Anubhav Dubey
Co-Founder, Chai Sutta Bar
Anubhav Dubey started a tea shop at the age of 22, with his co-founder and friend Anand Nayak in 2016. The journey started with the first outlet in Indore, which is the hometown of both entrepreneurs. The two self-made entrepreneurs started CSB with a vision to serve India’s most preferred beverage in ‘kulhads’ (earthen pots). The brand caters to chai lovers with a variety of flavors in an eco-friendly manner.
Five and half years later the shop which was started with 3 lakh rupees has grown into a 100 crores business with 250+ outlets located in more than 70 cities in India as well as in Muscat and Dubai. It is expanding rapidly through franchise outlets.
The start-up is not only selling tea but providing employment to a large number of potters in India who make earthen cups or ‘kulhads’ for their outlets. Chai Sutta Bar currently has a demand of over 3 lakhs ‘kulhad’ each day. It employed 1500 people from diverse sections of the society with a special priority on weaker sections.
Fun Facts
The first outlet was open near a women’s hostel to gather a rapid crowd. The team initially adopted smart marketing tricks due to a shortage of funds. The name of the company was decided such that it resonated with the youth. He invited his friends over to the shop which created a pretentious crowd and attracted more and more eyeballs.
During the lockdown phase, they continuously promoted their company through youtube. The journey of Chai Sutta Bar, the art of making tea, and many such things were shared through Youtube.
Future Endeavours
The company plans to open outlets in the US, UK, and Canada and continue to achieve the goal of making Chai Sutta Bar available globally. The demand for kulhads will increase from three to lakh to five lakh each day as the company is flourishing thereby providing employment to potters in India. Recently, the 300th retail outlet was inaugurated in Port Blair, Andaman.
“There’s nothing called perfect idea. An idea does not need to be perfect to bear fruit, but attainable to grow beyond expectation.” – Anubhav Dubey