Chai (Black tea brewed with milk and spices) finely meshes into the fabric of life in India. It is a way to - start your day, make new friends, hang out with old ones and pull all-nighters before a deadline. It conjures up memories of Parle-G, samosas, family gatherings and funnily enough arranged marriages! Mention chai to an Indian and you will invariably see a smile light up their face!
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Kettle Chai is our attempt to package these myriad emotions and experiences into a simple tea stall!
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The idea of Kettle Chai was born in the year 2018. An extended stay in India due to family illness forced me to spend long hours in the local hospitals. The only solace during those times was a cup of chai. Looking for the nearest chai stall (chai stalls are ubiquitous in India), buying chai and sipping it in peace was a welcome break. The chai buying experience was always simple but the chai itself was sublime. It made me pause and be present. Made me stop thinking, if only for 10 minutes, about illness, course of medications, what to do next....the constant worry.
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I wanted to get that mindful experience and amazing chai back to the bay area with me. The dream is to create a small chai stall/shop like those back in India where freshly brewed chai is served in real cups with a side of no-wifi ;). You either talk to your fellow chai drinker, or read the paper (a lost art) or just stand and gaze around. The dream chai shop will be a place where one can take a true 10-minute break from their busy day and disconnect from the million things that need to be done in a day, all this while drinking really good tasting, hand-brewed organic chai which is made with the best ingredients and attention to detail.
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The idea couldn't have come at a better time since I was on a sabbatical from work. Having spent almost 20 years in the technology industry, starting off as a software developer and rising up the ranks to management (one of the few women engineers who ran a successful team of engineers) during that course of time, I was ready to do something on my own. Create something from scratch and see it grow and thus...Kettle Chai was born!
​ We started our journey at the farmer's market on March 3rd 2019 and have now expanded to corporate chai catering. We hope our dream of creating the perfect chai shop becomes a reality soon!
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