Brewing change in tea business

TO tea-lovers, the beverage is just a welcome refreshment, the simple yet delightful product of tea leaves soaked in a hot cuppa. But Siliguri-born Kaushal Dugar has a slightly different story to tell. Growing up in the town in India's Darjeeling district of West Bengal province, Mr Dugar is no stranger to tea plantations.

As a child, his holidays were peppered with visits to the gardens, where his father ran a business in tea garden supplies and equipment. "I loved it," says Mr Dugar. "For a small child like me, it was magic - the way a small green leaf is transformed into such a delicious drink."

This passion was an ingredient encouraging the founder and chief executive officer of online tea shop Teabox to view the tea industry in a new light.