What Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation does

Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation is a Kolkata-based non-profit that operates India's dominant sustainability code and verification system for the tea sector. Founded in 2013 and formally incorporated in May 2019, the foundation was established by founding funders IDH, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), and Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL), with Wagh Bakri Group joining as a programme funder in 2017. The trustea system enables tea producers, estates, and small tea growers (STGs) to obtain verification that their tea has been produced against agreed, credible, transparent, and measurable sustainability criteria, addressing sector challenges including working conditions, plantation worker welfare, and tea quality across both large estates and the structurally distinct smallholder and bought-leaf factory segments.

The foundation's platform centers on two core products: the Tracetea App, a proprietary farm-to-gate digital traceability solution, and the trustea Code Management System (TCMS), a web-based operation management system that runs the certification cycle against standard operating procedures. Adjacent digital tools extend the stack into specific stakeholder needs — the TeaPlus App (2024) for smallholder farmers, TEC (2024), the first carbon emission calculator for the Indian tea industry, an E-Learning Platform for auditors and verified entities, and Vendor Management and Trustea Office applications for internal operations. The system has earned ISEAL Code Compliant status (2023) and ISEAL Community Membership (2021), along with ISO 9001:2015 certification (2020), and is governed by a multi-stakeholder Sustainable Tea Council (formed 2019).

Trustea's business model combines recurring verification and certification fees paid by estates and producers with programme membership fees from buyers and other stakeholders, supplemented by grant funding from its founding and ongoing funders. The go-to-market is direct engagement with estates and small growers via a network of certification bodies, supported by regional offices in Dibrugarh, Siliguri, and Coonoor alongside the Kolkata headquarters. The foundation verified 954 Mn kgs in 2023 (70% of Indian production), 979 Mn kgs in 2024 (77%), and 1011 Mn kgs in 2025 (74%), establishing it as the de facto standard for sustainable tea verification in India and a consumer-facing Seal-on-Pack campaign launched in 2023 extends the brand into retail brand claims.

Name

Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation

Legal name

Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation

Website

https://trustea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation is a Kolkata-based non-profit that operates India's dominant sustainability certification and verification system for the tea industry, serving estates, smallholder growers, and major tea buyers including HUL and TCPL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD), Third-Party Traceability Platform Assurance (SOC/ISO-aligned controls for traceability data) (AFALAGAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable tea certification
• Tea supply chain traceability
• Sustainability verification systems
• ISEAL code compliance
• Tea industry certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Verification and Certification Fees: trustea generates revenue through verification and certification services for tea producers and estates seeking to demonstrate compliance with sustainability standards
2. Program Membership Fees: Fees collected from member organizations including producers, buyers, and other stakeholders in the Indian tea industry

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation operates a sustainability verification and certification system for the Indian tea sector, verifying that tea is produced according to agreed, credible, transparent, and measurable sustainability criteria. Incorporated as a nonprofit foundation in May 2019, the organization serves tea estates, small tea growers, and tea buyers through its verification program, supported by digital traceability tools, an e-learning platform, and a tea emission calculator.

Product overview

Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation operates as a sustainability code and verification system for the Indian tea sector. The organization offers a portfolio of digital products centered around traceability, certification management, and farmer enablement. The core platform consists of the Tracetea App (proprietary farm-to-gate traceability solution) and TCMS (Trustea Code Management System for certification cycle operations). Supporting modules include the E-Learning Application for auditor training, Vendor Management System for supply chain operations, and mobile applications TeaPlus (for smallholder farmers) and TEC (carbon emission calculator for the Indian tea industry).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trustea Sustainability Verification and Certification Service The core certification program that verifies tea estates, small tea growers, and tea buyers against agreed sustainability criteria covering environmental, social, and agronomic standards. Approximately 70–77% of total Indian tea production is verified under this program.
• Tracetea App A digital traceability application that enables tracking and verification of tea across the supply chain for certified estates, small tea growers, and buyers.
• Trustea Code Management System (TCMS) A digital platform for administering the Trustea sustainability code, managing audit workflows, compliance documentation, and verification records.
• E-Learning Application An online training platform delivering sustainability standard education and capacity-building content for tea estate workers, small tea growers, and auditors.
• TeaPlus App A digital application supporting small tea growers with sustainability practice guidance and program participation.
• Tea Emission Calculator (TEC) An environmental impact measurement tool that calculates greenhouse gas emissions and resource use across tea production operations for verified estates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% of Indian tea production verified in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• trustea Sustainable Tea CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder council formed in September 2019 to provide governance and strategic direction to the trustea system, including representation from various industry stakeholders

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bonsucro: Bonsucro is the global sustainability standard for sugarcane with ISEAL membership and a producer-buyer membership model. Trustea mirrors Bonsucro's model of combining third-party certification, digital traceability, and producer support for a single commodity.
• Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO): RSPO is a multi-stakeholder commodity sustainability standard with ISEAL membership that operates a similar certification, traceability, and supply chain assurance model. Trustea mirrors RSPO's producer-buyer governance template adapted to the tea sector.
• Fairtrade International: Fairtrade International is a globally recognized ethical sourcing and fair trade certification standard covering tea and other agricultural commodities. It is a direct competitor to Trustea for ethical/ESG-driven tea buyers and competes in the same Indian producer landscape.
• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance operates a global sustainability certification applicable to tea, coffee, cocoa and other agricultural commodities. Trustea competes directly with the Rainforest Alliance seal for Indian tea destined for international buyers, particularly in export-focused supply chains.
• Better Cotton Initiative: Better Cotton Initiative operates the world's largest cotton sustainability standard using a mass-balance model similar to trustea's sector-coverage approach. Highly comparable governance and verification architecture despite operating in a different commodity.
• Ethical Tea Partnership: Ethical Tea Partnership is a UK-based non-profit that works with tea producers, estates, and smallholders to improve sustainability and working conditions across the global tea sector. Directly comparable to Trustea as another multi-stakeholder tea sustainability verification scheme with similar producer/buyer engagement model.
• 4C Association (Coffee): 4C is a coffee-focused sustainability certification system founded with similar industry-buyer multi-stakeholder governance and is part of the ISEAL community. Directly comparable in architecture and ISEAL-aligned approach to trustea.
• Cotton made in Africa: Cotton made in Africa is an Aid by Trade Foundation initiative that operates a smallholder-focused sustainability verification standard for African cotton. Comparable to trustea in serving smallholder-heavy agriculture with buyer-driven verification and seal programs.

Others

• IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative: IDH is a Dutch foundation that convenes companies and certifiers to co-fund sustainability programs in commodity supply chains. Trustea was co-founded with IDH funding, and IDH operates an enabling/convener role across multiple commodity sustainability schemes.
• ISEAL Alliance: ISEAL Alliance is the global membership organization for credible sustainability standards and awards Code Compliant status. Trustea is an ISEAL Community Member; ISEAL acts as the umbrella accreditor and ecosystem enabler across Trustea's peer group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TrusteaF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwamIgy0O7uFM-WAKfQFhqw
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trustea-sustainable-tea-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/trustea_foundation/?utm_medium=copy_link

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation