Hey Hot Potatoes,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Hot Potato Newsletter. In our ‘Hot Seat’ editions we will be speaking to founders of successful hospitality businesses and learning about their journey. We’ll be picking their brains for tips on success, hearing about their biggest challenges and sharing their important advice for you and others out there wanting to start or grow your own business. This week, we kick off the very first ‘Hot Seat’ edition speaking to Akhil Patel, the founder of Amala Chai.

In today’s email: The ‘Hot Seat’ with Amala Chai

How did Amala Chai start?

Growing up, chai was always being made in my home, my dad used to make it for my mum every morning but it wasn’t something I drank at the time. Back in 2018, I travelled to the picturesque Indian Himalayas, Ladakh, which led me down the path of masala chai. I fell in love with the drink, and was amazed at how it created a space where people from all walks of life could gather - it didn’t matter whether it was brewed by a streetside chaiwala or someone at a family gathering - not to mention it was absolutely delicious!

When I eventually came home, I thought of the idea to open a market stall and see if people were interested in trying authentic Indian chai. I started experimenting with my grandma's chai recipe in my sister’s kitchen. I knew chai wasn't really readily available in London at the time, there weren’t many grab and go spots where you could get it and instead chai lattes were more popular. Then, when I was at the market stall, I found it was either South Asians looking for that taste of home, or people who had been to India were craving to try it again.

For me personally, I’m not really someone who goes down “normal” routes, I’ve always been someone who goes along with what I feel I want to do. At the time I was about to quit my job and move to Canada. My plan for life was to just be a data analyst, travel the world, and have a good income. But then the idea of selling chai gave me a feeling of spontaneity that I liked. My dad was really encouraging, it was that extra push I needed to just do it. I probably wouldn't have gone for it otherwise. So my dad’s support to do it and be open to see what happens, and see where it takes me was crucial. Without him I probably wouldn’t be here today.

Can you describe a pivotal moment in your journey that shaped the direction of your business?

Some people have these big moments that change their business, but I think for most, including mine, the growth has been slow and gradual. I would say that my trip back to India, where I met suppliers and farmers, truly shaped the business. I knew a sustainable supply chain was going to be important to the business, and on this trip I learnt about the issues with the industry; discovering how corporate companies dominate the tea and spice trade, using multiple middlemen to maximise profits.

Meeting these farmers helped me see the work and care they put into producing high quality organic tea and spices, and it was this that really shaped my mission for the business and the brand. Our focus on traceability and sustainable sourcing, especially for spices, became our brand ethos. In the early days, as I was growing the business, I was putting loads of effort into our brand and company vision, but I worried that no one really paid attention to it and questioned if it really mattered. Now I’m hearing it's what people love most about our brand - the story we tell and the personal connection we create.

As the face of the brand, my personal journey through India and interactions with the farmers have become central to our identity. Making myself a key part of the narrative and sharing my story has been a defining factor for the business. Our focus on transparency and personal connection is what sets us apart.

What has been one of your biggest leadership challenges, and how did you overcome it?

I assumed that making one member of staff the manager would be straightforward. I forgot that there are often cultural differences when it comes to interaction and communication between people. In my culture, Indians can be more direct which is sometimes perceived as rude, this is something I overlooked, not realising how much this could cripple the atmosphere in the company and team morale. Before, I was managing people myself, and I didn’t take into account how the tone set by a manager can trickle down to all the other employees, leading to gossiping and overall a negative culture.

Another challenge was that this new manager was young, so some people didn't respond well to his communication style. Suddenly, I was getting complaints, but nobody was talking directly to me about this issue, so I had to ask people to speak up about the situation.

When I promoted this employee into the manager role, I had underestimated how important it was to train them on how to be a manager - not just managing people and tasks, but also managing the culture and representing important aspects of the brand. I made the assumption that since the stalls were running well, everything was fine.

It's all part of the learning process. You don't start a business knowing you're going to be managing people. I really don't believe in micromanaging, so we've had to let them make their own mistakes. That’s the best way for employees to learn and a way for you to build their trust and respect.

How have you leveraged customer feedback to drive innovation and improve the customer experience?

I've learnt that staying in touch with customers and making their experience personal is crucial. Initially, I was stubborn about the product I thought people wanted, but I've come to realise the importance of balancing my vision with customer feedback. Amongst this all, I wanted to be sure that I continued to love the product I was selling too.

To gain insights, I sent an email campaign to all our online customers. This led to a surprising discovery; contrary to my belief that we were a young, cool and trendy brand, our highest-grossing customers were the demographic interested in a slower pace of life that are more health conscious, particularly women aged 45 and above who appreciate taking time out of their day to enjoy their carefully brewed chai tea.

This revelation prompted me to reassess our marketing strategy. I conducted further research to understand what resonates with our core customer base. From this I identified three key brand points: we sell authentic chai, it tastes great, and it is a sustainably sourced product; the positive health benefits come as a secondary factor.

By leveraging this feedback, I've been able to refine our target audience, adjust our marketing messages, and prioritise the product areas that matter most to our customers. That being said, authenticity remains our primary selling point. For example, we keep the tea and spice mix in separate pouches, even though this requires more packaging, because it’s how my grandma told me to make the chai Masala, whereas if you blend the tea with the spices together in one pouch, you’ll never get the perfect ratio.

This approach has allowed me to improve the customer experience by aligning our brand more closely with customer expectations and preferences, while still maintaining the core values of our product. It's been a balance between listening to customers and staying true to my original vision. The good thing about a market stall is you get instant feedback from your customers along with cash to put straight back into the business!

What advice would you give someone looking to start a business in hospitality?

Design a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and get it out to people straight away. Whether that's from running a market stall or doing a pop-up, there are so many ways you can get customer feedback and start building from it. I’ve found it’s important to just do one thing and focus on doing it well. It’s easy to get stuck on the numbers and revenue forecasts, but how will you know your forecast if you don’t know if people will like it? And if you start with too many products, then you’ll have minimum order problems. There will come a time where you can expand the product range…

I remember I had the idea of doing herbal teas and also thought about selling our amazing spices to chefs, but then it started getting complicated and I had to reset, refocus and decide what type of business we wanted to be.

One big recommendation for hospitality brands is festivals like Bread and Jam or the Restaurant Takeaway Expo. They're super helpful. Speaking to other founders is great as they all know what these situations are like. You can get loads of advice from a lot of other people in the industry. I think there are so many resources online that people can take advantage of too.

The main thing is not to overthink it - just start. Honestly, naivety is best when starting a business because then you don't know what you're going to encounter.

Amala Chai have several market sites in London to help you get your chai fix. Head down to Kings Cross Canopy Market, Victoria Park, Broadway Market or Lloyd Park, just check their opening hours online.

If you want to try your hand at making your own chai at home, you can get your very own kit! Go check out their website here.

To stay up to date on Amala Chai and follow their journey, check out their socials → @amala_chai

Today we’ve had our first ‘Hot Seat’ edition with Amala Chai. We really enjoyed speaking to Akhil and hope you found it valuable, insightful and inspiring!

Next week we look into customer loyalty and why it should be your main focus.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated weekly on all things hospitality!

Bon appétit,

Max Shipman, Editor-in-Chief, Hot Potato

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