Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mahsa Darabi . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mahsa , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always reached for chai or chaii (Persian tea) when I want a cup of comfort. During the pandemic, I found myself wanting chai with more depth and flavor, but without jittery caffeine. For two years, I played around with my homemade blend. At night, my husband and I would go on walks, sipping each new batch, exchanging notes. It became our ritual, our way of coming back to each other over and over again.

When I found the blend we loved most, I started sharing it with loved ones. And when I visited one of my favorite places on earth, Breitenbush Hot Springs, I gave small batches as thank you gifts to the staff who worked around the clock rebuilding a place that almost burnt to ashes in the wildfires. When they asked me to make a large batch to sell in the gift shop, I was giddy. Nothing makes me happier than nourishing others. And this is how Moody Chai was born.

Every warm cup shared sparked another, demand exploded, and soon, our cozy kitchen overflowed. Keeping up became a delicious struggle. We knew it was time to graduate from whisk to industrial mixer, and embrace a plan worthy of this chai revolution. Growth brought challenges, though. “Moody Chai” became unavailable, and your passionate voices echoed concerns about sustainability. So, listen closely, because a transformation has been in the works for the past year.

When it came to choosing a new name, I wrestled with several options. Then, in a moment of clarity, my husband suggested “Mahsa Chai” – after me, the one who nurtured this dream. The name resonated deeply. On a global stage, “Mahsa” had become synonymous with the fight for Woman, Life, Freedom – principles that resonate with my soul. Mahsa Chai became more than just a name; it became a symbol of empowerment, reminding us that all people deserve access to nourishment and freedom.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Before creating MAHSA Chai, I was a private chef for 18 years and hosted private and corporate events along with wellness retreats that were centered around nourishment and breaking bread while breaking barriers. I have always believed that sharing food and rituals that sustain us is the best way to connect to strangers and loved ones alike.

Bio:

Mahsa Darabi is passionate about discovering, creating, and sharing greater ease, pleasure, and nourishment in and out of the kitchen. For Mahsa, The Moody Persian is about community, making authentic connections where people’s whole selves feel at home.

Growing up in Lake Oswego, Oregon as a gangly immigrant girl from Iran, Mahsa’s journey to self-acceptance is a hard-earned gift she believes is paying forward.

“I felt uprooted from everything I knew. Over and over again when I need it most, I return home through flavor, ritual, and nourishment. Home isn’t always defined by a geographical location. Home is a grounded state of mind, a centering sparked by spices and ingredients that reconnect me to home, to myself, offering comfort, ease, and wholeness.”

Mahsa has enjoyed an enduring career as a commercial model and actor for over 20 years and has also worked as a private chef and real estate agent.

In her most recent passion project, Mahsa is director, executive producer, and host of the short documentary film MAHSA (or, the Girl That Ate Her Way Home). Investing in a subject dear to her heart, the film posits that when the world bewilders us, we can find clarity and communion through sharing what we eat–and our authentic selves–with one another.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

One of the things I’m most proud of is creating The Moody Persian community via Instagram from scratch. I started the account in 2020 when so many of us were feeling isolated and starving for connection. I took some online classes on “how to grow your Instagram following” which had a lot of emphasis on having scheduled content, curating your page a specific way, and being really strategic in how you show up. To be honest, all of that turned me off.

I chose instead to tap into what I know best and that is to show up exactly how I am. My content was sparked by the moment and what was speaking to me (which ended up resonating with many others). By showing up as the imperfect and passionate person that I am, I was able to build an incredibly engaged audience who feels like family. They are my biggest cheerleaders and a huge reason why MAHSA Chai has gained the success it has in such a short time. Word of mouth is still the most powerful marketing tool in my opinion. If you connect with others on a very human level, they will be in your corner no matter what.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Engaging with my clients regularly has been instrumental to growing our brand and assuring customer retention. I do this by engaging with our online customers via Instagram messaging, making sure I am personally available to answer their questions. And I can’t stress enough how powerful face-to-face connections have been with our wholesale partners. Humans need belonging and connection above all else and once we tap into this, incredible growth happens!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mahsachai.com
• Instagram: @mahsa_chai + @themoodypersian
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mahsachaipage
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahsadarabi/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISUZ-fDWhag

Image Credits
Yvanna Ramos https://www.instagram.com/yvanna.ramos/ Awar Meman https://www.instagram.com/pdxphotographer/