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An American woman named Brook Eddy, an ardent tea lover, started a company called Bhakti Chai in 2007 after she failed to get India-like tea back to her hometown in Colorado. In 2018, her company’s projected revenue is 35 million dollars, her cold-drink product can be found on Whole Foods, Costco, and Target shelves across the U.S.
Ms. Eddy’s love for tea grew during her visit to India in 2002. But when she came back to the US in 2006, she craved for the same brew she had in India but the local cafe’s in Colorado had nothing close to what Ms Eddy tasted in India. In 2006, she decided to build a company based on ideals of Bhakti (devotion), for which she primarily visited India. She started selling mason jars with her one-of-a-kind infusion from the back of her car and in no time she had the huge fan following.
Source: Twitter (@brookbhakti)
Just a year later, Bhakti Chai launched its first website and the company grew from a home-spun operation into a viable business. The path to becoming a tea mogul was challenging and unexpected. The divorced mother of twins had no background in manufacturing, and her experience in food was limited to small-scale catering.
In an interview with Conscious company media from US: she said, “If I bring in a sample, I know I’m going to start a company. Because it’s really good. Would I want to start a company? I could call it Bhakti Chai, and it could be based on all this stuff I learned in India. And I could kick ass, because all these other chai companies suck.” I’ve always had this kind of competitive spirit in me.
India continues to be Eddy’s muse and she returns frequently for fresh ideas. According to an American weekly magazine: She said, “I’m a white girl born of hippie parents in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and then raised in Michigan, right? I shouldn’t really have this pulse for India, but I do. I love the chaos and vibrancy. Every time I come I’m introduced to something new. It’s just real.”
Her brand; Bhakti Chai, makes an effort to source fair-trade and non-GMO ingredients, has a zero-waste manufacturing facility, and has a philanthropic arm, GITA Giving, that supports small social projects around the globe primarily benefiting women and girls.
The post This Hippie Packed Her Bags For India, Now Made $35mn Selling ‘Chai’ appeared first on FWD Life | The Premium Lifestyle Magazine |.
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