School friends-turned-entrepreneurs defy all odds to run successful tea franchise in TS, AP

Taking challenges in strides and overcoming all obstacles, these young engineers have proved that passion to succeed can defy the odds.

Hyderabad: Neither their poor family background nor lack of financial support deter these two youngsters from nurturing their dream of entrepreneurship. Taking challenges in strides and overcoming all obstacles, these young engineers have proved that passion to succeed can defy the odds.

The duo – Murali Krishna and Vishnu Velijala, founders of Mr Chai, who did their schooling and B.Tech together, have always been inclined towards business since childhood. They carved a path of success by choosing not to become engineers and instead became entrepreneurs.

They took tentative steps towards entrepreneurship while studying their first year of B.Tech and started a small café near LB Nagar in 2017 with a budget of Rs 20,000. However, they had to shut it down within six months due to a busy college schedule and failure to manage time.

That didn’t deter their confidence as they sat together and charted out a proper plan during lockdown before deciding to start a franchise business. And it was about chai.

“After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in India as many begin their day with a cup of tea. So there is a huge potential for growth and it also offers great opportunities,” says Murali.

With over 300 outlets in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the Hyderabad-based entrepreneurs are now providing direct employment to 70 people and indirect employment to over 2,000 people. There are over 40 stores in Hyderabad alone and now they aim to expand their footprint in Bengaluru.

“We want to offer quality tea at an affordable cost and introduce different tastes to people in India. My vision is to make Mr. Chai the no.1 franchise brand in India,” he says.

Mr Chai offer teas from different states like – Rajasthan Rajwadi Chai, Kerala Butter chai, Mumbai Pan Chai, Chennai Masala Chai, Kashmir Dry fruit Chai, and Kolkata Kadak Chai.

Both Murali and Vishnu traveled to 14 states to experience different flavors of teas. In the process, they tasted over 1000 teas and noted the smell, flavor, and taste before finalising the menu.

“Mr. Chai is strongly growing day by day and our goal is to open 1000 stores by next year. We have one simple strategy – offer quality tea and better service to give customers a pleasant experience,” adds Murali.