The core idea behind consumer beverages research is to formulate new products with ingredients that are not only safe, healthy and compliant but also sensorially good!
Payal Gupta, our next pathbreaker, leads New Product Development (NPD) for Wagh Bakri Tea, the third largest tea company in terms of market share in the Indian Tea industry.
Payal talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about her journey in R&D in the world of tea (and other beverages), focused on enhancing the quality, yield and improving the sustainability of overall tea processing.
For students, a career in consumer products research requires large doses of creativity sprinkled with daily challenges that push you to do better everyday !
Payal, can you share your background with our young readers?
My name is Payal and I’m a Tea Innovator. I would like to start narrating my journey with my roots, basically from where I come. I come from a place in India, Patna (in Bihar) once called Pataliputra in the Mauryan empire which had a golden age in Indian history. Bihar is also the place where Lord Buddha got enlightenment and Buddhism evolved. To add to its great history and culture, the region once possessed Asia’s largest University Takshila / Nalanda university till the 5th century. Well, the irony of this region today is that average literacy rate is quite lower among all states of India, especially for a girl child it is much lower.
I come from a middle-class family, where my father ventured into a lot of different businesses in his early career days. Most of it failed, but never ever did it hamper our education. I was the youngest one among three siblings with two elder brothers. Amidst all the difficult times, my parents supported our education by all their means. My mother played an instrumental role in my development. She was the one who enrolled me in the same school as my brother, which was an ICSE board school. It was a great deal in the 80s at that point of time, and I really thank my parents for never differentiating me as a girl child. As well as being surrounded by strong women in my family who were role models for me, one of my close aunts (Bua) is a doctor by profession and key decision maker in most of the family situations.
In my childhood and teenage years, I was curious about science related articles in newspapers and comic books. I used to read classic science thriller fiction by Robin Cook and got influenced by medical technology. The more I read science fiction, it planted a seed in my early days that scientific reasoning is the crux of all natural changes happening around us.
What did you do for graduation/ post-graduation?
I did my BSc in Biotechnology followed by MSc in Biotechnology.
Can you share with us some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career in Industrial Biotechnology?
After I finished my 10th, I naturally took science with biology in Patna Women’s college with a keen interest to pursue a medical career in future. However, I could not get through all India entrance exams for medical. Though I did clear a few medical entrance exams with private colleges (Manipal), the high fee structure of these colleges was way beyond our reach. Getting an education loan with a business background was also tough and near impossible in the 90s in India.
Hence, I was drawn towards alternate career options for myself with a biology stream. In the early 2000, India was trying to build its capability in biotechnology and information Technology (BT & IT). With a focus on research, development and commercialization, India was trying to play a prominent role in biotechnology encompassing areas like health care, pharma, agriculture and industrial biotechnology. The government was supporting policies and initiatives to foster innovation and investment in the biotech industry. This boom led to the emergence of numerous biotech start-ups as well as new curriculum in Colleges and Universities. Anticipating the growth potential in this area, I opted to pursue my graduation in Biotechnology from Ranchi University; followed by MSc in Biotechnology from Banasthali Vidyapith. I was awarded a scholarship from the Dept. of Biotechnology when I got selected for an MSc course in Biotechnology through an all-India entrance exam. This really boosted my confidence at that time, and I aspired to excel in this area. The life at Banasthali Vidyapith was focused on living a simple life like wearing Khadi, remote communication (no mobile phones allowed). The education system was based on “Panchmukhi Shikha” that attempts a balance among five necessary aspects of education: “Physical, Practical, Aesthetic, Moral & Intellectual”. The two years of my post-graduation at Banasthali engraved my personality holistically.
The various subjects that I thoroughly enjoyed under Biotechnology courses were Biochemistry, Immunology, Plant biology and Industrial Biotechnology.
My first research internship was with National institute of immunology (NII), New Delhi, a prestigious institute under the Ministry of Science and technology, Govt. of India, focused on advanced research in the body’s defense mechanism and immunity. The research internship helped me to learn vast areas of research happening in the field of biology and has long lasting impact in shaping me as a Scientist.
Tell us about your career path in Tea R&D. How did you start your journey in this exciting career?
After completion of MSc, I was continuously applying for PhD positions/ research assistant positions / as well as a job. I was based in Delhi and had applied to various positions and was waiting to hear from any of the research institutes. One day, I got a call from the HR recruiter of Hindustan Lever ltd. (HLL) in 2005, now called Hindustan Unilever ltd. (HUL). They approached me for a Research Executive position in their R&D, department based at Bangalore. I was amongst the 50-60 candidates coming from the best institutes in India. There was a written exam, followed by two interviews. When I landed the job with HUL, I already had two other opportunities, one with NII and the other with a pharmaceutical company. The reason I accepted the Research assistant position at HUL was the opportunity to work in industrial and applied research, and work on consumer relevant problems.
My job at HUL started in the Tea category in the Science and Technology department (S & T), where my interest and learnings in biochemistry helped me to navigate the path. In those times, S & T worked on solving core problems of the category as per business requirements with a deep understanding of problems and unraveling simple solutions. One of my initial projects included deciphering the role of enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in theanine biosynthesis. Theanine is a unique amino acid found in tea (and mushrooms). L- theanine is known to induce alpha waves in the brain that gives a relaxed yet alert mind. The work I did in theanine resulted in my first patent where I showed theanine could be synthesized in-vitro (test tube) through a crude enzyme extract from a plant source other than tea along with substrates. There were many such projects where I applied my knowledge of biochemistry and learnt to decode the functions or deliver superior sensorials/ attributes in tea like color, aroma, mouthfeel, taste; to name a few…. My journey with HUL lasted 15 years. In this journey I grew professionally from Research executive to Assistant Research Scientist. I was fortunate enough to work with leaders, visionaries, and brightest minds with whom I constantly learned and evolved. In the year 2021, Unilever separated their global tea business, the new Tea company being named now as Lipton Tea and Infusions (earlier ekaterra). I chose to join the same and continued to work on disruptive Innovations for global Tea business. Last year I got an opportunity with Wagh Bakri Tea group to lead New Product development of flavored Tea/ coffee/ Premixes/ Ice-Tea portfolio as General Manager.
How did you get your 1st break?
As mentioned above, I got a call from the HR recruiter of Hindustan Lever ltd. (HLL) in 2005. This was after I completed my MSc.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
Two of the technically challenging projects that I worked on were improving the overall Sustainability of the Tea business at Unilever.
Tea is usually consumed through teabags in western countries. When a consumer brews a tea bag, he/she gets only half or slightly more than half of solids in the cup. The remaining half or some part of the tea goodies is always thrown away and not being used. What if we could deliver the entire goodness of tea in one brew: thus, improving infusion kinetics of tea. The other challenging problem was with tea processing in the factory. A lot of tea waste is generated during normal tea processing as the tea industry is shifting from hand plucking to mechanical plucking of leaves due to lack of labour. This not only impacts quality but also tea appearance. Sometimes the solution to challenging problems lies in very simple sustainable solutions. The solution that I worked on was enzymatic intervention during processing that showed huge potential to uplift the tea quality which was implemented by the Business and brought huge incremental savings.
Through my research in the tea industry working on effective solutions for various problems, I have been awarded five patents. I demonstrated various innovations that were cost effective, scalable and consumer centric that finally saw a dawn in marketplace in the brands like Lipton, Lipton Cold Brew, Brooke Bond, Tazza for Unilever/ HUL and Lipton; and in Wagh Bakri Sudh Kahwa, Wagh Bakri Premium Spiced Tea for Wagh Bakri Tea to name a few.
As a researcher and Innovator, we always encounter obstacles like experimental failures, limitation of technology/innovation, complexities of Intellectual property protection, commercialization strategy, support from peers and superiors. We need to have a never to give up attitude, resilience, and adaptability to overcome any challenges or setbacks in the workplace. All these attributes really helped me to drive progress and deliver meaningful contributions all along the way.
Where do you work now? Tell us about your current role.
I currently lead New Product development (NPD) work for Wagh Bakri Tea. Wagh Bakri Tea group is the third largest tea company in terms of market share in the Indian Tea industry. It is also India’s most Tea brand (TRA’s Brand Trust Report 2024). It has iconic brands like Mili, Navchetan, Wagh Bakri premium spiced Tea. It also exports its Teas & premixes to more than 60 countries. I drive Innovation in NPD by developing new products in Tea & Coffee as per consumer needs, upgrading the existing product portfolio of Flavored Tea, Coffee & Tea premixes.
What problem do you solve?
One of my key responsibilities includes ensuring Business Continuity or maintaining Brand Image as well.
Today Tea is also infused with herbal ingredients and flavors to make it a premium proposition as well as to deliver more goodness with some claims to consumers like immunity, good sleep etc. Substantiating these claims by deciphering the mode of action of the active ingredients coming from Tea and herbal ingredients or extracts and indicating certain health benefits is a challenging problem which is driven and supported by clinical studies.
What skills are needed for the job? How did you acquire the skills?
My job primarily involves technical skills encompassing formulation of new products with safe and compliant ingredients, that are also sensorially good. As NPD Head, I oversee daily operations like ensuring compliance of product as per local & global regulatory requirements, ensuring the safety of ingredients being used in the product for our consumers, by liaising with suppliers. Sensory evaluation of the new product with tasters and consumers through a trained panel or market survey is a key parameter for successful launch of the product in the market. While team management and collaboration & alignment with cross functional teams like Sales, Marketing, Legal, Regulatory, Suppliers & Labs is also important for successful delivery of projects as well as getting holistic input for a good product. A background in biochemistry helped me appreciate and grow my skills in these mentioned areas. I guess I always tried to learn from whatever new projects came to me all these years. The mindset of being a continuous learner really made me hone these skills on the job.
What is a typical day like?
My typical day starts with indeed a good cup of Tea😊. Office day starts at 9 am by connecting with teams, catching up on daily activities, sensory evaluation of prototypes / teas, understanding the gap in sensory and brainstorming on how to go ahead by addressing the gap, and connecting with suppliers on business requirements. Each day ends with driving the needle in forward direction for new product development, thus moving a step closer towards delivering a more flavorful & good quality cup of Tea to our consumers. My day ends with spending time with my family, catching up on my kid’s studies and fun moments.
What is it you love above this job?
The things that I love about this job are that every day is like a new day, it brings new challenges to be solved. It brings out our creativity in the best form that is applied in product development that is finally appreciated and valued by consumers.
How does your work benefit society?
Tea is one of the most consumed beverages after Water in the World. India is also one of the largest producers of Tea globally; it is also one of the leading consumers of Tea. Tea is deeply ingrained in Indian culture. One part of my work includes enhancing consumer experience while they sip their favourite tea everyday morning, the other part also includes improving tea processing, enhancing yields during processing, and ensuring sustainability of overall Tea processing.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
My advice to students would be as follows:
- To follow your passion and have a purpose around it.
- Today’s Gen Z are smart workers, but there is no substitute for hard work. Hard work with consistent efforts can bring miracles.
- Challenge your Status -quo.
Future plans?
I live in the present!!!