Mumbai Angels Network contributes INR 3.5 Crore to a INR 4 Crore raise by Vahdam Teas.

India based Vahdam Teas raises $650,000 to create India’s first global tea brand Mumbai Angels Network contributes INR 3.5 Crore to a INR 4 Crore raise by Vahdam Teas. Other investors in the round include Kanwaljit Singh from Fireside Ventures and Singapore Angels The company which is 100% online, as of today, has already shipped garden fresh Darjeeling and other teas to more than 76 countries and will use the funds to focus on marketing, product development and to open a warehouse in it's top market, USA. Vahdam teas do not travel in containers for months before being packaged and sold. All the teas are procured direct from plantations and tea growers within 24-72 hours of production, packaged garden fresh and shipped directly from source in India. By eliminating all middlemen Vahdam Teas are not only able to make available fresh high quality teas but are also able to retain all earnings in the region where these divine teas are grown and nurtured by millions of growers with immense love, care and passion. This is a process which ultimately helps every farmer get a better price for their produce. Vahdam Teas allows tea lovers across the world to sit back and relish the satisfaction of patronising a truly ethical, fair-trade tea.  Bala Sarda, 25, Founder, Vahdam Teas, says, “It is when I joined my family bulk export business, I realized that most of the teas being sold were reaching the consumers across the world, an average of 12 months after harvest. More importantly, even though we grow the finest teas here in India, the absence of a home-grown brand led to a massive dependence of the entire industry on foreign brands, who quickly move to teas from other regions as soon as local farmers increase their price. It was then that I decided to take the plunge with Vahdam Teas with a clear vision of not only to re-introduce consumers across the world to real tea i.e fresh tea, but also initiate a journey to empower an entire tea industry in the long run. We really believe that a global tea brand can be the biggest success story of our Prime Minister’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ program. And we are humbled to be backed by some of the most eminent angel investors in our space, who share our vision.”  Mr. Balvinder Kalsi, Deal Lead Mumbai Angels & Ex-President DUPONT, South Asia & ASEAN says,"India is the second largest producer of tea globally. Yet​, we ​do not have a truly Indian tea brand selling quality teas in the global markets​. ​We are very excited about what Vahdam​ ​has been able to accomplish till now and the large market opportunity in the key overseas markets. Bala with his ​industry experience has a great opportunity in this space" Mr. Jatin Aneja, Deal Lead Mumbai Angels & Senior Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas says,  "Tea business is a good category to be in, with India being the second largest producer and supplier in the world. There is space for Indian tea brands to make a name globally. The Indian economy’s growing perception abroad coupled with a good product makes it an attractive investment proposition. The promoter has a family heritage in the tea business and has a strong understanding of the industry. The tea industry is seeing strong growth and I believe Vahdam Teas is well positioned to be a major player in the global arena" About Vahdam Teas Vahdam Teas (www.vahdamteas.com) is established by a 4th generation tea entrepreneur, Bala Sarda, with a lineage of over 80 years in the Indian tea industry. He comes with 3 years of experience in this industry before starting Vahdam Teas. About Mumbai Angels Venture Mentors: Mumbai Angels Network (www.mumbaiangels.com) is one of India’s largest angel networks with 250+ members across three active chapters - Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Their portfolio comprises of 80+ ventures across multiple sectors focused primarily on seed and early stage companies.