My Experiments with Chai | Nitin Saluja @ Chaayos

Founder Thesis

Necessity is the mother of invention. This is exactly the premise that Chaayos was built on. In this episode of Founder Thesis, Nitin Saluja, Founder, Chaayos, recalls how a desire of having chai after breakfast led to a birth of an idea which is now a 90-store operation across India.

In a candid conversation with Akshay Dutt, Nitin shares his experience of working with Opera Solutions in the US and how working with a consulting firm provided him with an exposure which helped him in starting his own venture.

Nitin takes us through his journey and fondly recollects the brilliant response Chaayos received on its very first day. He emphasizes on how getting his hands dirty and learning on the fly helped him in market research, consumer insights and product testing, thus building a strong foundation for the business.

From getting funded by Tiger Global to taking orders at his first store in Gurugram, Nitin further talks about the support Chaayos received from the alumni network of his alma mater, IIT, Bombay.

Tune in to this episode to hear Nitin Saluja speak about how Chaayos shook a well-established market where coffee giants like CCD and Barista and others were already deeply entrenched.

What must you not miss from the episode?

● Importance of customer insights and product customization.

● Issues in scaling up and growth.

● Taking up chai-paani challenges head on and solving with automation.

● Strategy adopted during COVID.