“I just wanted a good cup of chai.” — Nitin Saluja, Founder of Chaayos
It all began with a craving.
Not for success, but for chai.
In 2011, while living in the U.S., Nitin Saluja, an IIT Bombay graduate working with Opera Solutions, found himself missing one thing most Indians can’t live without — a good cup of chai.
When he returned to India for a visit, he realized something surprising:
Every corner had a coffee café, but none served chai the way Indians liked it — freshly brewed, kadak, and personal.
And that’s when the question hit him —
“Where can I get good chai outside the home in India?”
That single question became the seed of a billion-rupee idea.
The Early Days: Brewing a Dream
Back in 2012, starting a chai café sounded absurd.
India already had chai everywhere — from roadside stalls to offices.
But Nitin saw the opportunity hidden in plain sight.
Chai was not just a beverage. It was an emotion.
It connected truck drivers, college students, executives, and families alike.
So he decided to bring authentic Indian chai to a modern café setup — comfortable, tech-enabled, and hygienic — while still keeping the soul of tapri chai.
That was the beginning of Chaayos, co-founded by Nitin Saluja and Raghav Verma, both engineers turned entrepreneurs.
The Vision: “Experiments with Chai”
From day one, Nitin and Raghav didn’t want to be “just another café.”
Their tagline — “Experiments with Chai” — captured their vision perfectly.
They wanted customers to customize their chai just like they customized coffee.
How much milk? Sugar? Adrak? Tulsi? Elaichi? Mint?
Every person’s chai was unique — and Chaayos wanted to celebrate that.
Their menu boasted 25 types of chai and 12 add-ons, creating over 12,000 possible combinations.
It wasn’t about selling tea.
It was about selling your tea, your way.
Early Struggles: Convincing the Skeptics
Like every startup story, Chaayos faced its fair share of skepticism.
When Nitin told his father he wanted to quit his U.S. job to sell chai, his father was stunned.
“People go abroad for better jobs — and you’re leaving that to open a tea shop?”
But Nitin was clear — he wasn’t opening a tea stall.
He was building India’s first organized chai experience.
The early days were brutal.
He brewed chai himself, served customers, handled feedback, and even washed utensils.
The goal was simple — understand every detail of the customer experience.
The first café opened in Gurugram in 2012, with limited capital but limitless energy.
Within a few months, office-goers and professionals started noticing the cozy, homely vibe — and most importantly, the chai that felt just right.
The Growth: From One Café to a National Brand
By 2014, Chaayos had built a loyal base in NCR.
Then came the big moment — Tiger Global invested in Chaayos, giving them the fuel to expand.
From one café, they scaled to dozens across Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore.
But growth wasn’t just about more cafés.
They doubled down on technology:
- Digital ordering systems.
- Data-driven personalization (tracking chai preferences).
- Seamless delivery during the pandemic.
When COVID hit, while most café chains struggled, Chaayos adapted fast — launching “Chai-on-the-Go” packs and takeaway-ready stores.
Their tech-first model helped them thrive when many others closed.
The Numbers Behind the Steam
By FY24, Chaayos reported:
- Revenue: ₹2,051 crore
- Valuation: ₹2,600 crore
- New funding: $53 million (₹440 crore) led by Tiger Global and other investors
The company now operates over 250+ cafés in India and aims to reach 1,000 outlets within 2–3 years.
They’ve also built strong unit-level profitability, something rare in the F&B space.
While giants like Starbucks and Café Coffee Day built India’s coffee culture, Chaayos quietly built India’s chai movement.
What Makes Chaayos Different
Personalization at Scale
- No two cups are the same.
- Every customer feels like the chai was made just for them.
Tech-Driven Operations
- Order, pay, and track chai in real-time.
- AI helps forecast demand and prevent wastage.
Omnichannel Presence
- In-store experience + strong delivery + packaged products.
Made for Bharat
- Chai connects across languages and regions — a truly pan-India emotion.
Consistent Branding
- Warm colors, local art, relatable storytelling — every café feels like a cozy corner of India.
Lessons from Chaayos’ Journey
- Solve your own problem.
- The best businesses start from personal pain points.
- Respect emotion in business.
- Chaayos wasn’t built on caffeine — it was built on culture.
- Think long-term.
- It took them 12 years to build a ₹2,600 crore brand.
- Be local, but think global.
- Start with Bharat. Expand with the world in mind.