Korean Founder Turned ₹5 Lakh Into a ₹3.8-Crore-a-Month Tea Brand

Got Tea founder EO Yu Sung reports monthly revenue of roughly ₹3.8 crore — equivalent to about ₹45 crore a year — from a business he started in a South Delhi rented room with less than ₹5 lakh, a few refrigerators and a sealing machine.

The Korean entrepreneur told Asian Community News (ACN) Network that he projects annual revenue of around ₹60 crore by the end of the financial year and wants to approach ₹100 crore the following year. That target implies near-doubling growth, and Yu Sung himself concedes the pace depends on fixing operations first. The company has temporarily slowed new-store openings to address operational challenges, review underperforming outlets and improve processes.

How did a bubble tea brand start with ₹5 lakh?

The first operating space sat inside a friend's restaurant in Safdarjung Enclave, South Delhi, at a monthly rent of about ₹15,000. The founders handled product development, sourcing, customer service and daily operations themselves. That austerity was not a choice but a constraint: initial capital was under ₹5 lakh, roughly the price of a mid-range car in India.

None of the original founders came from food and beverage. Yu Sung worked in human resources in Pohang, South Korea, for about two and a half years. One co-founder had a coding and technology background in the United States; another had done wedding photography and videography before taking operational duties. Their common asset was friendship formed at Woodstock School in India.

The founders tested their concept at events at Gargi College and Sunder Nursery in December 2019, selling just four drinks: Strawberry Blossom, Matcha, Caramel Brown and an orange-based refresher. The business formally took shape around November 2020.

Where does the name Got Tea come from?

Yu Sung drew inspiration from the gat, the traditional Korean hat worn during the Joseon Dynasty and featured in the Netflix historical series Kingdom. The name evolved into Got Tea, which the founders considered contemporary and memorable.

The brand sources Assam tea directly from India, imports matcha from Japan and tapioca pearls from Taiwan, and buys fruits and most other ingredients locally. Yu Sung adjusted recipes after recognising that Indian consumers often preferred stronger flavours than traditional Japanese and Korean preparations. The menu also includes Korean-inspired food such as sogeum-ppang, the Korean salt bread known as shio pan in Japan, made with locally sourced flour.

What did the Blue Tokai deal change?

In 2023, Got Tea joined forces with Blue Tokai, India's specialty coffee company. Yu Sung said Blue Tokai's operating network of approximately 250 outlets offered infrastructure and expertise that Got Tea could not have built independently. The partnership also gave Yu Sung a role in new-product development for Blue Tokai.

The two brands serve different customers: Got Tea targets Generation Z, particularly 18-to-26-year-olds drawn to international flavours and digital trends, while Blue Tokai appeals to a relatively older coffee audience. Yu Sung described the deal as a strategic choice of long-term growth over complete independence. What he did not disclose is the deal's financial structure — the terms remain private.

Is ₹100 crore realistic?

Yu Sung has watched bubble tea markets evolve in East Asia and argues that businesses built on a single fashionable category face trouble over time. He wants Got Tea to become a broader beverage company, not a bubble tea label. The long-term vision exceeds 100 outlets, though he stressed that expansion must rest on strong operational systems rather than store counts for their own sake.

What did the founder say about doing business in India?

Yu Sung spent school years in India, left in 2011, studied in New York, completed compulsory military service in South Korea and graduated from New York University. A January 2019 visit — including Gurugram's transformed Cyber Hub — prompted his return. He began researching the Indian market by April 2019.

He cautioned that Korean entrepreneurs cannot transplant their working methods to India and expect identical results. Processes, timelines and operational practices differ considerably, he said, and managing expectations and emotional balance is essential. He credits India's digital payment ecosystem through UPI and rapid-delivery services such as Blinkit as genuine strengths.

The first three years were the hardest, with limited resources and uncertain progress, he recalled. He rejects solo-founder mythology outright: "You cannot build a business by yourself," Yu Sung emphasised, stressing relationships and teamwork.

Whether Got Tea hits ₹100 crore next financial year or not, the company has already shown the model works: a five-figure monthly rent, a sealing machine and borrowed kitchen space produced a brand now feeding off a 250-outlet network. The open question is whether disciplined operations can keep pace with the revenue ambition.