Tea and coffee prices increase in Chennai from September 1

Chennai’s tea and coffee lovers will now have to pay more for their favourite beverages. Starting September 1, a glass of tea costs Rs 12 while the price of coffee has jumped to Rs 20, as local tea shops struggle with rising costs.

The Chennai Metropolitan Tea Shop Owners Association announced the hike, citing increases in rent, electricity bills, milk, and tea coffee powder prices. The last revision of prices was in 2022, but expenses have surged since then.

Currently, Chennai has around 6,000 licensed tea shops and nearly 4,000 unlicensed ones. Many are shutting down under financial strain and growing competition from cafés and chain outlets.

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Price hike reasons

Suresh Kumar, a tea shop owner, said, “In the past two days, we got a message in our tea association WhatsApp group saying that tea should be sold for Rs 12 and coffee for Rs 20. But I’m unable to follow that right now because business is very dull. On top of that, it’s very difficult to even get workers these days.”

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John Bitro, another shop owner, explained, “The current situation has forced us to increase prices. Shortage of labour and rising cost of commodities — these are the two main reasons.”

The association stressed that this price hike was unavoidable.

“From cooking gas and sugar to milk and labour wages, everything has become more expensive,” they said.

Consumers feel the pinch

Local tea lovers feel the pinch. Chef Raja noted, “They say Tamil Nadu is self-sufficient in milk production and other resources. But nowadays, the price of everything is going up. Tea prices are increasing because milk and tea powder costs have risen, taxes are higher, and shop rents are up — and we too have to raise prices. Middle-class folks like us are badly affected.”

Puthu Muthu added, “I drink around 15 cups of tea a day. As a middle-class person, if tea and coffee prices rise to Rs 15 and Rs 20, it will affect us a lot.”

Also Read: 1-2 cups of black coffee daily may cut death risk by 14 pc, says study

Another consumer remarked, “We do all our work at night. When we leave the house after breakfast, we only get tea in the afternoon. This sudden increase to Rs 15 will not only affect me but also many people like us. It will affect everyone.”

With essentials steadily becoming more expensive, Chennai’s common man may have to brace for further price shocks.

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