Tea is handpicked throughout the subcontinent, because it is the most effective way to remove the leaves from the tea bush. Trained workers, primarily women in the early days, removed the bud and leaves when they are ripe from bushes every 7 days. Leaves were then dried, and packed into carts like these for transport to the port. From there they traveled the world to kitchens as far away as Kansas and Missouri in the United States.