A Masterclass on Disrupting a Traditional Market | Nitin Saluja (Chaayos)

"We are a technology company that sells chai."

This single sentence from Nitin Saluja captures the disruptive core of Chaayos. It’s not just about tea; it’s about using technology—from custom-built IoT robots to a proprietary tech stack—to solve the problem of delivering a perfectly consistent, personalized cup of chai at massive scale. In this conversation, Nitin reveals how this engineering-first mindset allowed him to build a premium brand for one of India's most traditional beverages.

In this episode, host Akshay Datt sits down with Nitin Saluja, the founder of Chaayos. An alumnus of IIT Bombay, Nitin left a corporate consulting job in the US to build Chaayos from a single outlet into a dominant, 200+ store chain with revenues of over ₹248 crore. He is a pioneer in using technology to disrupt the food and beverage industry in India.

Key Insights from the Conversation:

• Technology as the Core: Chaayos operates as a technology company first, having built its entire tech stack in-house, including IoT-enabled "Chai Monk" robots to ensure consistency across 80,000+ customization options.
• The Founder's Grind: Nitin spent the entire first year as the manager of the first Chaayos store, providing him with unparalleled ground-level insights into customer needs and operational challenges.
• The Power of Customization: The core brand promise of "Meri Wali Chai" (My Kind of Tea) came from the insight that no two people like their tea the same way, creating a powerful moat against competitors.
• The Profitability Pivot: The company made a deliberate strategic shift from a "growth-at-all-costs" mindset to focus on sustainable unit economics, successfully achieving positive EBITDA.
• Disrupting a Commodity: Chaayos successfully built a premium brand for a low-cost, everyday product by solving the unorganized market's core problems of inconsistent quality, poor hygiene, and lack of a modern experience.

Chapters:

[00:00] - Coming Up

[01:22] - Nitin's Early Life & Upbringing

[02:35] - The IIT Bombay Experience: Realising Everyone is Smarter Than You

[05:26] - First Startup: Building a Robotics Company While in College

[09:43] - Learning 'Problem Structuring' in Corporate Consulting

[15:54] - The "Aha" Moment: Why Isn't There a Starbucks for Chai?

[20:46] - The Leap: Quitting a US Job & Bootstrapping the First Store

[25:06] - The Grind: Launching the First Chaayos Outlet with Friends

[30:42] - The First Year: Working as a Store Manager to Learn the Business

[33:47] - Scaling Pains & Securing Funding from Tiger Global

[38:16] - The Core Insight: Why Chaayos is Built on 'Meri Wali Chai'

[46:44] - Building a Tech Company that Sells Chai

[50:51] - How 'Chai Monks' Deliver a Perfect Customised Chai Every Time

[54:00] - Nitin's Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

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