Munnar, in Kerala, is know for the vast farmland. They grow tea, coffee and cocoa. They grow it, treat it, package it and sell it.
Tata (yes the car company!), used to own the whole plantation, all the way since the late 1800s.
In the 1990s, they realized that TEA as a product had a limited demand (nationally and internationally), and a limited
profit margin. They kindly (as is advertized), sold over 80% of the
company to the locals, who created a co-op, whereby each labourer became
a share holder in the business. How kind !?
So... back to the production line.
Robbie taught me that steam is often used to transmit energy from one side of a production plant to another. Steam in this case was made by a guy feeding wood into a glorified bonfire. I helped.
Inside the factory, fresh tea leaves were hand-guided onto a conveyor belt.
A conveyor belt that ran 30m... a process of chopping the leaves ever finer.
Until the once-leaves resemble a green (smelly) mush.
Now they have the shape of tea leaves as we know them, they then enter a fermenter, to slow roast the leaves until they turn brown.
And out drops tea. A final (vibrating) machine shakes the tea leaves into bags to be sold.
Tata (yes the car company!), used to own the whole plantation, all the way since the late 1800s.
So... back to the production line.
Robbie taught me that steam is often used to transmit energy from one side of a production plant to another. Steam in this case was made by a guy feeding wood into a glorified bonfire. I helped.
Inside the factory, fresh tea leaves were hand-guided onto a conveyor belt.
A conveyor belt that ran 30m... a process of chopping the leaves ever finer.
Until the once-leaves resemble a green (smelly) mush.
Now they have the shape of tea leaves as we know them, they then enter a fermenter, to slow roast the leaves until they turn brown.
And out drops tea. A final (vibrating) machine shakes the tea leaves into bags to be sold.
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