A Personal Beginning

ila began with a feeling I carried for a long time. Growing up in the highlands of South India, tea was never something special and that is what made it special. It was part of daily life. It appeared in small moments when someone needed comfort, when work paused, when conversations slowed down. Tea was simply a way of being together.

When I moved to Germany, I learned how much those simple moments had shaped me. I found wonderful coffee, but I missed the gentler rhythm of tea, the warmth of milk, the familiarity of spices, and the quiet care that came with preparing a cup for yourself or for someone else. What I missed most was the feeling of home that arrived without effort.

ila grew from that space. Not from a desire to recreate the past, but from wanting to hold on to what felt grounding and kind. Our teas, chai blends, and spices come from landscapes I know well, the Kerala highlands and the Nilgiri hills, places where ingredients grow slowly, shaped by altitude, air, and time. We choose them with care, believing that good flavour begins long before it reaches a cup.

It is not about perfection or intensity. It is about warmth, balance, and presence. About small rituals that ask very little of you, but give something back. If ila brings a moment of calm, familiarity, or quiet comfort into your day, then it has done what it was meant to do.

— Badar

The Founder’s Thought

From the Highlands of Kerala

ila comes from the hills.

From the Kerala highlands of Vandiperiyar to the Nilgiri mountains of South India, our teas and spices grow in places shaped by altitude, cool air, and time. These landscapes ask ingredients to grow slowly. In return, they offer clarity, balance, and depth.

Every leaf and spice we choose carries the quiet character of the highlands it comes from.

The ila Collection

Kerala Highlands Chai Blend

Our collection is intentionally small.

It brings together flavours and moments that shaped much of our lives in South India.

From Germany, we share them with care, as a quiet gesture of thanks for the openness and respect we experienced here.

ILA is not about recreating the past, but about offering something honest and considered.

Kerala Spice Rituals

High-grown teas shaped by season and elevation. Clean, balanced, and naturally expressive.

Milk teas rooted in everyday rituals. Warm, familiar, and gently spiced for comfort.

Nilgiri Premium Flush

Simple blends drawn from South Indian kitchens. Made for warmth, pause, and sharing.

Care, for us, begins well before a cup is ever made.

It lives in small decisions and patient choices. In working with high grown teas from gardens we know and trust. In choosing spices from highland regions where flavour is shaped slowly, without force. We handle everything as gently as we can, allowing each leaf and spice to stay close to its natural character.

Not everything that is available is chosen. Only what feels honest, balanced, and quietly right finds its place at ila.

Chosen With Care

Rituals Over Routine

At ila, tea is not about rules or schedules. It is about moments.

Quiet mornings, thoughtful pauses, shared cups, and slow evenings. Our teas and blends are created to move naturally with these rhythms, offering warmth, calm, or gentle energy when it feels right.

Tea does not need to be rushed. Neither do you.

Highlands

Nestled in Kerala’s misty hills, our teas and spices are born from rich soil and ancient craft.

Location

Munnar, Kerala, India

Hours

9 AM - 5 PM