Satisfying 'Chai Tapri' Lovers With 'Ghar Waali Feel' - Duo Quit High-Paying Jobs To Pursue Tea-Coffee Business, Earning In Crores

Roastea Success Story: When it comes to our preferred drinks, there has been a war of brands between Chai Point, Chaayos, or Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge for tea and CCD, Costa Coffee, Third Wave, Barista, and Starbucks for coffee. What if you could locate a location that is brewing both, though? The Gujarat-based company employs both B2C and B2B business models, erecting cafes and kiosks to serve customers directly and producing automatic dispensing equipment for businesses. Every time a group of friends goes to a tea shop, one member misses their espresso, cappuccino, or traditional cold coffee. Anurag and Chaitanya Bhamidipaty, brothers and former lawyers who co-founded Roastea in 2019, claimed that they created the company to address this market.

Roastea: Combination Of 'Roast' And 'Tea'

Roastea was established in 2019 in response to a need from customers for a broad range of high-quality items catered to their requirements and tastes. Roastea, the company name for its specialty coffee and tea products, is a combination of the terms 'roast' and 'tea.' Roastea provides its free, rental-based vending machines to a wide range of customers, including multinational enterprises, public institutions, and private businesses. Every type of beverage is included in Roastea's product line, including filter coffee, cappuccino, tea, green tea, and instant functional coffees. In addition, the firm provides equipment in every size, from large-format cafes and quick-serving kiosks to MSME machines with huge capacities. The brand is currently present in the majority of categories, including B2B2C, B2C, and D2C. This is due to the brand's ongoing research and development efforts to launch new items. Additionally, Roastea provides a wide variety of goods through its cafes, from upscale dining options to nibbles and munchies.

Chai Tapris - Source Of Motivation

The pair understood during their corporate careers that while typical dispensing machines found in most office pantries are accessible, they are insufficient for working professionals who spend 10 to 12 hours a day in the workplace. As a result, there are crowds at chai tapris and coffee shops close to business areas. Because the tea they were receiving was freshly brewed. Thus, the duo decided to launch a company where they could produce chai or coffee dispensers with a home-made feel. They served as solicitors for businesses, assisting with their NASDAQ listing. Suddenly, one day, they reasoned, why not start their own business and go public? Anurag Bhamidipaty, one of the founders said, "We were confident that if we could successfully market our tea and coffee in Gujarat, we would be able to do so anywhere."

No-Compromise With Quality

Anurag and Chaitanya started laying the foundation for the introduction of tea and coffee vending machines in 2018. They initially explored importing equipment from China and other nations. However, they made the decision to manufacture the machines themselves because it was difficult to find replacement parts for imported models. To guarantee that only the highest-quality materials are used in every cup, the company sources its tea and coffee from Assamese gardens. In May 2019, the company unveiled its first product and agreed to purchase six machines from Ahmedabad-based IT company Einfochips Pvt Ltd. In September, the second significant contract was secured. There hasn't been any turning back since that time. Anurag stated, "Since we know how important quality is, we always work to improve our supply and distribution networks so that we can give our clients the top-notch goods and services they deserve."

Use Of Technology

Using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the Roastea vending machines can be accessed and managed from a distance. Users can easily measure the rate of cup and beverage use, check if coffee and tea packets need to be refilled, and even obtain health data for each vending machine thanks to this technology. The technique is made even more convenient by the fact that each machine's GPS location can be easily tracked. All of the vending machines operate without a hitch, and operational perfection is ensured thanks to the Roastea IoT technology's transmission of vital information to the Roastea tech dashboard. Two essential characteristics of the technology—ensuring temperature control and avoiding the use of heat plates—set it apart from its rivals in the market. 

With their own money and loans from friends and family, the brothers initially started by putting seed capital of Rs 4-5 lakh into the company. In 140+ corporate offices across India, including those of Adani Group, Zydus Group, Ola, Qualcom and ENY, the company has installed about 1000 machines. Instead of selling the machine in this case, Roastea charges a maintenance cost ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500, depending on the use each machine receives. By the end of 2023, Roastea intends to have 2,500 units installed. Additionally, the brothers plan to open 35 to 40 cafes and kiosks across the nation. This expansion strategy is anticipated to increase the scale and scope of the company's operations by a considerable 4x, in annual revenue.