if we were to divide the world in two, there would we two kinds of people – those who love tea and those you don’t. It might sound funny to the world that a nation which is often divided basis its religious views and non-secular agenda is united by a cup of tea.
For centuries, India and Indians have taken pride in their tea and how they make it. Every nook and corner in this country will have at least one local chai-wala vendor surrounded by countless chai lovers.
But there’s something that’s beginning to bother us now.
Brook Eddy, a hippie flew to India in 2002 after listening to an NPR story on Swadhyay. “Swadhyay seemed like this really cool movement that 20 million people were practising but no one had heard of,” says Eddy, who has a master’s in social policy. “At the time, I was asking myself questions like, how can we make our nonprofits stronger? Can we make businesses more like nonprofits?” reports Inc
And so, upon her arrival, Brook founded Bhakti Chai – an organization that recorded its 2018 revenue of $7 million.
She travelled across the country, especially villages across Western India where she fell in love with the flavours and aromas of our ‘chai’. Her penchant for the drink soon turned into a fine connoisseur.
https://twitter.com/nami_knows/status/978672978287194112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E978672978287194112%7Ctwgr%5E373939313b73706563696669635f73706f7274735f616374696f6e&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatimes.com%2Flifestyle%2Fself%2Fthis-hippie-woman-has-made-227-crore-empire-by-selling-chai-in-america-342319.html
She then went back to Boulder, Colorado and began brewing her own jars, which became popular in her region. She often came back home to an empty fridge and $10 bills on the desk from friends who took it.
“I realized the recipe I had crafted for myself, a fiery fresh ginger chai, could be produced for cafés and retailers to bring people not only ‘India in a cup,’ but build a mission-driven company on the tenants of bhakti,” she told Inc.
Hello @Inc either it's Chai or Tea. It can't be both
— Smokin Joe (@smokinjoe_83) March 26, 2018
Since the launch, she has raised over $10 million from angel investors and private equity firms and you will lose your mind when we tell you how much she’s really making from the ‘chai-tea’.
She has also launched GITA – Give, Inspire, Take Action to help the homeless, needy and destitute in multiple ways. So far, the organization has donated $500,000.
They have recorded a total revenue of $35 (roughly INR 2274125000) million since its inception. Also, just to rub it in, it is part of an industry valued at $3.7 trillion
