Tea Planet› Our Story
India's first bubble tea manufacturer · Est. 2011

From a New York
basement to
Hyderabad's
factory floor.

A bootstrapped story of two friends, a tea dream, and over a decade of building something that India had never seen before.

The Tea Planet manufacturing facility, Hyderabad
2007
The idea begins
New York City
2011
Ganadinni Fine Foods
established, Hyderabad
2019
India's first in-house
boba manufacturer
100+
Active partners
across India & exports
Srinivas Ganadinni — Founder, The Tea Planet
Chapter 01 · December 2007
New York

It started with a
chat and a cup of tea.

In December 2007, Srinivas Ganadinni was pursuing his MBA in New York, working part-time in IT consulting as a technical recruiter and soft-skills trainer. He met Mark Goonasekera — a Sri Lankan from a neighbouring university — and over a casual conversation, they discovered a shared idea.

What if they brought high-quality Ceylon tea to the American market? The idea was simple. The execution, less so.

"We started in a small basement apartment in New York. We launched Hiranne Inc. with our Ceylon tea brand — TE Light USA — and within a short time, our teas found their way into chain stores, specialty shops, organic markets and Whole Foods across the US."

It was the beginning of everything.

The Tea Planet founders during early expansion years
Chapter 02 · 2010–2015
Sri Lanka · India

From trading to
formulation.

As US operations grew, managing offshore suppliers became a challenge. By 2010, Mark relocated to Sri Lanka to support quality and consistency. Meanwhile, Srinivas was planning the next move.

In February 2011, Srinivas and his wife Madhuri Ganadinni established Ganadinni Fine Foods Impex Pvt. Ltd. in Hyderabad — a logical base for a company now working directly with the best tea plantations in India and Sri Lanka.

The years that followed were deep learning. Global trade exhibitions across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Direct plantation relationships in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. A growing expertise in sensory science, multi-origin sourcing and flavour formulation.

They were no longer traders. They were becoming manufacturers.

Srinivas and Madhuri Ganadinni, founders of The Tea Planet
Chapter 03 · 2016
The Tea Planet is born

From exporter
to brand builder.

By 2016, after nearly a decade of exploration, Srinivas saw an opportunity emerging: India's growing appetite for innovative beverages. The café culture was young, bubble tea was virtually unknown, and there was no Indian manufacturer of boba ingredients.

The Tea Planet was launched — with a clear mission: to make world-class beverages accessible, exciting and Indian at heart. From classic teas to experimental blends, bubble teas, milkshakes and café syrups, the brand set out to craft drinks that speak to every generation and every taste.

The Tea Planet trademark was registered. The brand's identity was set. Everything India drank at a café counter was about to change.
The Tea Planet in-house manufacturing facility, Hyderabad
Chapter 04 · 2019
India's first

The moment that
changed everything.

In 2019, The Tea Planet became India's first in-house boba ingredient manufacturer. Not an importer. Not a reseller. A manufacturer — with dedicated production lines for popping boba, tapioca pearls, premix blending, syrups and more, all under one roof in Hyderabad.

Before this, every boba ingredient sold in India came from abroad. Import duties, currency risk, 6-week lead times, zero local support. The Tea Planet changed all of that.

Today the facility runs 8 dedicated production lines. FSSC 22000 certified. HALAL certified. FSSAI, APEDA, FDA registered. Tea Board and Coffee Board India registered. Full batch traceability through Odoo ERP. 7-day standard dispatch. Pan-India delivery. Export to Maldives and Mauritius.

Srinivas and Madhuri Ganadinni — Founders of The Tea Planet, Ganadinni Fine Foods Impex Pvt. Ltd.
A note from the founders

Building the future
of food & beverage.

At Ganadinni Fine Foods, we are building modern food and beverage products rooted in tradition, engineered for scale, and designed for global markets. We are on a mission to transform heritage categories — tea, coffee, dairy-based drinks — into structured, scalable, internationally relevant product systems.

We remain deeply connected to our roots. Indian ingredients, regional recipes, Ayurvedic wisdom and traditional processing methods are not trends for us. They are foundations. We elevate them using modern food science, quality systems and global compliance standards.

"Every product reflects our philosophy: quality ingredients, scalable production, and creative presentation. We look forward to building that future together."
Srinivas & Madhuri Ganadinni Founders · Ganadinni Fine Foods Impex Pvt. Ltd. · Est. 2011 · Hyderabad
Our journey

Over a decade of building
India's beverage industry.

2007

The beginning — New York basement, a tea dream

Srinivas Ganadinni meets Mark Goonasekera at a university in New York. Over chai, they plan Hiranne Inc. — importing Ceylon tea under the brand TE Light USA. Within months their teas are in chain stores, organic markets and Whole Foods across the US.

New York · Hiranne Inc.
2010

Mark relocates to Sri Lanka — operations expand

Managing offshore suppliers from New York becomes unsustainable. Mark moves to Sri Lanka to ensure quality and consistency. Srinivas starts planning the India chapter.

Sri Lanka operations
2011

Foundation — Ganadinni Fine Foods Impex Pvt. Ltd.

Srinivas and Madhuri Ganadinni establish the company in Hyderabad. India and Sri Lanka are the world's leading tea-growing nations — this is the logical base for a serious beverage company. Direct plantation relationships begin across Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka.

Est. Hyderabad · Feb 2011
2013–15

From trading to formulation — deep expertise years

Global trade exhibitions across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Learning sensory science, multi-origin sourcing and product customisation. The company transforms from a tea trader into a flavour formulator.

Global trade exposure
2016

The Tea Planet launches — B2B to brand

After nearly a decade, Srinivas sees the opportunity: India's growing café culture, and zero local manufacturers of innovative beverage ingredients. The Tea Planet trademark is registered. The brand launches with a mission to make world-class beverages Indian at heart.

The Tea Planet brand
2019

India's first — in-house boba manufacturer

The Tea Planet becomes India's first in-house boba ingredient manufacturer. Dedicated production lines for popping boba, tapioca pearls, premix blending, syrups and more — all under one roof in Hyderabad. Every ingredient that was imported is now made in India.

India's first · In-house manufacturing
2023

Global reach — exports, certifications, a growing partner base

FSSC 22000 and HALAL certification achieved. APEDA export registration. Currently exporting to Maldives and Mauritius. A growing base of café, QSR, distributor and industrial partners across India. The product range spans three full segments.

FSSC 22000 · HALAL · APEDA · pan-India partners
2025–

Next chapter — scaling with intention

New world-class facility in Hyderabad underway. Building adaptive flavour systems for health, sustainability and personalisation. Growing the partner ecosystem with deeper mentorship, recipe libraries and ongoing support infrastructure.

Building · Next phase
Our philosophy

Three pillars of
everything we build.

🌿

Rooted in tradition

Indian chai, orthodox teas, boba innovations — every category we develop follows one principle: authentic at heart, precise in execution. We elevate heritage using modern food science and global compliance standards.

⚙️

Engineered for scale

Multiple production lines. FSSC 22000. Odoo ERP traceability. 7-day dispatch. Everything in our operation is built to scale with our partners — from a single café counter to a national chain rollout.

🌍

Designed for global markets

FDA registered. APEDA certified. Currently exporting to Maldives and Mauritius. Our products and compliance infrastructure are built for Indian operators who think beyond borders.

🤝

Bootstrapped and accountable

No external funding. No franchise fee. Every decision made by founders who are still in the building. When you call, you reach someone who knows your account. That's not a promise — it's just how we operate.

Srinivas and Madhuri Ganadinni — founders of The Tea Planet
The Tea Planet bubble tea cup
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