Born to the ‘Chaiwala’ family of Dehra Dun, Shalini grew up in tea farms of Assam and Darjeeling.  The family has been in tea since the 1930s and the fourth generation is now managing the farms that her grandfather acquired from the British.  
Shalini could not escape the ‘tea running in her veins’ and has been promoting teas from the family gardens, Khongea in Assam and Glenburn in Darjeeling, in North America for the last 12 years under the brand name ‘Glenburn Tea Direct’.  They also have a line of flavored teas and tisanes. 
Glenburn Tea Direct imports and warehouses the teas in California and supplies to wholesale businesses in North America.