Society Tea's café plans resurface, dating back to a January 2018 move
Mumbai-based Society Tea had prepared to enter cafés with its first outlet, using the format to showcase its tea heritage and blends, according to a plan dating back to January 2018. The company had not disclosed a location or opening date.
What happened
Society Tea director Karan Shah says the Maharashtra-focused tea brand plans to open its first café soon, positioning it around the company’s tea heritage. The
Key facts
- 3 litres of tea consumed daily
- over 35 tea blends at the office
- 25-year-old brand
- collection of over 100 kettles
- over 65 kettles at the office
- 140-year-old antique Chinese kettle
Why this matters
Society Tea’s move into cafés may create partnership opportunities across mall leasing, foodservice operations, franchising and complementary snack or beverage brands as it tests an omnichannel format.
What to watch
- Disclosure of neighbourhood, store size, lease partner or opening timeline.
- Menu pricing relative to specialist tea cafés and mainstream coffee chains.
- Evidence that food is a meaningful part of the offer versus a tea-first tasting-room format.
- Launch of loyalty, packaged-product merchandising, online ordering or delivery integration.
- Management commentary on first-store sales, repeat visits, unit economics or plans for additional locations.
- Competitor response from tea-focused cafés, premium beverage chains and local Mumbai operators.
- Announce the first café's location, opening date, menu, format and operating model.
- Use the café to spotlight signature blends, regional tea stories, tea-led cold beverages and packaged take-home products.
- Bundle the café launch with activations under the “The Tea Society Called India” campaign.
- Test loyalty, sampling and direct-to-consumer data capture to connect café visitors with repeat packaged-tea purchases.
- Evaluate expansion through company-operated outlets, mall/high-street placements, or franchise/partnership models after the first-store readout.