Top 10 Tea Franchise in India (2026)

Adoration of tea is not carried by a sea, or even a bond in India. Since morning prayers and evening conversations, tea is not merely a drink, it is a feeling that unites the millions of people of the nation. This cultural frenzy has over the last few years changed to become a gold rush in the business world. 

The tea cafe franchise business is writing fortunes and entrepreneurs have found that the Best Tea Franchise in India can be the answer to their financial security. Increasing 80% of the Indian households take tea on a daily basis and the market size is projected to touch ₹21,500 crores by 2027, it has never been more profitable to invest in a tea franchise. This is a comprehensive guide on the top 10 tea franchise in India for 2026.

How Tea Franchises Are Brewing Success Across India

The tea franchise business in India has seen tremendous growth, which has been changing into the usual roadside stalls turning into a high-end cafe. The consumers in the city are no longer content with unhygienic, unbranded tea shops whose quality is not always consistent.

According to Statista’s 2025 outlook, India’s tea market is projected to generate US$24.10 billion in total revenue, with US$18.89 billion coming from at-home consumption (retail) and US$5.20 billion from out-of-home channels like cafés and restaurants. Leading players such as Chai Point, Chaayos, Tea Trails, and Tea Post have expanded aggressively.

Low-investment franchise models are proving attractive to entrepreneurs, with startup costs ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh, depending on the format—kiosk, café, or express outlet. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are emerging as high-potential markets, contributing 40% of new franchise openings in 2025. The industry is also benefiting from digital ordering, cloud kitchens, and tie-ups with food delivery platforms, boosting daily sales volumes.

Brands are going into Tier-II and Tier-III cities aggressively with the realization that there is more potential beyond the metros. The theme of democratization of quality tea is experienced in this manner, and as a result, 2025 is the best time to invest in the Best Tea Franchise in India.

Top 10 Tea Franchise in India (2026)

1. Chai Point

Chai Point was founded by Amuleek Singh Bijral back in 2010 to help transform the tea culture of India through a blend of modern technology and traditional practices. With its presence in major cities and more than 175 outlets, the brand serves over 300,000 cups a day.

Chai Point, with its Garden-to-Glass concept using high-quality Assam and Darjeeling tea leaves, provides fresh, homemade chai within 30 minutes. Their Chai Bots powered by IoT technology and strong corporate partnerships have helped them emerge as a leader in the organized tea industry, inspiring many entrepreneurs exploring a Franchise in Mumbai and other metro cities.

• Investment Needed: ₹25-50 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹3-5 lakhs, 6-8% royalty; ROI in 18-24 months
• Link: https://shop.chaipoint.com/pages/contact-us 

2. Chaayos

Chaayos was the first mover in the concept of Experiments with Chai which was developed by Nitin Saluja and Raghav Verma in 2012, and the company (around 12,000 combinations of tea) has a total of 25 varieties of tea.

The brand has 60+ stores within Delhi NCR, Mumbai and other metros, which attract young professionals who are looking at the personalized tea experiences. Their contemporary cafes have a beautiful interior lighting, which is manufactured using the cutting chai cups, thus making it Instagram-worthy, which attracts footfall.

• Investment Needed: ₹30-50 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹5-10 lakhs, 5-6% royalty; ROI in 24-30 months
• Link: https://www.chaayos.com 

3. Chai Sutta Bar

Chai Sutta Bar is an overnight sensation and was founded in 2016 by Anubhav Dubey and Anand Nayak in Indore and offers chai served in eco-friendly kulhads at only 10Rs. The brand has a presence in more than 370+ cities all over the world (Dubai and Nepal included) and sells more than 450,000 kulhads every day.

Their lively, young-oriented stores outside the colleges and IT parks have established them as the fastest growing chai chain in India with 108 percent ROI that has been attracting young emerging entrepreneurs across the entire nation.

• Investment Needed: ₹16-25 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹6-8 lakhs, 4% royalty; ROI in 12-18 months
• Link: https://www.chaisuttabarindia.com 

4. Chai Garam

Chai Garam, a company that deals in freshly brewed, hand-made chai, started with the organic ingredients in the year 2008 and has not employed any artificial flavors. The brand has more than 250 stores in 60 cities and it functions in a number of formats, including kiosks, carts, retail stores, and mobile kiosks.

Their design is modular and therefore flexible in their design set up which makes them suitable in malls, highways and in high traffic sites. The quality and affordability of Chai Garam put them at the best position in India as the Best Tea Franchise to affordable investors.

• Investment Needed: ₹10-20 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹3.5 lakhs, 4% royalty; ROI in 15-20 months
• Link: https://www.franchiseindia.com/brands/chai-garam.36959 

5. Chai Thela

Chai Thela is a company that was established by Pankaj Judge in the year 2015 with the aim of bringing the street-side atmosphere of chai to hygienic and modern restaurants. With more than 40 locations located in 10 states, the company is targeted at offering consistently produced varieties of homemade chai in a healthy form as one of their essential core values.

Their model of kiosk requires minimum space (150-300 sq. ft.) and investment since it is oriented on educational institutions and tech parks, so it is an ideal choice of the first-time entrepreneur who wants to have the Best Tea Franchise in India.

• Investment Needed: ₹2-4 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹1-2 lakhs, 5-7% royalty; ROI in 10-15 months
• Link: https://chaithela.com/  

6. Tea Post

Tea Post provides a no-frills sit-down-in-your-pj-chai experience, at a reasonable price, and it is rapidly becoming popular in non-metropolitan neighborhoods. His franchise model is easy and economical to operate which needs less investment and gives constant quality.

Using the takeaway and quick-service models, Tea post targets busy professionals and students who desire to replenish their systems with almost traditional chai. They are available to small-town entrepreneurs due to their simplicity and reduced cost of setting up.

• Investment Needed: ₹3-6 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹1.5-2 lakhs; ROI in 12-18 months
• Link: https://teapost.in/franchisee/ 

7. Tea Time

Tea Time is a phenomenally growing company that has 3,800+ stores in India and Nepal and was founded in 2017 in Hyderabad by Deepak Salagundla. The brand has 15+ different types of tea such as Assam chai, green tea, ginger tea and coolers with a price of 30-10 per cup.

Their volume model is geared towards high footfall areas that have low space demand (100 sq. ft.). Tea Time franchise has the best profit margin of 4080 percent and payback period of 510 months thereby earning it the title of the best Tea Franchise in India to make fast returns.

• Investment Needed: ₹4.5-6 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹50,000-75,000; ROI in 5-10 months
• Link: https://www.teatimegroup.in 

8. Chai Wala (MBA Chai Wala)

MBA Chai Wala, which began with only 8000 dollars in 2017 by Prafull Billore, was a great motivation to other young entrepreneurs. It has more than 150 outlets that serve different flavors of chai such as regular chai, chocolate chai, elaichi chai, masala chai and tulsi chai.

Investors have selection on the location and budget with three franchise models, Dine-In (150 sq. ft.), Lounge (1,500+ sq. ft.), and Highway (5,000-8,000 sq. ft). The youthfulness of the brand and motivation process that Prafull goes through appeals to the potential entrepreneurs.

• Investment Needed: ₹10-25 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹5 lakhs, 6% royalty; ROI in 18-24 months
• Link: https://www.mbaichaiwala.com 

9. Tea Leaf

Tea Leaf will brand itself as a high-end tea shop with a wide range of international and Indian varieties of tea. The brand aims at experiencing a refined tea-drinking experience and has specially selected menus, such as special blends, herbal teas and snacks.

Their locations are furnished with modern looks and decorations that attract tea lovers and consumers with health needs. Tea Leaf focus on quality rather than quantity brings on board a quality, discerning clientele that is willing to pay high premiums.

• Investment Needed: ₹15-25 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹4-6 lakhs; ROI in 20-24 months
• Link: https://coffeebean.in/pages/franchising?srsltid=AfmBOopV3LBMxqWJEdvcyy5aB61gM5QoltEFDiSKPOzA8ly8zcgd2YlS 

10. Chai Calling

Chai Calling was established by Pramit Sharma along with Abhinav Tandon in 2015 as a small thela and currently boasts of 110+ stores in India. They have a tagline, Chalo Chai Ho Jaye, a personification of the chai loving Indian people.

The brand has an array of selections including desi kadak chai in earthen kulhads until English and flower teas. Chai Calling offers excellent tea services worldwide at reasonable rates and with full-time support services that include planning of the kitchen, suppliers and training of the staff- making it a Best Tea Franchise in India to offer full-time assistance.

• Investment Needed: ₹2-6 lakhs
• Fees & ROI: Franchise fee ₹1-2 lakhs; ROI in 12-15 months
• Link: https://chaicalling.com 

What You Need to Start a Tea Franchise in India

• Financial Capability: The total investment plus 6 months working capital in the form of liquid capital.
• Appropriate Location: 100-1,500 sq. ft. of space in highly trafficked places (colleges, offices, highways, markets)
• Essential Facilities: Water supply, electricity system, good ventilation.
• Business Mindset: Adherence to brand SOPs quality standards.
• Legal Requirement: Aadhaar, PAN, address proof, GST registration, bank account.
• Licenses: FSSAI license, trade license, fire safety certificate.
• Manpower: 2-4 employees depending on the size of the outlet.
• Service eagerness: Eagerness in customer satisfaction and hospitality.

Choosing the Right Tea Franchise for Your Budget

• Less than 5 Lakhs: Think about Chai Thela, Tea Post, or Chai Calling and few investments and good returns.
• 5-10 Lakhs: Tea Time, MBA Chai Wala (Dine-In business model) or Chai Garam are balanced in terms of risk-reward.
• ₹10-20 Lakhs: Chai Sutta Bar, Tea Leaf or a high-end Chai Garam format will offer established brands.
• 20-50 Lakhs: Full brand power is possible with Chai Point, Chaayos, or MBA Chai Wala (Lounge/Highway).
• Location Analysis: Match investment to footfall potential- more budgets are required in the metros.
• Competition Evaluation: Find out and identify the available tea shops in your target location.
• Support Evaluation Some training, marketing, and operational support is provided.
• Scalability Potential: Select those franchises that can be enjoyed as a multi unit in the future.

Conclusion

The Indian tea franchise business is on a dynamic junction whereby tradition clashes with business enterprise. As we have discussed, the deliberately awarded Best Tea Franchise in India does not have to be the most expensive one: it must be the one that fits you superbly in terms of your budget, location, and business objectives. Just like there is a franchise plan to the out there aspiring entrepreneur, there is a premium brand such as Chai point and Chaayos, and there is also a budget air such as Tea Time and Chai Thela. 

The justifications of the industry are rock-solid: universal demand, high margins, rapid payback and scalability. The current projected growth of the organized tea market is likely to go exponentially, so 2025: unexplored avenues.

Be it your first-time entrepreneurial venture or a seasoned business person, investing in a tea franchise can give rise to a great success way beyond what you have envisaged. It is important to keep in mind that the ingredients of success in this scent business are careful research, place choice, and devotion to quality.

FAQs

What is the minimum investment required for a tea franchise in India?

Small kiosk models such as Chai Thela will cost the entrepreneur ₹2-4 lakhs as minimum investment, whereas a premium brand such as Chai point will come with ₹25-50 lakhs minimum investment depending on the location and size of the outlets.

How much profit can I expect from a tea franchise? 

The margins of profits that are offered by tea franchises usually range between 30-50%. The monthly profits vary between ₹40,000-3,00,000 according to location, footfall, and brand. Majority of the franchises break even in 12-24 months.

Do I need prior experience to start a tea franchise? 

There need be no previous experience. The majority of franchises are included in extensive training which includes instructions on their operations, quality management, customer satisfaction, and inventory management and, therefore, it is well-suited even to first-time entrepreneurs.

What is the ideal location for a tea franchise? 

Good locations would be high-traffic places around college campuses, offices, IT parks, highways, Metro stations, hospitals and shopping malls. Good visibility, accessibility, and parking space are very important success factors.

Which is the Best Tea Franchise in India 2025? 

The Best Tea Franchise in India will rely on your budget and objectives. Chai Sutta Bar has the best ROI 108% at an investment of ₹16-25 lakh rupees, Tea Time has the best payback period (5-10 months) and Chai Point has the best positioning at ₹25-50 lakh.