Tea Factory and Tea Museum

The Tea Factory and Tea Museum on Dodabetta Road near Ooty (Udhagamandalam) in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, is a working tea factory combined with a museum dedicated to Nilgiri tea. It demonstrates the processing of CTC tea from withering to packaging and displays historic photographs and machinery related to tea cultivation introduced in the 19th century. The site is known for guided factory tours, tea tasting, and panoramic views of the surrounding hills.

Visitors can tour a working tea factory to see the step-by-step processing of Nilgiri CTC tea including withering, rolling, fermenting, drying, sorting and packaging, accompanied by explanatory displays. The adjoining museum exhibits vintage tea-processing equipment, photographs and information on the history of tea in the Nilgiris. The visit includes a tea-tasting session, a shop selling various teas and chocolates, and views of the surrounding tea-covered hills. The site is located on the slope below Doddabetta Peak, about 5 km from Ooty town centre.

The museum documents the history of tea cultivation in the Nilgiris, which developed as a commercial crop during the British colonial period in the 19th century. It preserves photographs, documents and vintage processing equipment illustrating the introduction and evolution of tea manufacturing in the Nilgiri Hills.

Represents the tea heritage central to the Nilgiris region, showcasing Nilgiri tea as a distinctive Indian tea variety and its importance to the local economy, livelihoods and cultural identity of Ooty and surrounding hill communities.