About Us

Progressive Teas and Contemporary Ceramics

Ahista means 'at a slow pace' or 'to slowly' - this brings to mind the art of slow living by taking a step back and savoring each moment with thoughtfulness and intention. We take a minimalist approach when infusing tradition and innovation into our teas and premium tableware; which are handmade, timeless, minimal, and sustainable. Our aim is to change the perception of Indian tea culture towards a contemporary interpretation. We work with Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury boutique hotels, plant based cafés and coffee houses around the world to elevate their tea and dining experience by exploring possibilities between food, art and culture.

Ingredient Driven

Quality is vital to us, from the way we operate as a business with our community but also in way of ingredients. Creating a tea capable of elevating your health, mood, and experience; we consistently use single-ingredient leaves, spices, herbs, and flowers. Our locally grown process produces teas free from preservatives or additives.

Slow Craftsmanship

As we are dedicated to keeping quality front and center, our artistry displays this balance by shifting focus from pure profit-making endeavors to a more artistic approach. We aim to preserve the ancient art forms of creating tea blends and premium tableware through a locally grown, sustainable production. We incorporate sustainable craft into every decision, from equal opportunity hiring practices to a focus on zero waste. Our handcrafted approach results in quality small-batch, custom made production. Through this art we are able to amplify that tea and ceramic art is a constant experimentation of flavors and technique.

Economic Empowerment

Staying consistent with our brand’s intentions, we have developed a three-prong approach related to economically empowering communities. All of our teas and tableware are handcrafted by women with minimal mechanical intervention. Supporting women teamakers and artists and recognizing that gender equality and the empowerment of women lie at the heart of our mandate.

The aim to create a better, more sustainable environment for women teamakers and artisans through fair-trade practises. We strive to work with our small women tea farmers and artists, by cutting-out intermediaries. We do this to empower, inspire and make sure the value-add remains at its source.

We work to improve women's safety through year long initiatives, support them to have more secure homes, and to improve their health and well-being. We make sure that women are well represented, giving them a much-needed voice. As they become champions, these women encourage others to learn from and mirror them. This ripple effect is driving long-term, sustainable change for women.

Community Oriented

Gratitude comes in many forms. At Ahista, we show how grateful we are to have the ability to do what we love by navigating different ways to serve our community. The quality of our tea is largely due to our women tea pickers. We ensure fair wages and to provide extraordinary health standards for each worker’s protection, seeking a more equitable future. Additionally, we try to reach beyond our own community by reaching out to help those around the globe.

Premium Tableware

Our aim is to present functional, contemporary and structurally diverse pieces through slow, mindfully crafted tableware. We collaborate directly with artists in India, looking for pieces that show mastery of material and technique, and that echo our aesthetic.

A skilled ceramicist controls a range of inputs that affect the outcome of a finished work. Different clay compositions yield different results, not only in the shape of a piece, but its integrity, strength, and texture. Likewise, different glazes yield different post-firing results. A glaze's mineral composition affects luster, colour, thickness, and how it reacts to a clay body. Tying all these disparate variables together is firing technique. From temperature, time, and fuel type, firing technique affect the clay, the glaze, and the interaction between them. Our artists' skill lies in their command of all three factors - clay, glaze and firing technique.

Each of our teaware and premium tableware pieces are simple, refined, with a minimalist design sensibility made from locally sourced recycled ceramics. We use sustainable materials, explore ancient techniques and processes to create beautiful, conscious, zero-waste pieces that you can feel good about using in your homes. The consideration, experience and skill-set that our ceramic artists pour into each piece elevates that simplicity into something sublime.

Founder's Note

The maharajas and maharanis of India are admired for their unparalleled opulence and sophistication. As erstwhile rulers, they played an imperative role in shaping the ethos of Indian art and living. Evening tea was a daily fixture in the royal courts: kings and queens settled into aaram-kursis each evening, tables were decorated with heirloom silverware, and accompanied by an array of saffron-dipped sweets. Light reflects off the palatial walls as the sun disappeared over Lake Pichola. Loyal attendants poured Darjeeling’s first flush. In an hour’s tête-à-tête, an ethereal fragrance filled the air. Discussions of art and politics began to flow, and so did refills of tea. Though the British were the first to introduce tea to India, the royal courts stood witness to its rapid cultivation and the patronage of tea culture.

In the age of looming responsibilities, one of the most quintessential Indian pastimes is losing its luster marking our descent into the mire of convenience. The simplest and most significant explanation for this: tea, as we know it, has a dated image and lives on only amongst the graying. It’s time for a contemporary perspective on an age-old tradition.