"We are trying to change the perception of tea not being cool": Raghav Verma, Chaayos

Aesthetic designs, calm ambience, a spread of spices and the many different flavours of tea, that’s how someone who has been to a Chaayos outlet would describe the place. But, what is not apparent is the frenetic pace and chaos amidst which this cool and relatively new sit-out in Delhi NCR operates.

Understandably so, because the 'chai company' - as Raghav Verma, co-founder of Chaayos, calls it - has a slew of uphill tasks lined up over the next one year. This includes increasing the number of outlets to 50, establishing a footprint across all metros, bringing the delivery time down from 40 to less than 20 minutes and pushing the product on the retail level. Chaayos, founded by Nitin Saluja and Verma in November 2012, has nine outlets in NCR and six delivery hubs that deliver steaming hot tea to Gurgaon alone.

Currently, Chaayos is in the process of beefing up its team. The objective, informs Verma, is to build a strong team of people across the different verticals of operations, marketing, technology and inventory. "Our aim is to deliver all across NCR in less than 20 minutes by August end. Chai is something for which people would not want to wait too long," he says.

Of Chaayos' contemporaries, such as Chai Point, Chai Thela and Chaipatty, only Chai Point delivers tea to consumers through its 60 plus outlets in Bengaluru and NCR. Reasoning the need out, Verma adds, "We are a chai company, not a chai cafe. Whenever and wherever there is an opportunity to serve somebody 'chai', we want to be present." In addition to the cafes and delivery hubs serving the beverage, Chaayos also sells its tea blends through e-commerce sites likes Amazon and a Flipkart deal is underway. It delivers through food delivery apps such as Zomato, Swigyy, TinyOwl FoodPanda and Ola Cafe as well. Bulk of the orders, however, comes from the Chaayos app and subscription services.

Taste, affordability and ambience

Although Chaayos considers everything from the office tea vending machine to the QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) chains as competition, coffee, with its social connotation, remains the strongest one. Verma believes that "tea had taken a backseat for some time," but he is dismissive of the social connotation around the beverage. "As Indians, we have traditionally bonded with family and friends over tea. Today, coffee is cool, but originally it used to be the 'chai addas'," he states. So why is it that people who have tea at home, go out and have coffee? According to Verma, it is the lack of options and 'meri wali chai' feel.

"On an average, people visit us 2-6 times a month, as compared to the industry average of 1.5 - 2. Chai, as a product, inspires loyalty," asserts Verma. Chaayos, he informs, has seen significant migration of customers from coffee to tea, since its launch.

"We are trying to change this perception of tea not being cool by giving people 'their' tea, the way they want it. At Chaayos, customers can get their tea customised in 12000 different ways. Chaayos' tagline 'Experiments with Chai' also reflects this philosophy," he adds. The brand believes in the versatility of tea that combines well with a range of interesting flavours.

While most tea varieties on the menu are authentic 'desi' recipes, Chaayos is also bold enough to 'experiment' and innovate something like an 'aam papad chai' or a 'hari mirch chai', with an assortment of snacks, available at "affordable prices." Chaayos' hero product is the 'Desi Chai', priced at Rs.59 (regular), as compared to a Cappuccino which can cost anywhere between Rs.80 to Rs.140.

Along with the variety/quality of food and affordability, Verma acknowledges the role of ambience in driving customers to the outlet. For him, the Chaayos cafes represent "the chai way of life." With tea at the centre, the outlets are designed using all that can be derived from it; for instance, lamps made of cutting chai glass, kettles and 'chai samples in test tubes' that epitomise the experimentative nature of the brand. "The idea is to create a warm and friendly neighbourhood space, where people can come with friends and family, and also on work," says Verma.

Finding the right patron

To reach out to its customers, the brand has so far experimented with media only at a local level, which includes social media and radio. The objective of these campaigns is to increase awareness and prompt trials. Chaayos' first and ongoing radio campaign, crafted around the monsoons, comprises three ads - 'Pet Frog', 'Street Frog' and 'The Sneezing Experiment'. The spots are being played during morning and evening time on Radio One, Radio Mirchi and Red FM, along with RJ mentions and contests. According to Verma, there has been a 25-30 per cent increase in footfalls since the campaign was launched.

On working with Chaayos, Titus Upputuru of Dentsu Creative Impact, the brand's creative agency says, "We started from scratch on Chaayos and had several discussions with Nitin and Raghav on how we could build it into a lovable chai brand. When we learnt that they make 12000 different kinds of chai, I thought that's really fascinating. 'Experiments With Chai' came almost in an instant and we started putting things together; the brand codes, the retail design part and the communication."

The initiative is also being promoted on Twitter, where users have to Tweet with the hashtag #ExperimentsWithChai and tell Chaayos what they would like to experiment with this monsoon, and why. Three "interesting" entries stand to win free chai for a month. Cross promotions with gyms and local markets like Grofers are also being carried out.

On print and television advertising, Verma thinks it will be wise to go for it only when Chaayos is present in the metros and a few other big cities.