Since its launch in October 2019, the instant tea brand Chaika has amassed a customer base of over 10,000
Bengaluru: For many people, the only place to enjoy a cup of masala chai was at a roadside tea stall (or what Indians call ‘chai ki tapri’). Not anymore, thanks to Chaika, a brand which offers tea premixes and iced teas that people can prepare and enjoy in the comfort of their homes.
Story of growth
Chaika, which comes under NSRCEL’s start-up cohort at IIM Bangalore, is a story of Devanshi and Aradhita who bonded over chai and adda (the Indian name for unrestricted talk) and became friends. “During our school trip to North India, both of us being tea enthusiasts bonded over the famous dhaba masala chai! This bond continued even when we moved to Singapore, but here we struggled to find the perfect cup of chai,” shares Devanshi. The idea for Chaika, Devanshi continues, took root when the duo was working in Singapore. They craved masala chai but did not know how to make it, and even when they tried, they failed!
“Moreover, the process took 15-20 minutes—we just did not have that much time in the morning. This thought made us leave our finance jobs and take the entrepreneurship route. This is when NSRCEL, the incubation arm of IIM Bangalore, came into the picture,” adds Devanshi.
The instant tea category is growing. There are more and more brands moving towards this segment as people, institutions and organisations increasingly want teas that can be prepared instantly without hassle. Through Chaika, Devanshi and Aradhita aim to make chai convenient and cool. “We realised that people were switching over from masala chai—the beverage they grew up with—to green tea or coffee, merely for the sake of convenience! Chai was also perceived as an uncool beverage—one that was only meant for the older generations. Of course, many people did not know how to make tea or just did not have the time,” conveys Aradhita.
Instant tea was the next step towards convenience and naturally, brands in the segment moved from manufacturing only loose-leaf tea to tea bags also—something that the duo saw while working first-hand in the industry, as both their families were from the tea industry. Chaika makes tea-making convenient and hassle-free with premixes that can be used to prepare tea in less than 10 seconds and can also be carried everywhere easily.
Innovation at the core
At Chaika, the team understands that no two Indians like their masala chai the same. “Chaika is not just a cup of tea in a sachet. Our USP is that we cater to regional preferences of masala chai in India, be it that steaming ginger-filled dhaba chai on a family road trip, that citrusy lemon tea on a railway platform, or that cutting chai—a perfect balance of sugar and spice—on the streets of Mumbai,” shares Devanshi. The tea premixes that Chaika offers are aptly named Bombay Cutting, Dhaba Chai, Kolkata Kadak, Firangi Chai and Platform Chai. “Our tea flavours will transport you back (not literally of course) to your hometown, your roots or even that nostalgic moment of your childhood,” says Devanshi.
Chaika is also the first brand to launch café-like iced teas in an instant cold water soluble format, with flavours such as pineapple, green apple, watermelon and mixed berries.
Being customer ready
At Chaika, it is not just tea that is taken seriously, but customers too. “We have a team that calls our customers and speak to them. Customers’ feedback is very important to us, and we listen to them at every point,” shares Aradhita. Further, since customer satisfaction ultimately depends on the product itself, the brand uses the best technology in its production processes. Technology also finds a presence on the admin side here; Chaika heavily relies on data-based analytics for decision-making.
As for the future, Chaika’s two founders have many plans and ideas. “In a nutshell, we will first consolidate sales and grow our current product range before venturing into new products,” reveals Aradhita. Any plans to get funding? “While we are not actively looking for funding currently, we are open to funding that comes with strategic growth support,” states Aradhita.
Brownie Points
- Chaika’s USP is that it caters to regional preferences of masala chai in India.
- It is also the first brand to launch café-like iced teas in an instant cold water soluble format.
- The brand has a presence on Amazon, Flipkart, LBB and BigBasket.
- Despite being a young brand, Chaika is cash flow-positive.
- Its customers have grown to over 10,000 in number.
First appeared in The India D2C Yearbook 2022.
