I was confident that my tea start-up would work: Jyoti Jangir, tea stall owner

Inspired by her mum’s home-made tea and rose milk, 21-year-old Jyoti Jangir innovated the Rajwadi Gulabi Chai. In September 2022, she opened a tea stall called JJ’s Thadi in Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi, which she now plans to take to other cities as well and later expand pan-India as a franchise model.

“Tea is love for many Indians. It’s their favourite beverage and that’s why it’s available in every nook and corner. For business, innovation is important and that’s why I worked on this formula — tea, rose petals and some spices. It came from the rose milk that I tried in my hometown Alwar (Rajasthan),” shares Jangir.

Currently, she is pursuing MA from School of Open Learning (SOL), Delhi University. She says, “I did not want to do a 9-to-5 job, so I worked on this start-up. I was confident that this would work, but didn’t expect to get this kind of traction in such a short span of time. It feels inspiring when people come to me and say that I am motivating them to follow their heart, innovate and work for themselves rather than getting into the corporate race.”

Celebs like actor Harshvardhan Rane and singer Guru Randhawa have given Jangir’s “atmanirbhar” efforts a boost. Her next move is to introduce more varieties in her tea joint. “I already have offers to open kiosks. I want to replicate the model in different parts of Delhi and then in different parts of the country in a standardised format, where we will serve tea and snacks.”

While she serves tea to the world, Jangir confesses that she is not a tea addict herself. “I am a water person. I prefer to savour just a cup of tea in a day and my favourite remains the one prepared by my mum,” she ends.

PHOTO: ZAHERA KAYANAT/HT