The man (Chaiwala) behind the makeover of the Indian tea culture – Shashank Sharma

New Delhi (India), April 22: Entrepreneurship may not be in his genes, but Shashank Sharma started his own business at the young age of 22 and followed his passion to be a successful entrepreneur. Shashank is the name behind India’s renowned internationally acclaimed tea café, The Tea Factory (TTF). Shashank’s journey from Indore to India and then to International Tea Cafe Franchise Chain Owner within just 10 years began in the year 2012.

Shashank introduced The Tea Factory (TTF) café in the market when the craze for tea and coffee in the Food and beverage industry was at its lowest. It was an entirely new concept at that time. The aim was to bring together different flavors of tea such as Kashmiri kahwa, Masala Chai, Green Tea, Nilgiri tea, Darjeeling tea, and the likes under one roof. It was to create a heaven for chai lovers where they could meet, hang out, and experience the best of their most loved beverage. The Tea Factory came into the picture when tea spots usually meant tapris, and small roadside shops. It was either about 2-5 rupees cutting chai near the roadside shops or costly cups of tea at high-class hotels and cafés. In such a scenario, the opening of a café with multiple options of tea flavors with light music, a soothing environment, a beautiful exterior, and an interior was like a breath of fresh air. It is not easy to change one’s habits. Therefore, reaching out to all the chai lovers out there and giving them the best experience and service was not easy.

Sharing his experience, Shashank says, “I wanted to bring something new to the market. Right from the start, the goal was to bring into focus the various flavors of our tea culture directly to the customers. Tea has always been the favorite beverage of all time. We wanted to bring different flavors of tea from different regions to one place. This means you don’t need to visit Kashmir to drink Kashmiri kahwa.”

Notably, Shashank started the revolution of chai cafe franchise business globally. The Tea Factory (TTF) is also known for its low investment high return business model.  In terms of the franchise, it is also the only T-Café brand in the world to encourage investment at the most affordable rates. The Tea Factory has become one of the most popular brands with its foray into the food and beverage industry in the year 2013.

He further adds, “I started the first The Tea Factory (TTF) outlet in 2013 and expanded it through the franchise model. Today, it has become one of the fastest-growing tea café franchises, having its outlets in around nine countries, around the world including India, Saudi, UAE, and Nepal. With The Tea Factory (TTF), we provide full support in terms of outlet designing; product development, and production training, helping franchises achieve 360-degree quality marks. The Tea Cafe Franchise Partners are given critical training on Tea Room Operations, Supply Chain, Customer Satisfaction, Manpower, etc.”

Interestingly, in all the outlets, Shashank personally looks after the chef management and tea supplies.

Over the years, there has been a dynamic change in the tea-coffee culture, especially in India. Starting from the grass root level, Shashank is definitely the man who revolutionalized the tea culture in the form of The Tea Factory (TTF) not only in India but also around the world. Fighting against all the odds, Shashank definitely managed to make his dream the most interesting reality for millions of tea lovers.