Bhubaneswar, March 20 (LocalWire): Some like their morning cuppa, some relish their afternoon tea while there are others who can have a hot sip any time of the day.
And if you are one who loves to have your green tea, masala chai or English tea according to the time of the day, you need to stop by and pick yours from Ram bhai’s 85 varieties of tea.
In the ground floor of a huge market complex, surrounded by small fast food stalls, is a small tea shop, hardly visible from a distance, offering a cup of tea ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 100.
A tea connoisseur’s delight, this tiny shop at CRPF Square, is swarming with people any time of the day and owned by 35-year-old Mr Ram Pradhan, well known as Ram bhai, who hails from Cuttack.
Ram owned a fruit shop earlier followed by a shop that sold eggs but he failed in both the business as he had to shift stalls.
Ram then changed his business and started a small road-side tea stall here in 2005 and gradually set up shop selling different types of tea.
He says he has some loyal customers from Bhubaneswar and nearby cities who frequent his shop solely because of the quality of the tea he serves and also because of his demeanour.
‘I provide quality tea at good price’ says Ram bhai with a smile. He is winning hearts with his welcoming smile while serving hot tea in small earthen pots.
‘I could not afford to continue my studies after standard 9 and began working in a private company in Kolkata.
During my stay in Kolkata I learnt about a variety of herbs and ingredients and the art of preparing tea. I went on to get training from centres of Organic India in Kolkata and Hyderabad,’ Ram said.
After coming back to Odisha, he decided to setup a tea business. ‘I have wide variety of drinks which is hardly available in other shops,’ he displays proudly. Ram has recently added new items such as flower red tea, butter tea, English tea, yellow tea, chocolate tea and white tea to the menu.
According to him, ingredients required for preparing the tea are bought online and are of good quality. He is also planning to invest money to acquire a large space to open a bigger shop.
LocalWire