17-06-2025
'Not entered any collaboration with Dolly Chaiwala': Starbucks India clarifies as ‘meme' goes viral — check full post
Starbucks India-Dolly Chaiwala: Dismissing viral social media posts, Starbucks India has clarified that it does not have any official brand ambassadors — and that there has been 'no collaboration' between the brand and Dolly Chaiwala.
'A meme, created independently by a third party, appears to have been misconstrued as a formal campaign,' Tata Starbucks said in its statement.
Speculations of Dolly Chaiwala being appointed as Tata Starbucks brand ambassador were on the rise after multiple social media posts — portraying Dolly Chaiwala as the ambassador of the multinational chain of coffeehouses — were doing the rounds, with some of them even going viral. One of the social media posts about Dolly Chaiwala and Starbucks India
Unless you were living under a rock, or were completely detached from social media, you might have come across a viral image of Dolly Chaiwala and his tea stall.
Dolly Chaiwala is a tea vendor from Nagpur who gained global recognition – courtesy — his unique and theatrical chai-making style, which went viral on social media.
The Nagpur tea seller got everyone talking about him after former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates stopped by for a cup of his famous chai during a visit to India last year.
Refuting claims of Dolly Chaiwala being appointed as the Starbucks India brand ambassador, the multinational chain further wrote:
"Specifically, we have not entered any collaboration with Dolly Chaiwala. A meme, created independently by a third party, appears to have been misconstrued as a formal campaign. TATA Starbucks is committed to communicating with accuracy and authenticity and we value the trust of our customers and communities."
Tata Starbucks is a joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Consumer Products Limited (formerly Tata Global Beverages).
Starbucks entered the Indian market in October 2012 through the joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. Its first store opened in Mumbai, and since then, the coffee chain has expanded rapidly, now operating over 400 outlets across the country.
