If you didn’t catch it, see it today. Booth 2408, Rachna Rawat’s Hanuman Chai miracle and how America embraces authenticity, purity, and dedication.
In 2010 Rachna suffered a severe skiing back-injury in Colorado. Months of physical therapy, pain medications, and acupuncture resulted only in a struggle with darkening mind fog (due to medications). She was left with only one option of a spinal surgery. This is when she decided to reach back to her childhood roots of Ayurvedic blends of herbs, roots, fruit, and spices to recover from pain and inflammation. In a few months, the miracle recovery took hold, and she has not looked back since. That was 14 years ago.
Her children, who were in their early medical studies, insisted that she bring these preparations to the community because they saw so many Americans suffering from chronic pain. As a woman, she also wanted an expression of her not-just-a-mother and wife identity.
Rachna’s starting inspiration were her children’s words: “Mumma, do this for service and because it is your passion. Don’t do it for profit.” This is exactly what she has done. Offered the highest quality ingredients blended for best results. Although the business is not losing money.
Today her son is an M.D.-Ph.D. in Cancer Genomics and a general surgeon at the Dell-Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas, and her daughter has her Neuro-Biology Medicine Ph.D. and is a year away from her M.D. at the Fienberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Rachna is still a mother first and a confident entrepreneur second. She is a stronger rock of the family and a more credible mentor to her community.
Rachna took the ancient science of Ayurveda developed by the rishis and yogis, a documented healthy life science of more than six thousand years and presented to consumers who buy it from Amazon/Whole Foods online from across the globe from Japan to New Zealand, and Europe and Canada, and at retail stores at Whole Foods, Natural Grocers in 6-8 states, and at premium food stores across the US.
It's been a remarkable journey to present a premium product to a beverage market hooked on paying low prices for sweet and milky spicy chais that resemble nothing of the health benefits of the Ayurvedic wisdom of blending the right proportions of superfoods for healing and wellness.
In the Ayurvedic tradition where all food is medicine that is tailored to individual “Doshas” or body constitution type, Hanuman Chai offers four blends to match the body’s needs. Warming blend for the people whose bodies are constantly cold, the Cooling blend for those who are always hot, Energizing for those who feel the need for more energy, and a Calming blend for those who need an energy balancing drink.
The magic happens in the expert blending of pure and premium, (USDA Certified) studied-by-Ayurveda superfoods: Saffron, Turmeric, Amla, Javitri, Cardamom, Cloves and other ingredients because they reduce inflammation, stimulate circulation, or boost immune systems. The herbs, roots, berries, and spices that are milled differently to create the different blends. If these premium-costing ingredients were ground to a power and brought to a boil, they might still give flavor but will lose their wellness potential as they get incinerated in hot temperatures. This original, ancient version of chai has no caffeine, milk, or sugar. And it tastes delicious.
Rachna has a long list of customers who have weaned themselves off caffeine and regained various aspects of healthy life from seasonal allergies to better sleep and sustained daily energy. The most readily visible evidence of her healing is her own recovery that sustains twelve years after she was given one choice from pain recovery, spinal surgery.
Once the customers learn of the differences in Rachna’s blends and mile-long isles of cheap alternatives, they rarely ever snap back. Still, reaching the Hanuman Chai education message, that justifies a premium price in mile-long isles of cheap teas, remains a growth challenge, even if it follows thousands of years of Ayurvedic wisdom. The traditional distribution model does not offer sufficient margins for all in the supply chain because the market price is limited by consumer affordability and lack of a channel champion.
Rachna’s mission remains unchanged: serve clients who value and need a healthier lifestyle beverage. She and her children insist that they will never compromise the quality of the ingredients or shortchange the traditional methods of making their products for maximum wellness gains. Even with a current challenge to educate the customers in a low-priced sweet beverage market, Rachna’s steely spine remains strong, powered by her children’s inspiration and a woman’s need for self-expression. Passion.
The company has earned a loyal family of professionals who have worked together from the start. Patrick Cryets, the extraordinarily talented owner of the Thought Tub design studio in Denver has endured long decision cycles and urgent changes in shaping the branding and packaging with Rachna’s children’s inputs. They are the final arbitrators of product lines, packaging, marketing, and channeling energy. But it is the larger system of collaborators that keeps the brand strong: Sticker Giant the label makers at Longmont, bottle suppliers Amen Packaging and Tricore Braun in Denver, the owners of their production facility, The Salad Ground Kitchens, Nikki and Mathew Arnold have been the constants from start. And Rachna continues to mentor a consistent string of college students who join her production teams while in college. Even the inspectors from the USDA Organic certification teams seem like friends. They know Rachna’s discipline, integrity, and dedication.
Such a story of such vast proportions of goodness is only possible in America. Professionals, champions in their craft become family. Consumers are willing to learn and adapt. The whole ecosystem is engaged and intelligent about verifying and validating small brands’ claims of purity, authenticity, and wellness. Most of all, the customers remain loyal to fuel growth of goodness.
This is how Hanuman Chai continues to grow. It’s an American story of warmth and wellness.
What is your body’s need to deliver you the maximum energy and harmony today?
Come see us at Booth # 2408.