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From backyard plant to cash crop
In the northeastern Indian state of Assam, Nilam Brahma once regarded the butterfly pea flower as just another climbing vine. That changed two years ago when she learned local women were earning income by selling the vibrant blue blooms for tea and natural dye.
Brahma joined the effort and quickly saw results. Her first $50 sale of dried flowers stunned her. "It made me believe I could control my own future," she recalls. She later secured a small loan to purchase solar dryers, which accelerated drying times and preserved the flowers' color, meeting buyer quality standards.
Global demand fuels local opportunity
Thailand and Indonesia have long dominated butterfly pea production and consumption, but rising global demand is drawing Indian entrepreneurs into the market. Varshika Reddy, founder of THS Impex, an exporter of natural dyes and additives, attributes the surge to consumer preferences for natural ingredients and stricter regulations on synthetic food dyes in the U.S. and Europe.
In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved butterfly pea flower as a food additive. However, the European Food Safety Authority raised safety concerns in 2022, and both the EU and UK classify it as a "novel" food, requiring further approval for widespread use. Despite these hurdles, Indian entrepreneurs see potential in expanding the domestic market.
Overcoming market challenges
Reddy notes that butterfly pea remains largely viewed as an ornamental or medicinal plant rather than a commercial crop in India. "There's no structured market awareness, no government classification, and no standard pricing mechanism, leaving farmers uncertain about returns," she explains. To address this, her company partners with farmers in Uttar Pradesh, offering agronomy support, irrigation guidance, and crop-specific techniques under formal contracts.
Nitesh Singh, founder of Blue Tea, spotted similar potential. "When you infuse the flower in hot water, it turns blue, and adding lemon turns it purple. That felt magical," he says. Singh launched his company in 2018 to build an Indian brand using locally grown butterfly peas, but initial efforts faltered due to quality issues.
"We had to import flowers at first because Indian varieties had fewer petals and lost color when sun-dried. We needed flowers with more pigment and petals to retain color after drying."
Nitesh Singh, Founder, Blue Tea
Scaling up production
Singh now works with 600 farmers across India, up from just five at the start. Training and quality control remain the biggest challenges, particularly in harvesting. Women, who dominate the plucking process, are trained to handle the delicate flowers without damaging the plants. "Their hands are softer, and they instinctively know how to pluck," he says.
Drying the flowers requires careful temperature control. Farmers perform initial drying, but Blue Tea conducts further moisture checks and drying at mild temperatures to preserve the flowers' color and medicinal properties. "If the heat is too high, the flower burns, and you lose its value," Singh explains.
Health benefits and community impact
Beyond its striking color, butterfly pea flower shows potential health benefits, though research remains limited. V Supriya, an assistant professor at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research in Chennai, conducted a small study on pre-diabetic individuals. Those who consumed butterfly pea tea demonstrated better sugar control than those who did not.
"Butterfly pea was largely overlooked, but emerging evidence-especially from human trials-could make it very popular."
V Supriya, Assistant Professor
For Pushpal Biswas, a farmer in West Bengal, butterfly pea has transformed his livelihood. Previously growing rice and vegetables, he often struggled to sell his produce. After switching to butterfly pea seven years ago, his production soared from 50kg to 80kg using scientific methods. The additional income allowed him to lease more land, increasing his output and earnings.
"This isn't just farming anymore-it has become a network, a community, a business family," Biswas says. Over the past few years, many from nearby villages have joined the cultivation, turning the crop into a shared economic opportunity.
