CHENNAI: While there’s tea, there’s hope,’ said hile there’s tea, there’s hope,’ said Arthur Wing Pinero, an English playwright. As much as this saying holds relevance in today’s world for tea consumers, all is not well at the end of struggling tea-sellers, who have been left in despair since the pandemicinduced lockdowns and quasilockdowns. When work from home became the new normal, popular tea and coffee chains in the city found reprieve in the demand for contactless delivery.
The mobile tea vendors, however, were either rendered jobless or forced to find alternative jobs to fend for themselves. Gauging the situation, fatherdaughter entrepreneur duo CK Kumaravel and Dhamyanthi have come up with an insightful initiative — Cyclepreneur — that promises to not just help existing tea-sellers but also support those who want to take up selling tea on cycle as a business model. This was launched on December 24 as part of Namma Cafe — their chain of tea stores in the city.
Elaborating on the concept, Kumaravel says, “People selling tea and coffee don’t come under the organised sector. I think it’s even a step lower than micro-entrepreneurship. They were one of the most affected during the intense lockdown. Even now, as fear among people persists, it may take a while for them to bounce back to normalcy. They make their own snacks and tea for the day. But, if there’s wastage, then it comes only into their account.
As part of our initiative, we provide the cycle and tea, coffee and snacks that they can sell in the neighbourhood. The unsold portion can be returned to us.” The first outlet of Namma Cafe was opened in November at CP Ramaswamy Road. There are four more in RA Puram, Nungambakkam, Anna Nagar and Ayanambakkam. The duo aims to employ six entrepreneurs in each outlet. “Around seven litres of tea and two litres of coffee, along with snack options, will be given. As and when they complete selling the lot, they can refill at one of the outlets. Our tea starts from Rs 10.
All we need is someone with energy and determination to work. We haven’t been able to find many members who are willing to work yet. Interested ones can come to our outlets,” says Dhamyanthi. Namma Cafe, across outlets, offers seven varieties of tea ranging from sulaimani to masala; and coffee options such as sukku malli, filter and karupatti. Other beverages and drinks include turmeric latte, sherbet, rose milk and almond milk. Quick bites include veg puffs, Osmania biscuits, the classic bun butter jam and more. The store has also stocked vintage candies such as thengai burfi, thaen mittai, and kamarkat.
Their new sandwich section promises varieties like egg mayo, paneer tikka and chicken cheese grilled. “We want to open more such no-frills yet cosy hangout spots for people keeping in mind the hygiene protocols. We will also be tying up with delivery partners. And, create more entrepreneurs as we popularise our Cyclepreneur model,” assures Dhamyanthi. Additionally, the eatery is also creating a space for Namma Library. Customers can expect a range of Tamil books from literature to pulp fiction.
A voracious reader himself, Kumaravel suggests that amid the gossiping and chitchatting during tea breaks, this way, one can spend a few minutes reading a book. “Gandhi Kannadhasan, a Tamil publisher, helped with sourcing books for the library. It will have books by my favourite authors MS Udayamurthy; APJ Abdul Kalam’s books, Thirukkural, Bharathiyar poems, and those that are recommended by actor Kamal Haasan in Big Boss are also there. These books are all inspirational and not easily available in regular stores. As of now, we haven’t thought about a lending library concept but customers can sit here and enjoy a cup of tea,” he details..
A place to read
The eatery is also creating a space for Namma Library. Customers can expect a range of Tamil books
from literature to pulp fiction. “The books are all inspirational and not easily available in regular stores,”
says Kumaravel
For details, address: New no 67, old no 22, Mani maaligai, Venkatakrishna Rd, Raja Annamalai Puram
Father-daughter duo — CK Kumaravel and Dhamyanthi — set up the Cyclepreneur initiative at Namma
Cafes in the city, all in the hope of having mobile tea vendors up and back on their feet, without the fear of loss or lost chance