Sanjith Konda House still imports from India with the aim of giving locals a taste of Indian tea.
In an ideal world, Sanjith Konda House would have completed a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from a leading Australian university, and signed up for a youth internship.
But a shabby corporate job became a distant reality when the 22-year-old decided to become a “tea seller”, aka “chaiwala”, as he used to call it.
Melbourne, known for its passion for coffee, is now enamored with teas and samosas as Nellore-born Sanjith, with his first startup ‘Dropout Chaiwala’, turned his business into a million dollar company. dollars for only about a year.
It was a bustling Sunday morning in the busy CBD (Central Business District) of Melbourne Street and one could see Indians, Indigenous Australians and some Hispanics enjoying their food. Their favorite morning poison – a steaming cup of tea.
The glowing ‘Dropout Chaiwala’ sign caught the interest of an Indian tourist when he stopped to take a glance. If one thinks there’s something in a name, think again as a small tea house has become one of the favorite hangouts of Melbourne’s Indian community.
“I came here to study for a Bachelor of Business Administration at La Trobe University but I didn’t finish my course. I dropped out of college and then I wanted to start my own business.
Sanjith recounts his story: “I was fascinated with tea since childhood and then conceived the idea of Dropout Chaiwala.
“My parents were shocked at first that I had dropped out of school and then feared that I was planning my own business. Melbourne is the coffee capital of the world and I am planning to open a tea shop. “, Sanjith can now smile.
Asrar, an NRI, believes in his project and decides to become an angel investor.
“I think that next month, our revenue will be around AUD 1 million (about Rs 5.2 crore) after tax deductions and payment of all general expenses. The profit will be around 20%. In Australia, it’s easier to do business if you have the idea in the right place,” said Sanjith, beaming now.
He still imports from India with the aim of letting the locals enjoy Indian tea.
“In the Indian community, ‘Bombay Cut’ is a huge hit and Australians love Indian ‘masala chai’ and ‘pakodas’. Now we’re about to open a second store in Melbourne,” said Sanjith, who recruited Indian students, who work part-time to supplement their income.
“But to attract new customers, you need to improvise what we did with the combination green tea and chaipuccino (call it the cappuccino version of tea).” One asked him if dropping out was a priority when he was recruiting for a variety of jobs, and he started laughing.
“At Dropout Chaiwala, when recruiting, we don’t look at qualifications but passion and hard work,” said the Andhra man who hopes to have his tea shop in all locations. Australian city.
He also has a word of caution for young players.
“I wouldn’t advise young people to skip their course when you’ve spent a lot of money coming here,” Sanjith said with a shy but discreet smile.
Post COVID-19, his mother has yet to visit him here and he wants her to take a sip and contribute.
“Now they are really proud of how I started and where I got to,” Sanjith said.
While ‘Dropout Chaiwala’ will remain the USP, he now intends to complete a degree in social work, an area he is passionate about.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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