Tea warehouse serving the Guwahati tea auction

This business runs a warehouse where tea gardens send their made tea before it is sold at the Guwahati auction. You receive the chests and bags, weigh and stack each lot, let brokers draw samples, and release the tea to buyers once the sale is settled. You earn rent and handling charges on every package.

Guwahati runs one of the country's largest tea auctions, and much of the tea offered there waits in warehouses around the city until buyers collect it. Road and rail links bring tea in from across Assam.

You need a large shed near the main highways, GST, Tea Board registration as a warehouse keeper, fire safety clearance, stock insurance and approval from the auction organisers. NABARD's credit plan for the district notes recurring floods in the rainy season, so build on high ground. Tea soaks up damp and smells, so keep the shed dry and store nothing else in it. The hard part is trust: gardens send tea where their brokers advise, and older warehouses have long ties. Volumes also depend on how much tea is sold at auction rather than privately, so ask brokers whether space runs short in busy months before you build.

Win business by meeting brokers and garden managers. Keep exact stock records and hand over lots quickly and undamaged.