SWOT Analysis of Taj Mahal Tea

Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea is a popular brand of tea sold in India by the food and essentials conglomerate Hindustan Unilever Limited. The Taj Mahal Tea is a quintessentially Hindustani tea with very regional flavouring. The tea is currently available in various gourmet flavours such as green tea, black tea, white tea and oolong tea. The tea that is sold under the Brooke Bond Taj Laham label is sourced from the tea gardens in Assam and Darjeeling. The brand which has been closely associated with the icon of India the Taj Mahal is closely related to the emotions of the Indian customer.

Strengths in the SWOT analysis of Taj Mahal Tea

The following are the strengths of  Taj Mahal tea:

• The desi brand: The Taj Mahal Tea is considered as well as the position as the original Indian tea and is placed in the premium category in terms of both taste and texture.
• Focus on the premium segment: The Taj Mahal Tea is made from the choicest tea leaves which are plucked from the hills of Darjeeling and Assam.The process goes through the most stringent quality assurance norms and ensures that the tea is of the highest quality and superior taste.
• The Wah taj campaign: The Tak Mahal Tea became immensely popular in India after the commercial featuring the renowned percussionist and tabla maestro “Wah Taj “ was aired on television. The brand becomes synonymous with the brand of tea and people started recognising the tea from its iconic ad.
• Taj Mahal tea bags: Brooke Bond introduced the tea bags for the first time in India after the company sensed a lifestyle change which increased the demand for the tea as well as changed the manner and situation in which it was consumed making it a drink of the elite from that of a common man.
• Flavored Teas: With a lot of discussions on the scope of new flavours of tea as well as the health benefits of drinking tea, Brooke Bond introduced flavoured teas like green tea and oolong tea for the first time in India under the label Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal also has variants like English Tea and Masala Tea with cardamom or ginger.
• Focus on quality: Tata Tea has always been positioned as a high-quality tea for the premium segment and has been graded for quality. The tea has also been exported to various countries as a high-grade Indian tea.

Weaknesses in the SWOT analysis of Taj Mahal Tea

Some of the key weaknesses ofTaj Mahal Teaare :

• Distribution channels: Taj Mahal Tea is a premium brand of tea and not very popular among mass segment in India. Thus though the company tries its best to push the brand in the distribution channel, retailers are apprehensive to push it which in turn affects the volumes.
• Advertising Ethics: There has been a lot of issues in the ethics of advertising wherein the advertisement where Ustad Zakir Hussain claims to return the money if there is a better tasting tea. Competitors moved against this ad legally claiming that it questioned the taste and quality of their tea brands.
• Changing tastes: Taj Mahal Tea has always focused on special teams. Indians are very sentimental about their tea and it is consumed on a regular basis. The plethora of flavours in which Taj Mahal Tea is available often confuses the customer and they prefer to consume tried and tested varieties on a regular basis than speciality teas under the Taj brand.
• High costs: Taj Mahal tea is differentiated through the ingredients that it is made up of which is tea leaves from Darjeeling and Assam. The raw material sourcing, supply chain, as well as quality assurance costs, are exorbitant now.

Opportunities in the SWOT analysis of Taj Mahal Tea

Some of the opportunities include :

• Increase in demand for organic and flavoured tea: There is a global surge in demand for speciality teas especially in western countries. Moreover, the marketing of green tea as a weight reduction option has increased the demand for green tea globally.
• Steep growth potential in western economies: Traditionally western countries have always preferred coffee over tea. But the market penetration of te is slowly increasing in comparison to coffee primarily because tea is seen as a healthier option.

Threats  in the SWOT analysis of Taj Mahal Tea

Some of the threats include:

• Competition: Some of the major competitors of Taj Mahal tea are Kanan Devan Tea, Red Label, Three Roses, Agni and Tata Tea.

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