Image Credits: Shark Tank India
Last updated on 09 January 2023. Find out everything about Dorje Darjeeling Teas’s pitch on Shark Tank India, its founders with the latest updates about the company.
Dorje Darjeeling Teas on Shark Tank India
Started in 2021, Dorje is the brainchild of two boys who want to save their traditional legacy. It was on the premiere episode of season 02.
Here are the key details about the pitch of Dorje Teas on Shark Tank India:
| Business Name | Dorje Teas |
| Founder | Sparsh Agarwal, Ishaan Kanoria |
| Episode no. | Season 02 Episode 01 |
| Ask | ₹30 Lakhs for 5% Equity |
| Accepted Offer | ₹30 Lakhs for 15% Equity |
| Sharks | Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, Peyush Bansal |
| Current Status | In-business |
Dorje Teas is an authentic Darjeeling tea brand made for modern India. They have a subscription model where they will deliver fresh tea from their garden directly to you. They promise best quality at best prices.
You can get their tea bags from their website and Amazon. Here is one of the Black Tea they presented to the sharks, available on Amazon (*Affiliate Link):
Or buy it by clicking here: https://amzn.to/3Iz9srd
*Affiliate Link means that we get a certain percentage from the sale when you purchase through our link.
The ask was for just ₹30 Lakhs for 5% of the startup. The money was required to do more marketing and get more subscribers up to 2 lakhs.
Here is a small promo video of the pitch:
They also did a tea test with Anupam. This really made it one of the most fun pitches of the show. Pitchers explained how the lockdown affected the export which made them loss-making.
All the sharks loved the presentation and knowledge of the entrepreneurs. But the first concern that came from Namita was that most Indians are most particular about their Tea taste.
But pitchers explained that their main customers are existing Darjeeling tea drinkers. The approximate market size was just around ₹100 crores.
Vineeta also advised to not focus so much on the subscription thing. Aman was also out because they were currently in the loss-making stage, even with a lot of funding already.
In the end, sharks Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, and Peyush Bansal closed the deal for ₹30 lakhs for 15% equity.
About the Founders
Sparsh Agarwal and Ishaan Kanoria are the co-founders of Dorje Teas. Their startup is based in Darjeeling, Sikkim. They work with Selim Hill Tea Estate which was established in 1871.
This is Sparsh’s family business. He did his BA from Ashoka University. After working for the Center for Political Research, he then joined Dorje as the Chief Brewing Officer.
Ishaan is his friend, both grew up in Kolkata. He manages the finances of the company.
After Shark Tank Updates
It was confirmed by the founders on social media that they have officially accepted the deal. Also, do you know that they were the first to cold brew Darjeeling tea?
Hope we see more of their videos on social media to educate a normal Indian about the taste and benefits of their product, as Vineeta advised.
By the way, other businesses featured in this episode were Hoovu flowers and Recode Studios.
Before ending the article, let’s check out the official product pitch: “We are an organic tea start-up that aims to create a new sustainable reality for Darjeeling’s tea. Dorje began as a conversation between friends about the decaying Darjeeling Tea industry, immediately after the lockdown.”
Takeaways
So now you know about the pitch of Dorje Darjeeling Teas on Shark Tank. We appreciate that they want to preserve their heritage and save hundreds of jobs!
I am Ranish Chauhan a.k.a. Fulmino Fan, and I am also a fan of Shark Tank India.