Abstract

The case study ‘Chai Sutta Bar: A Successful Model in the Tea Café Business in India?’ follows the story of Chai Sutta Bar founded by Anubhav Dubey and Anand Nayak, when they were just 22 and 23 years old, respectively. Following a brief introduction to the Indian tea café culture, the case study moves on to discuss Dubey’s life story. It then delves into the creation of the CSB brand, the company’s business model, which includes the launch of a variety of teas, coffees, and snacks; the use of kulhads; and the fixing of nominal prices for their tea. The case study also touches upon the company’s franchise model, which helped it expand its network across India, the US, the UK, and many other countries. The case also highlights the challenges faced by CSB and its plans. By 2027, the CSB intended to expand its footprint across all Indian cities and numerous nations around the globe by opening more than 2,000 retail locations and introducing new tea tastes. It remained to be seen whether Dubey’s future strategy would prove successful.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Examine the various stages of the entrepreneurial process
• Understand the challenges faced by an entrepreneur during his/her entrepreneurial journey.
• Understand different types of franchise models and how they help grow a startup

Keywords

Entrepreneurial process; Café Culture in India; Idea Generation & Validation; Business model; CSB; Chai Sutta Bar; CSB’s Franchisee Model; FOFO; COCO; Market Expansion; Kulhad