About us

In search of some taste from home in the City of Dreams:

Chaification is founded by Antara Das Sharma, who grew up in India and moved to New York with her husband in 2020.

Amidst all the social and cultural differences that she abreast herself with over the next couple of years, the in-grained coffee culture of the Americans amazed her the most.

With a Starbucks coffee store in every nook and corner of New York City and numerous other cafes, she found it hard to find a good cup of chai.

The Chai tea lattes served in most cafes were as inauthentic as the name suggests (“Chai” and “tea” mean the same thing).

 

It started with my dad asking for some chai while exploring the city:

In the summer of 2022, when Antara’s dad, an ardent Chai lover who cannot do without 3-4 cups of chai a day, visited her for a month, she found it impossible to satiate his ‘thirst for chai’ while walking down the streets of New York City and showing him all the places that she had planned ahead of his visit. She recalls one such incident:

“We took my dad to Times Square one afternoon and visited the Rockefeller Center, St Patrick’s Church, etc. After walking for only a few blocks, my dad suggested stopping for a cup of chai (of course, afternoon tea is a must for him). I paused and wondered: How do you find an authentic cup of desi chai in Times Square? After searching for a few minutes on Google Maps, I asked Baba, what about Starbucks coffee? (when in America,... 😀 ). Another time, Baba got excited seeing a “Gong Cha” store while shopping in Woodbury Commons - little did he know about the “Boba tea” that would be served to him while he craved his chai.”

 

 

Welcome to Chaification, I am glad you’re here:

All this planted the idea of bringing the taste of an authentic cup of chai to all the 'desis' out here who, like us, crave their cup of chai and also to let the ‘non-desis’ appreciate the authentic taste of chai. Being a founder is not an easy task. To that, add the challenges and restrictions faced by immigrants, and the dream becomes near impossible. Overcoming every hurdle, Chaification was founded in 2023.

Come together to enjoy a soulful cup of chai with us!