Sterling company Goodricke Group plans to open three tea lounges in the current year taking the total number to six, an official said.
Out of the three to be opened this year, two will be in collaboration with Tea Board which would give the space.
"We are planning to make tea lounge business a new vertical for the company, the other one being production", MD of Goodricke Group Atul Asthana told PTI.
He said that Tea Board would provide the space at its head office in Kolkata and at its tea centre in Mumbai.
"Both the lounges will be opened this year. The third one will be at its Thurbo garden near Mirik lake in Darjeeling district of the state", he added.
Presently, the company has three lounges, one in Darjeeling and two in Madhya Pradesh.
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Asthana said that tea production is the mainstay of the company's business, but profitability is falling.
"Profitability in tea production is narrowing. The cost of production is increasing but prices are not rising", he said.
According to him, the per capita consumption of tea in the country is only 780 gms, which is very little.
"If per capita consumption rises by at least 30 gms, then it will have a huge beneficial impact on the tea industry", he said.
The prime idea behind setting up of these lounges is to promote drinking of tea, he said.
About the outlook of the industry, he said "it is not good".
Banks are not giving working capital to the tea companies as they are scared since rating agencies have downgraded them, barring a few, Asthana added.