A hot cup of freshly brewed aromatic Ginger Chai can just make everything seem better. And it’s not just we desis who feel this. Brook Eddy, an American woman fell for the humble chai on her very first visit to India. She not only quit her job to sell chai but also made an empire out of it, earning ₹200 Crores. What can we say, Chai does these things to you, and there is no looking back, once you have your first sip of the iconic Indian beverage.
It All Started With Her Visit To India
Back in 2002, Brook Eddy visited India to join a social justice movement based on Bhakti. It was during this trip that she visited villages across Western India and had her first chai experience. She instantly fell in love with drink and also realised that no two cups of chai taste the time. The ingredients and flavours differed from region to region in the country. When she went back to Boulder, Colorado and yearned for an authentic cup of chai. But to her disappointment, she couldn’t find an authentic cup of chai in local cafes. So Brook Eddy decided to brew her own version of Chai and she called it Bhakti Chai.
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What started as a humble brewed chai at the back of her car, soon transformed into jars of chai in 2007. It gained attention among her friends and neighbours. So she quit her job and built her own tea empire, Bhakti Chai. In 2008, she got her first round of investment, which helped her to purchase a ginger press, hire two full-time brewers and focus on sale and infrastructure. The single mother of twins realised that the recipe for ginger chai which she had craft herself, could be produced for retailers and cafes. She could bring people not only ‘India in a cup’ but also build a mission-driven company on the foundation of bhakti.
She Wants To Transform Chai Into A Lifestyle Brand
Brook Eddy exclaims about her connection to India. She states that she is white girl born to hippie parents in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, raised in Michigan. And even though it doesn’t make much sense for her to have a strong connection with India, she just loves the chaos and vibrancy of the country. And every time she visits India she is always introduced to something new. She has captured the flavours of India in her little jar of chai, which has won hearts in the USA. And this is evident by her Bhakti Chai revenue of USD 35 million (Rs 2,27,86,75,000). She has also been one of the top 5 finalists in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 2014. When it comes to chai, did you know Tea Drinkers Have Healthier Brains?
When it comes to her Bhakti Chai, one can get a variety of chai and chai based products including Green Chai Smoothie, Chocolate Chai Energy Bites, Chocolate Chai Truffle and Adaptogen Chai Latte to name a few. But the determined entrepreneur doesn’t just want to stop at chai. She wants to transform it from a drink line to a lifestyle brand. Bhakti Chai has been donating to organizations which are making a difference in global communities. It has even launched a social giving platform called Gita Giving to connect with Bhakti fans all over the world, sharing inspiring projects with them. Brook Eddy hopes to someday expand Bhakti Chai to sell sauces, chutney, snacks, food or transform it into a brick and mortar concept exuberating the pulse and vibration of India. She wants this to be the legacy. For now, all we can hum is Ek Garam Chai Ki Pyali Ho!
To know more about Bhakti Chai click here