We were lucky to catch up with Kamini Mamdani recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kamini, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started CHAI.COM in my mom‘s kitchen here in Dallas back in 1997. In the 90’s, chai was being introduced in the United States as a sugary “chai tea” that did not reflect the chai we cherish and drink every day at home. And so we wanted to offer an authentic experience for how to make chai at home and to celebrate the ritual and meaning of sharing a cup of chai with others. We ran our online business for over a decade, and then I took a pause to raise my family. During Covid I noticed a keen interest for rituals like baking bread. That act of making something nourishing and sharing it with the people you love really got me to pivot from my professional career as an occupational therapist and re-introduce CHAI.COM. This time I wanted to make the process of making chai simpler, but still use our authentic family recipe with organic spices, be responsible to mother earth and have it be an economical and healthy option. I wanted a simply made, healthy alternative to the sugar laden “chai tea” typically served in coffee shops. I spent two years sourcing the ingredients to ensure that my families chai recipe was represented honestly in our products. And in November 2021 we relaunched CHAI.COM with a line of chai blends made with organic spices, dairy-free and gluten-free and with zero sugar.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I started my business in 1997, I was also a graduate student and newly married. I juggled a busy family life, career and small business for over a decade; eventually I made the decision to pause my business and focus on my family. It was a difficult and right decision for me. I came back to the business when my children had grown and I could retire from my professional career. Now I have the opportunity to focus fully on CHAI.COM.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
There are so many chai companies today but what sets us apart from many in the space is that our products and our story are genuine and authentic. Younger generations care about the back story and uniqueness of products and demand more than mass produced brands. People are increasingly more conscious consumers.
Contact Info:
- Website: WWW.CHAI.COM
- Instagram: @ChaiMadeEasy
- Facebook: @chaimadeeasy
Image Credits
Rachel Bell