A study on the effects of brand associations of AVT Tea among homemakers

3.2
COMPANY PROFILE

3.2.1 History

In 1925, Alfred Vedam Thomas demolished a myth. He proved that it was

not just the British who could manage plantations by starting a 300 acre tea
plantation at Pasuparai, Tamil Nadu. From the original tea plantation, AVT has
made steady progress over the years moving on into rubber, coffee, vanilla, pepper
and cardamom

3.2.2 Location

Kerala is the land of tea plays a significant role in the global tea market. AVT
Naturals deals with a premium range of exotic spices and Tea products that come
straight from Kerala, Tamil nadu and Assam. AVT NPL is located in the port city
of Cochin, Kerala, India. Cochin is referred to as the queen of the Arabian Sea or
the spice capital of the World. Having been strategically located in Cochin, AVT
NPL has strategic advantage of proximity to the source of raw material and
logistic advantage of import, export facilities owing to the sea, air and rail
transport modes being within its reach.

AVT Naturals Product Limited (AVT NPL)

The AVT NPL started its operation by establishing a Soybeans Extraction plant
in Pandurana, Madhya Pradesh, which produces high quality of Soya-oil and oiled

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A study on the effects of brand associations of AVT Tea among homemakers

cakes. The oil is used as a raw material by the domestic vegetable oil industry
while the cake was mainly exported to abroad.

In 1994 AVT Natural Products Limited, setup its second extraction unit
at Vazhakulam near Aluva in Kerala. The AVT Group of companies after 85
years of its operation has presence in Indian agri-business sector
including plantations, aero processing, plant biotechnology and natural food
and food ingredients. AVT NPL is 100% export oriented unit located in
Kochi, Kerala the spice capital of the world.

AVT NPL is a member of AV Thomas group of companies with interest

in plantations, leather goods, tissue culture and medical diagnostics. AVT
NPL is one of the largest contract framing companies in India, with proven
capabilities in backward integration. There are two companies under the
spice project, AVT NPL and AVT McCormick in 1994.

3.3 PRODUCT PROFILE

AVT NPL is an ISO 9002 certified company which produces the best
quality of black Tea from its 100% export oriented unit highly competitive world
market of USA, EUROPE and other Asian countries.

The types of tea that can be procured from AVT are:

1. AVT Premium

The flagship brand and market leader in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil
Nadu, AVT Premium is a blend of dust teas from the finest high-grown tea gardens
of Assam and South India. A strong dark brew with a unique pungent flavor, AVT

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A study on the effects of brand associations of AVT Tea among homemakers

Premium is a favourite primarily for its

strong taste and consistency.

2. AVT Premium Tea Bags

For convenience seekers, AVT Premium is also available in tea bags. A Perflo
system allows quick, complete infusion of tea while providing the real taste of
traditionally brewed tea.

3. AVT Assam

AVT Assam is a rich blend of the finest Assam teas. Every cup provides a
robust, full-bodied taste with the rich flavour of real Assam tea.

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A study on the effects of brand associations of AVT Tea among homemakers

AVT has state of the art manufacturing facilities in Coimbatore and Kochi.
All the teas are blended using Vertical Tower Blenders, which are fitted with rare
earth magnets and sorting machines to remove any stray iron filings and other
extraneous matter (like jute strings) from the teas. Once the blending is complete,
the blended tea is once again tasted against the standard. The blended tea is sent
into the market for testing and certification. After proper testing the blends are
released for packing.

The product:

The blended teas are packed with state of the art packing machinery
installed in our units. All necessary care is taken to see that our products meet PFA
norms. Prior to the actual blending process, a representative table bulk of the blend
order is made and is tested along with the standard so as to ensure consistency in
the end product. AVT has a modern laboratory that is fitted with the latest testing
equipments in the Coimbatore facility. All our blends are put through statutory
checks required by the PFA Act.

DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

Acceptability, Availability and Affordability' is the philosophy at AVT.

AVT constantly ensure that our distribution network is efficient in the rural,
semi-rural and urban markets. The right distribution translates to low cost, high
efficiency and better sales, merchandising and distributions programs. AVT still
holds over 90% of the total distribution in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which is quite a
remarkable feat considering that there are bigger market players with deeper

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A study on the effects of brand associations of AVT Tea among homemakers

pockets and national brands. AVT has 850 distributors across Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.

QUALITY CERTIFICATES

The brand quality and perceived quality of an organization is represented by

number of quality certificates posses by that company. AVT Natural products Ltd
has the following quality certificates, which show their quality production and
services provided to their customers.

ISO 9001:2008 Certification

ISO 22000: Food Safety System Certification

Spice house certificate by the Spice Board of India

Kosher certificate

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