Enterprise: ABR Cafe & Bakers Pvt Ltd 
Chairman: Baburao Anumula
Industry: Food & Beverage
Year it was founded: 1991
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Authentic Irani chai and mouth-watering Osmania biscuits served with love have given Hyderabad’s Café Niloufer iconic status. For more than four decades the café has been drawing a loyal stream of patrons that relish the creamy, spicy, sweet tea and the freshly baked biscuits served here. What draws them here is not just the delectable food but also its genial owner Baburao Anumula, who has an interesting rag to riches story worthy of being made into a movie. 

Despite his meteoric rise, Baburao remains humble at heart and believes in giving back to the community. For the past 13 years, he has been feeding more than 100 needy people every day, most of them being family and patients at a nearby hospital.

In the run up to Independence Day we bring to you excerpts from an interview with the remarkable Baburao Anumula who shows us that we all have the freedom to dream big and to realise those dreams by the dint of our hard work.

Business journey

I belonged to a poor family in Adilabad District (Telangana). I came to Hyderabad in 1971 in search of work. After doing menial jobs for a few years, I got a job at Café Niloufer in 1975 as a table cleaner. In due course of time, I got promoted as a supervisor. In 1978, I got the opportunity to run the hotel and signed a contract with the owner. Thanks to the love of patrons, the business grew by leaps and bounds. And in 1991, I could make enough profit to purchase the property. 

In 2011, my son Shashank Anumula joined the business after completing his MBA. It is he who has helped take the business to new heights—he was instrumental in launching Classic Café with an extended menu and a high-end premium tea lounge. 

Business USP 

Authentic Niloufer chai and Osmania biscuits that have the same taste as 40 years before. All our products are freshly made with the highest quality ingredients like the maida and ghee used in our biscuits. Every hour, they go straight from our kitchen to the customers.

Milestones

Even though Café Niloufer had carved a niche for itself and amassed a loyal fan following since decades, we felt it was important to change with time. And take the business as well as the experience to the next level. We, therefore, launched the Classic Café in 2016 with a state-of-the-art kitchen, an extended menu and a separate dining section. 

In 2019, we introduced a premium tea lounge with international cuisines and mouth-watering delicacies. 

Most effective way of raising awareness 

Our quality speaks for itself and our customers are our brand advocates. However, we do have a good social footprint and our products are available online and on other marketplaces like Amazon and Swiggy.

Challenges

Our biggest challenge has been to expand without compromising on the taste, freshness and quality of the products. We are expanding our wings by going digital and leveraging online platforms to increase brand awareness and reach. We accomplish this by employing state-of-the-art automation, building a core team and achieving operational excellence.

We make sure that all our stakeholders are happy and satisfied. We understand our customer and employee needs and make sure they are met. 

Advice to new entrepreneurs

• Start small and understand the basic essence of the business.
• Focus on operational profitability; it matters more than the size of the business.
• Test the waters before taking it to the next level

Big business dream 

Our goal is to serve Niloufer tea to every Indian household. (Har ghar me Niloufer ki chai).

The person behind the entrepreneur

• The first thing I do when I wake up - I pray to the Almighty and make a plan for the day.
• Things I do to unwind - Spend time with my family and friends.
• When I face a big challenge - I think of all the possible solutions and take decisions which are in line with the ethics and values of our company.
• The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given - Always give your 100%. It doesn’t matter if you succeed right now; one fine day you will achieve it.
• The one book everyone should read - Ramayan

Also read: Invoking the questioning method of Socrates & Aristotle to transform businesses

Network with Baburao Anumula by clicking on the 'Connect' button on his profile.

Article source: STOrai Magazine

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