Kiran Akal, president and creative director of Infinite Worlds, believes he has captured the taste and flavour of the Caribbean with his unique blends and assortment of teas. Trinidad-born Akal, who has a great love for tea, has created a premium West Indian luxury tea, an indigenous product he says is missing within the Caribbean. "Some of the developed countries have their own tea brand, such as Britain, China, India. Why not the Caribbean, if we are focusing on niche areas to diversify the economy? Akal said. Akal, who is also a Walt Disney consultant doing creative design, used his creative juices to establish seven blends of tea that are unique to the Caribbean.
"My aim is to create a Caribbean luxury brand, where I would initially market it to the Caribbean region in an effort to target tourists and visitors who would have an opportunity to take something back that says and represents something about us." Akal said he has already received positive results after his vigorous tea-tasting exercises in the United States, Britain, France and T&T. He said his blend was tested across race, gender, age and culture, and it was appealing to everybody, so much so, that Trinidadian and American investors have shown interest in distributing and packaging his teas. "Real tea is not an industrial process, but an art and a craft to produce and generate the different flavours and brews."
Why the tea business?
Akal's love for tea is amazing. He drinks no less than 11 cups a day. He got the opportunity to push his product at the same time that his mother's Valpark-based 31-year-old store, Smacks, which sells high-end China teawares, needed rebranding. The indigenous tea is now available there. After consulting with his sister, he was encouraged not only to rebrand, but also create a new line that would improve the entire outlook of the store. The New York-based Akal originally studied medicine in Dublin, Ireland, and graduated at age 22. Following this, Akal said he always had a desire for the creative arts industry where he can showcase his talent in the areas of designs and creative architect. He decided to forget about medicine and study architecture. He was accepted to study architecture in the United States.
Following the impressive presentation, Akal said he was given the opportunity to live his dream and was offered the creative and visual director positions at a French company in 1990. He worked two years in Spain in the same position and even though he never attended the architectural school, he was already working in the field.
It's tea time
With the help of tea experts from India and United Kingdom, Akal said he was able to get his tea business going. He said his master blender, who has worked with some of the world's most prestigious tea companies, is English. But Akal makes the final cut of the blends. Holding the names of the experts close to his chest, Akal said tea is not dissimilar to the perfume and the wine business-the "noses" that companies discover to help them create their product are fiercely protected secrets. Akal, whose tea business only began 18 months ago, said his official launch would take place on September 1 in the Dominican Republic, and later in T&T. Locals will have the opportunity to experience this premium tea, which would be sold exclusively by Carlton Savannah, where an official launch would take place on July 14. Akal said he has plans to market his product to hotels and restaurants in the region. He had his attractive perfumed-like gold tins of packaged tea displayed at the Trade and Investment Convention (TIC) at the Hyatt Trinidad Regency hotel two weeks ago.
About Akal
Akal has a staff of ten high-powered team who work with such renowned companies as Walt Disney, RCA Records and Warner Brothers. Infinite World has been working on a wearable projection technology and has been on the forefront for developing a new form of immersive theatre technology. It's a three-dimensional experience without the need for glasses.
The seven teas:
Akal has packaged seven tea blends.
There's the Trinidad Breakfast, Tobago Afternoon; and herbal teas, the Bermuda pink and the Grenadines purple.
Black tea: traditional plain black tea with no flavouring, mixed with Sri Lankan and Chinese black leaves.
Chai: "for those who needs something with a good kick."
Green tea: consists of mint, lime and aniseed, with some leaves from China.
White tea: Silver needle jasmine leaves with Persian roses, with a middle-eastern flavour. It also consists of rose water and Arabic sweets.