Hyderabad Engineer's Amazing Tea Stall

Satyanarayan, ME and The Taste Buds

For an 18-year-old in Hyderabad, an attempt at serving tea in eco-friendly ways turned out to be a means to get a college education. And all thanks to thirty-seven-year-old mechanical engineer Satyanarayana of Hyderabadm who launched “Taste Buds”, a chain of tea stalls on December 11, 2015, across Hyderabad. Instead of using plastic or paper cups, he serves his customers in earthen cups shaped like glasses.

Satyanarayana has four stalls in East Maredapally in Secunderabad, and three in Hyderabad which together sell around 200 to 300 cups every day. He has plans to expand to other areas of Hyderabad. 

“I realised that across North India, tea sellers used earthen cups to serve tea. I decided to start something like that here, which could help potters whose sales have declined in the city.”

Satyanarayana says he hired people including youngsters who are in urgent need of jobs. “I also sponsor their food, accommodation and education, and they are really happy working with me.” 

One such youngster is 18-year-old, G Rajkumar from the Uppal area in Hyderabad. His father is a potter whose business was run down because of the lack of demand for earthen products. 

“Earlier we had a lot of financial problems as our business was not doing well. So I started to look for part-time jobs as I was not able to afford my college fees. But thanks to Anna (Satyanarayana, whom he refers to as an older brother), our financial conditions have improved a lot,” Rajkumar says. 

He has now stopped looking for part-time work. “After college, I make some time for preparing these pots and delivering them. Now I can afford my college fees,” he told. Satyanarayana's startup has not only given the job to many young enthusiastic but it has given a new life to an old tradition.

The shops serve different varieties of tea such , special masala tea, and also with as ginger, elaichi, badam, cinnamon and other flavours priced between Rs 7 and Rs 12.

“I learnt these tea recipes from my north Indian friends’ mothers and taught them to all my staff. They learnt it so well, that now they are just experts in making chai,”says Satyanarayana.