hills” referring to the 3 villages represented by the co-op.
By processing their own teas as a co-op, farmers at Tinjure earn 20 times more than selling the same green leaf to privately run factories. By placing the value of the finished tea back in the hands of those making it, the hope is that youth leaving rural communities for the cities may be enticed to come back and pursue economic opportunities in tea.
Through our Global Tea Exchange program, Young Mountain Tea has brought our partner producer in Kumaon, Desmond Birkbeck, to meet the team at Tinjure and see how a co-op works. Since then he has organized local government officials to learn more about this model and see if it is a viable option for Kumaon growers and producers.
Comments on this post (3)
i have never tried Nepalese tea before. i’m in austin, texas & i found a 50 teabag pack of green in an adorable mini cloth sachel from Man Pasand grocer. Usually i stay away from bags for the obvious reasons: loose leaf has whole flavour BUT i just had my very 1st & 2nd cup of Tinjure & OMG the complexity, the solid presence w/o any sharpness!! i used to think nobody could beat Nilgiri as 1st class top shelf…but now… ! Hey, listen internet this Tinjure is mindblowing, don’t hesitate if you see it grab this superb, supreme dream. It’s been a long time since i’ve had some at this level of quality & perfection! Thank you so much for growing the coop to intl. sales level. Tea is now returned back to being a luxurious delicacy. Please don’t let wall st. & the kleptocratic corporatocracy destroy anything of yours.
— will trippet
Hi Laksmi, thank you for your message, we’re very happy to hear that you enjoy our teas! We offer four Tinjure teas, Nepali Golden Black, Nepali Green Pearl, Nepali Green Peak, and Nepali Green Mint. Simply search for “Tinjure” in our search bar on the top right corner of this page, and you’ll be able to find them. Cheers!
— Raj Vable
I found your organic tea bags (Tinjure, The Tea Culture) in a beautiful pouch at Patels in NYC. I love your tea. Is there a list of teas at Young Mountain that is specifically Tinjure?
thank you
Laksmi
— Laksmi Scalise