Woolah Tea Secures Patent for India’s First Bagless Tea Innovation

Guwahati: In a landmark achievement for Assam’s start-up landscape, Woolah Tea has been awarded a 20-year Indian patent (Patent No. 567895) for its pioneering innovation — a completely bagless tea dip crafted from compressed whole tea leaves. This recognition marks Woolah as the first tea brand from the state to receive a patent for such a sustainable product.Founded by Upamanyu Borkotoky and Ansuman Bharali, both hailing from Sibsagar district, Woolah was born out of a desire to blend Assam’s rich tea tradition with modern eco-friendly solutions. The brand’s signature offering features a compressed bundle of a tea bud and two tender leaves, known locally as eti koli duti paat, tied together with a natural fiber string. This allows the tea to steep without using synthetic or microplastic-laced tea bags.The idea emerged in 2020 when the founders began exploring biodegradable materials like banana and bamboo fibers to replace plastic-based tea bags. “The biggest challenge was getting the leaves to unfurl and brew effectively without a bag,” said Upamanyu. After more than 160 trials and months of research, the duo succeeded in creating a format using traditional drying methods that delivers a rich, bag-free tea experience.What makes Woolah’s journey especially notable is that neither Borkotoky nor Bharali came from the tea industry. A chance meeting with an organic tea farmer during a trip home changed their perspective and sparked the idea. Motivated by the potential, both left their corporate careers to partner with small tea growers across Sibsagar, Khowang, and Dibrugarh.Woolah’s innovation soon attracted national attention. The brand featured on Shark Tank India Season 4, becoming the only tea company to receive offers from all investors. Since then, it has expanded rapidly and is now setting its sights on international markets, including the US, UK, UAE, Australia, and New Zealand.Adding to its global visibility, Woolah is currently representing Assam at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York as part of the 200-year celebration of Assam Tea, showcasing the state’s legacy on a world stage.