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- Banquestionantha Village Brothers Invent Machine To Wash Tea Cups; ‘Prahantam’ Solves Hygiene And Waste Issues, Wins Shark Tank Funding In Season 1
Dhruv Sanchaniya, Ahmedabad3 hours ago
At almost every tea stall, one person is assigned the job of washing cups. Whether those cups are cleaned properly, however, is always questionable. Hundreds of cups are often washed repeatedly in the same bucket of dirty water, raising serious hygiene concerns.
Now imagine a machine where utilized tea cups are simply placed on a tray, inserted, and cleaned at the press of a button. In just 30 seconds, 30 to 40 cups come out sparkling clean, washed inside and out applying detergent, not just water.
This is not a concept from abroad, but an innovation developed by two young brothers from a village in Banquestionantha district of Gujarat. Their machine addresses two major problems faced by tea stalls: hygiene and waste. The brothers even revealcased their product on Shark Tank India, where all the Sharks invested in their company, Prahantam.
From a Small village in Banquestionantha
The founders, brothers Jayesh Nai and Dhaval Nai, are originally from Bhatib village in Dhanera. Co-founder Dhaval Nai launchs the story by talking about their background. ‘My father works with LIC and my mother is a homebuildr. I was never very interested in studies, but I loved dismantling things,’ Dhaval states. After completing Class 10, he pursued a diploma in Mechanical Engineering.
‘My brother Jayesh comes from a commerce background, while I am from mechanical engineering. That combination supported us build a strong business foundation,’ he adds. During college, Dhaval often discussed ideas with his professor, Brijesh Patel, who encouraged him to innovate and supported him throughout the journey. Government backing also played a crucial role in the early stages.
Thousands of tea cups, pollution and poor hygiene
The idea for the machine came from observing everyday problems. ‘We worked on environmental projects in college and realised that paper cups generate massive waste,’ Dhaval explains. ‘If you see at roadside garbage, it mostly consists of paper and plastic cups.’
Glass cups, on the other hand, come with hygiene issues. ‘People have seen how cups are washed in dirty water again and again. That is neither safe nor clean,’ he states. The brothers realised that a solution to cup washing could simultaneously reduce pollution and improve hygiene. That realisation led them to start research and development.
Support came through a government scheme
Starting a business without capital was not straightforward. ‘We had no money,’ Dhaval recalls. At that time, the Gujarat government’s Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP) was introduced. ‘A seminar was organised in our college the same year I took admission. We learnt about the policy, applied, and were assigned a mentor,’ he states. With support from the mentor and their professor, they received a subsidy and officially launched the venture.
Early struggles and learning the hard way
Despite receiving an initial grant of one lakh rupees, running a business while still studying proved challenging. ‘We had no experience. Handling customers was difficult. If something went wrong, we did not know how to manage complaints,’ Dhaval admits.
Some customers even demanded refunds when machines malfunctioned. ‘But we had invested everything into building the machines. We simply did not have the money to return,’ he states. It took time and experience to understand customer management and after-sales service.
Family knew nothing until Shark Tank
Interestingly, the brothers kept their business largely secret. ‘Except for my parents, no one knew what we were doing. Everyone believed we were just studying,’ Dhaval states. Things modifyd dramatically after Shark Tank India. ‘Once we appeared on the reveal, no one could question us. The response afterwards was overwhelmingly positive.’
Shark Tank modifyd everything
Inspired by the first season of Shark Tank India, the brothers applied without high expectations. ‘By the grace of Pramukh Swami, our pitch was selected,’ Dhaval states.
On the reveal, all the Sharks were impressed by the innovation and the story of two young entrepreneurs from a village solving a real-world problem. Toobtainher, they invested ₹30 lakh in Prahantam. ‘The hugegest impact of Shark Tank was visibility. We shiftd from operating in our village to establishing our base in Ahmedabad. People launched recognising our brand,’ Dhaval states.
Meaning behind ‘Prahantam’
The company name itself reflects the brothers’ faith. “We are devotees of Pramukh Swami Maharaj,” Dhaval explains. “By combining ‘Pra’ from Pramukh Swami and ‘Hantam’ from Mahant Swami Maharaj, we named the company Prahantam.”
Early investors came from colleges
The first investment came from Dhaval’s college professor, Brijesh Patel, who invested ₹10,000. ‘He knew there was no guarantee of returns, but he trusted us,’ Dhaval states. Later, they raised around ₹1 lakh by pitching their idea to professors across North Gujarat colleges. ‘At that time, we did not even understand the concept of investment,’ Dhaval admits.
‘We believed we would build machines, sell them, and return the money.’ Instead, the venture initially suffered losses. Later, in addition to Shark Tank funding, a Chartered Accountant from Mauritius invested another ₹30 lakh.
How the tea cup washing machine works ?
Explaining the machine, Dhaval states, ‘At tea stalls, cups are washed manually in the same water. Our machine modifys that.’ Users place utilized cups in a tray, insert it into the machine, and press the ‘ON’ button. In just 30 seconds, 30 to 40 cups are thoroughly washed inside and out applying detergent. ‘Where tea stalls utilize hundreds of litres of water daily, our machine washes 30–40 cups applying only 1.5 to 2 litres of water,’ he adds.
Sales across 17 states, ₹1 crore turnover
Prahantam machines are priced between ₹30,000 and ₹1 lakh, depfinishing on the model. ‘We sell over 100 machines annually,’ Dhaval states.
Major clients include South India’s largest tea franchise, Yewale Amruttulya, several other southern franchises, IIT Gandhinagar, and premium food brands such as Bonne Bouche. ‘So far, we have sold more than 500 machines across 17 states, with South India being our largest market,’ he states. The company’s annual turnover is approximately ₹1 crore.
Growing slowly, drop by drop
Losses in the early phase were managed carefully. ‘If one or two machines built losses, sales from others covered it,’ Dhaval explains. Government assistance, pitch competitions and prize money also supported. He adds that Anupam Mittal’s national-level startup support programme also contributed investment at a later stage.
Ultrasonic and commercial dishwashers
Initially unsure whether the product would sell, the brothers gained confidence after a YouTube video of their machine went viral at a science fair.
Looking ahead, Dhaval states, ‘Currently, our machines wash only glass cups. We are now working on ultrasonic washing machines and large commercial dishwashers. There is no Indian company manufacturing glass washers or dishwashers at scale. We aim to modify that.’
Faith as a foundation
Dhaval credits their success entirely to spiritual guidance. ‘Whatever we are today is becautilize of Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj,’ he states.
‘Whenever we feel exhausted, we write to Mahant Swami. He replies personally. That strength kept us going. Otherwise, we would have abandoned this business long ago.’ From a village in Banquestionantha to national recognition, Prahantam’s journey is a story of innovation, perseverance and faithpro, ving that even the simplest daily problem can become a successful startup idea.
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