Sanjith Konda House left college in the sixth semester to open a chai cafe in Melbourne. Check out his inspiring journey.
Sanjith Konda House, an 18-year-old Bengaluru kid, moved to Australia four years ago to pursue his Bachelor of Business Studies at La Trobe University’s Bundoora Campus in Melbourne. He cleaned dishes in the university canteen, worked night jobs at gas stations, was elected to seats on the students’ council, and eventually dropped out of college to launch ‘Dropout Chaiwala.’ With an investment of AUD 2 lakh, he opened his first store in Elizabeth Street in December in a 50-square-meter area (Rs 1.11 crore). Within a year, he had opened two more locations, including a chai truck, and had produced AUD 1 million (Rs 5.57 crore) in sales with 40 workers.
Sanjith’s parents pushed him to do things that children his age in India would not be permitted to do, and his father is a mechanical engineer who has worked for a Saudi Arabian oil business for 30 years. Sanjith’s mother is a homemaker, and he assisted her by going to the bank to update the passbook, paying the energy bill, doing some housework, and even collecting rent from a property his parents owned in Bengaluru. He earned around AUD 600 per week (Rs 33,000) working at gas stations and was elected Director of the Students Council in mid-2019.
Sanjith was elected General Secretary of the Students Union and received a monthly stipend of AUD 2000. (Rs. 1.1 lakh). While holding these posts, he was active in student activities and organised events and festivals.
He decided to drop out of college in his fifth semester and establish his own business. He discussed his concept with a buddy in Melbourne, Asar Ahmed Syed, and recruited two college seniors, Preetam Akula and Arun P. Singh. The initial location started with just five individuals, including Sanjith, and five different types of chai. Sales was slow for the first three months, but it soon picked up as more office workers and students began to visit the shop.
They started a mobile chai truck in Werribee in March, which will set up shop at university events, festivals, and weddings.
In August, they opened their third store on La Trobe Street, in a 275-square-meter space with 24 seats. Apoorva Singla, an Indian student doing her Masters in Australia, manages the operations at the Elizabeth shop. Dropout Chaiwala also serves light snacks including toast, cookies, bun maska, bun masala, and a variety of pastries.
Sanjith, 22, is content with his life and is encouraged to take half a day off every third Saturday to do Cross-fit, swim, climb, and other activities. His mother is now overjoyed with him.
