Tata Tea, India's largest tea producer, is to integrate operations with Tetley Group, the UK-based packet tea company it bought last March, the Financial Times reports this week. RK Krishna Kumar, vice-chairman of Tata Tea, said: "The integration of growing tea in India and sourcing the beverage from other producing countries for blending and marketing will stop short of merging the balance sheets of the two entities." The group will use the Tetley name to enter the premium tea sector in India. The move is aimed at lifting its market share of packet tea from 22 to 27 per cent in the next three years, according to HR Khusrokhan, the company's managing director.
