GTAC Brews a Record-Breaking Year in Style
Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) brews record-breaking sales in FY 2024–25, selling over 169 million kilograms of Assam tea. With premium prices and global recognition, GTAC cements its place as a top player in India’s tea industry.
In a year that’s been more unpredictable than a British summer, the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) has gone and done something rather splendid — it’s brewed up its strongest performance to date, with tea sales reaching a piping-hot record. One might say the kettle’s not just whistling, it’s positively singing.
According to the Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Association (a name that would give the WI a run for its biscuits), the Centre shifted a staggering 169.13 million kilograms of tea in the financial year 2024–25. That’s enough to keep every British household dunking digestives until doomsday. What’s more, this liquid gold fetched an average price of ₹227.70 per kilo — up from last year’s already steamy ₹183.20. A rise of ₹44.50? That’s not just your run-of-the-mill inflation, that’s high tea with a cherry on top.
The total turnover? An eye-watering ₹3,851 crore. Or, in British terms, a bloomin’ lot of tea and scones.
The Hookmool High-Flyers
If you thought that was the top of the pot, think again. Certain teas were commanding prices that would make a Fortnum & Mason tin blush. A particular batch of Hookmool teas fetched a jaw-dropping ₹751 per kilogram — clearly, not your average builder’s brew.
Meanwhile, the Bought Leaf Factories (BLFs) didn’t just sit around sipping from the sidelines. A Bejopathar line went for ₹471 per kilo, and the BLFs from Dhemaji district were the toast of the state, topping the charts with the highest prices among Assam’s already distinguished districts.
Dinesh Bihani, secretary of the association, couldn’t help but beam like the morning sun over a Darjeeling hillside. “This season has been exceptional,” he said, presumably while sipping something punchy and brisk.
Low Costs, High Spirits
GTAC, founded back in 1970, may not have a monocle or a top hat, but it knows a thing or two about efficiency. “It offers the lowest cost of selling tea among all auction centres,” Bihani pointed out — and we’re inclined to believe him. After all, no one likes hidden costs, especially when they’re just trying to flog a few leaves.
In addition to record-breaking numbers, the GTAC has been brewing up a bit of brand magic too. Just a stone’s throw from the Assam Legislative Assembly, its in-house tea lounge has become something of a destination. Designed to connect producers directly to consumers (with no middleman dipping into your biscuit tin), the lounge raked in over ₹1 crore in turnover this year — with a little help from promotions and more than a few perfectly timed Instagram posts, no doubt.
Assam’s Global Steep
Assam, producing nearly 700 million kilograms of tea annually, remains India’s crown jewel in the tea chest. Known for its bold, malty flavour and no-nonsense character — much like your Auntie Jean from Croydon — Assam tea continues to find fans not just across India but across the globe. Whether it’s CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl, not a secret spy agency) or traditional orthodox styles, Assam’s appeal is evergreen.
GTAC’s success, then, isn’t just a one-off boil-over. It’s the result of decades of steady brewing, smart branding, and perhaps a pinch of divine leaf intervention.
So, next time you put the kettle on, raise your mug to Guwahati. They’ve steeped themselves in glory — and we’ll drink to that. With milk, no sugar. We’re not animals.
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