Sixteen years ago, V Ramalingaraju decided that enough milk had been spilt, literally. Having to throw away the leftover milk from his daily deliveries was such a waste — it broke his heart to see all that dairy go down the drain. His solution? A tea stall. And Shree Mahalakshmi Milk Depot was born in 2002.

Today, the family-owned enterprise sells over 2,000 cups of tea every day. They open at 4 am and within 15 minutes, a crowd builds up. Hordes of early morning joggers from Anna Nagar Tower Park come to sip at tea and lemonade, as do IAS officers, MLAs, office-goers and auto drivers, from all over the city.

All-season favourite

“The demand never stops,” Ramalingaraju’s son V Purushothaman, current manager of the milk depot, smiles sheepishly. “Even in summer, the demand for hot tea and coffee is high.” Starting from the early morning crowds of retirees, to office-goers and students and the late evening crowds of families and friends, business is always bustling. But tea isn’t all Shree Mahalakshmi Milk Depot is known for. “In summers I drink cold buttermilk, and in winters I drink hot badam milk.” declares Khaja, a 42-year-old resident of Anna Nagar. Samosas, bajjis, bondas and vadas prepared in the attached kitchens complement the beverages.

Climbing the ladder

Mahalakshmi Milk Depot has evolved from a small, standing-space-only roadside stall to a full fledged cafe. It owes its popularity solely to word of mouth. They do not invest in advertising or marketing, relying instead on the loyalty of their regular customers to spread the word.

“We don’t use packaged milk,” Purushothaman assures. “We source raw, organic milk from the villages of Thiruvallur and Arakkonam, bringing it to town on the Villivakkam train at noon and midnight every day.”

Despite stocking about 700-1,000 litres daily, the men close shop by 8 pm because they run out of milk.

“It’s a story of rags to riches,” declares Radhakrishnan, a long-time friend of the owner. “[Ramalingaraju] used to drive around on his little motorbike, distributing milk, and now he’s a successful businessman!”

Beyond economy

Shree Mahalakshmi Milk Depot has managed to hold its prices over the years — a cup of tea today costs the same as it did in 2013; GST, demonetisation and inflation rates doing nothing to dent their business.

Purushothaman is an ambitious owner, wanting to expand business across Anna Nagar.

The older man, however, remains reluctant. “Who will make sure that the tea tastes good in the other branches?” Quality, to Ramalingaraju, is of prime importance, more so than profits.

“But what do I know? I am getting old,” he says with a toothy grin. “My sons will take care of the business now.”