What Project Chaiwala does

Project Chaiwala, legally operating as TWO LEAVES AND A BUD CAFE LLC, is a Dubai-based consumer tea brand founded in 2017 by co-founders Ahmed Kazim and Justin Joseph. The company sells handcrafted chai blends — four loose-leaf SKUs (Karak Aslee, Molten Karak, Mystic Masala, Arbab Suleimani) and two instant chai sachet SKUs (Karak Aslee, Karak Arabia) — alongside curated gift sets and a Dubai-themed streetwear merchandise line (hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, tote bags). The core supply chain is anchored by a strategic partnership with Lipton Tea & Infusions, which provides proprietary blends sourced from Assam, Kenya's Rift Valley, and Rwanda estates.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market: a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer e-commerce store with UAE and GCC shipping, the Chai Diner café at Cinema Akil within Alserkal Avenue in Dubai (open daily 1 PM–9 PM), retail outlets across all three concourses of Dubai International Airport Terminal 3, and a community-driven event and food-truck layer including the Karak Groove Sessions. Pricing is unit-based (Dhs. 22–49 for tea SKUs; Dhs. 69–349 for merchandise; AED 100/150/250 gift cards), with bundle discounts of 15–20% on multi-pack purchases.

Revenue mechanics span four streams: tea product sales (the primary), merchandise, digital gift cards, and physical café/airport operations. The customer base is fragmented retail — urban chai consumers, café visitors, and gift buyers across the UAE and GCC — with no disclosed enterprise or B2B concentration. The company remains privately held by its two founders with no venture or institutional capital disclosed, and is actively operating as of the 2025–2026 copyright date.

Name

Project Chaiwala

Legal name

TWO LEAVES AND A BUD CAFE LLC

Website

https://projectchaiwala.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project Chaiwala is a Dubai-based, founder-owned chai brand selling handcrafted loose-leaf and instant chai blends — plus apparel and gift sets — directly to consumers via Shopify e-commerce, a flagship café at Cinema Akil in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai Airport T3 outlets, and events, shipping across the UAE and GCC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chai and Tea Products

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Specialty Ingredients & Import Markets (CRAHAFAL)

Keywords

• Loose chai blends
• Instant chai sachets
• Specialty tea retail
• Chai merchandise
• Tea café operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tea Product Sales: Primary revenue from selling handcrafted loose chai blends, instant chai sachets, and tin pack products. Products include Karak Aslee, Molten Karak, Mystic Masala, Arbab Sulemani, and Karak Arabia. Sold in various formats: loose leaf pouches, instant sachets, and premium gift tins.
2. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including apparel (hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts), accessories (tote bags), and branded items (chai blender, chai ritual pack). PCW x Dubai limited edition collection.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in AED 100, 150, and 250 denominations for gifting occasions.
4. Physical Café Operations: Revenue from Chai Diner café operations at Cinema Akil, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, serving chai beverages and Indian street food inspired menu.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Project Chaiwala sells handcrafted loose chai blends (Karak Aslee, Molten Karak, Mystic Masala, Arbab Suleimani) and instant chai sachets (Karak Aslee, Karak Arabia with saffron), complemented by branded merchandise, gift sets, and digital gift cards. The brand also operates the Chai Diner café at Cinema Akil in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, serving freshly brewed chai and Indian street food, and retails at Dubai Airport Terminal 3. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via a Shopify e-commerce site with shipping across UAE and GCC countries.

Product overview

Project Chaiwala is a Dubai-based tea company founded in 2017 representing the UAE's multicultural chai heritage. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on artisan chai blends and instant chai products. The core offerings include four loose chai blends (KARAK ASLEE with cardamom, MOLTEN KARAK with cocoa, MYSTIC MASALA spiced blend, and ARBAB SULEIMANI premium black tea) and two instant chai sachet varieties (KARAK ASLEE and KARAK ARABIA with saffron). These are complemented by curated gift sets and bundles (THE CHAI COLLECTIVE, Chai On The Fly Pack, Chai Starter Pack, Chai Ritual Pack, DXB CHAI KIT Limited Edition, Urban Chai Kit) and a merchandise line featuring streetwear apparel (hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, tote bags) with Dubai-themed branding. The company operates from a flagship café at Cinema Akil in Alserkal Avenue and maintains airport presence at DXB Terminal 3, with tea sourcing partnerships through Lipton Tea & Infusions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Karak Aslee Loose Chai Blend Classic Karak chai with cardamom sold as a loose leaf tea blend in 100g and 200g pouches (from Dhs. 25.00) and premium tin packs (Dhs. 45.00), targeting urban chai consumers in UAE and GCC.
• Molten Karak Loose Chai Blend In-house Karak blend infused with cocoa goodness, available in 100g and 200g pouches (from Dhs. 29.00) and tin packs (Dhs. 49.00), combining rich tea with chocolate notes for chai enthusiasts.
• Mystic Masala Loose Chai Blend Aromatic blend of tea and traditional masala spices, sold in 100g and 200g pouches (from Dhs. 27.00) and tin packs (Dhs. 47.00), targeting consumers who prefer a spiced chai profile.
• Arbab Suleimani Loose Chai Blend Premium rich black tea reflecting traditional Suleimani tea heritage, available in 100g and 200g pouches (from Dhs. 22.00) and tin packs (Dhs. 42.00), targeting traditional black tea drinkers.
• Karak Aslee Instant Chai Sachets Ready-to-make instant classic Karak chai with cardamom in a box of 7 single-serve sachets (from Dhs. 24.00), for convenient at-home or on-the-go preparation.
• Karak Arabia Instant Chai Sachets Instant classic chai with saffron in a box of 7 single-serve sachets (from Dhs. 29.00), offering a premium saffron-infused Karak tea for convenient preparation.
• Chai Starter Pack Starter bundle containing 3 loose chai pouches priced at Dhs. 102.00 (sale price, from Dhs. 120.00), designed as an entry-point pack for new customers exploring the loose chai range.
• Chai On The Fly Pack Pack of 5 instant chai packets with a branded Chai Carrier bag, priced from Dhs. 73.95 (sale, from Dhs. 87.00), designed for on-the-go chai consumption.
• Chai Ritual Pack Gift pack priced at Dhs. 135.00 containing 1 loose chai tin, 2 traditional clay kulhar pots, and 1 branded teaspoon, designed for the home chai preparation ritual.
• DXB Chai Kit Limited Edition Limited edition instant chai gift box priced at Dhs. 135.00 with 2 instant chai boxes, stainless steel frother, and 2 kulhar pots, exclusive to the Dubai International Airport retail experience.
• The Chai Collective Gift Set Collector gift set featuring 3 handcrafted loose chai blends in minimal tins, priced from Dhs. 107.10 (sale, from Dhs. 126.00), positioned as a premium tea gift experience.
• Branded Streetwear Apparel (Hoodies, Sweatshirts, T-Shirts) Branded streetwear apparel featuring 'DUBAI RUNS ON KARAK' and 'KARAK LANDING' falcon designs across pullover hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, regular fit t-shirts, and oversized street t-shirts in sizes S-XXL, targeting lifestyle consumers who identify with the 'karakhead' cultural community.
• Chai Carrier Tote Bag Branded 'DUBAI RUNS ON KARAK' tote bag priced at Dhs. 69.00, designed as a sustainable carrying accessory and lifestyle merchandise item.
• Chai Blender Hand Blender High performance hand blender accessory priced at Dhs. 20.00, designed to enable frothy traditional chai preparation at home with instant sachets.
• Project Chaiwala Gift Card Digital gift card available in AED 100, 150, and 250 denominations, allowing recipients to redeem across Project Chaiwala's product range for personal and corporate gifting occasions.
• Chai Diner Café (Cinema Akil) Physical café and experiential dining venue at Alserkal Avenue, Warehouse 68, Dubai, serving freshly brewed chai and an Indian street food inspired menu in a retro diner setting, open daily 1 PM to 9 PM for Dubai residents and cultural enthusiasts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free shipping across UAE over AED 50

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lipton Tea & InfusionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Lipton to create unique tea blends for Project Chaiwala products. Lipton provides handcrafted blends using teas sourced from Assam (India), Kenya's Rift Valley, and Rwanda. Partnership includes sustainability commitments with carbon neutral factory, zero waste to landfill, 98% renewable energy in Kenya operations, and 100% pesticide-free crops.
• Cinema AkilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Chai Diner - Project Chaiwala's first physical café location. Located at Alserkal Avenue within the region's first arthouse cinema. The unique partnership combines retro diner aesthetic with urban chaiwala experience.
• OatlyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration with Oatly for co-marketing and product development. References indicate collaborations with global brands like Oatly and Converse.
• ConverseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration with Converse. Part of broader strategy to collaborate with global brands and local partners for brand building.
• DXB Airport (Dubai Airports)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail distribution partnership at Dubai International Airport Terminal 3, Concourses A, B, and C. Provides travelers access to Project Chaiwala products.
• Two Leaves and a Bud Cafe LLCcoreOthersLegal operating entity name under which Project Chaiwala operates as a business unit. 'TWO LEAVES AND A BUD CAFE LLC, operating as Project Chaiwala' as stated in Terms & Conditions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DavidsTea: North American specialty tea retailer and e-commerce brand selling loose-leaf blends, gift sets and accessories. Closely aligned D2C tea portfolio, gifting SKU strategy and DTC-led growth model.
• Chai Point: India's largest chai chain, operating cafés plus a packaged retail tea and 'chai on-the-go' dispenser business. Closest analog to PCW in combining loose-leaf/instant chai SKUs with a café concept and D2C e-commerce.
• Chaayos: Indian chai café chain with customisable, tech-enabled chai menus and a growing packaged retail line. Directly comparable to PCW's Chai Diner concept and community-driven branding around modernised traditional chai.
• T2 Tea: Australian specialty tea brand selling loose-leaf blends, gift packs and merchandise through owned retail stores and cafés globally. Comparable product mix (loose blends, tin gift packs, branded merchandise) and café-plus-DTC model.

Regional players

• Tealive (Loob Holding): Malaysia-originated specialty tea/bubble tea chain with regional expansion across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Relevant comparator for cross-border tea-chain scaling dynamics, though focused on RTD/bubble rather than loose-leaf chai.
• Quickly: Asian bubble tea and snack café franchise with outlets in UAE and other Gulf markets. Comparable as a regional, youth-skewing tea café concept operating in the same price and venue tier as PCW's Chai Diner.
• Happy Lemon: Asian-origin tea/bubble tea chain with significant GCC franchise presence. Comparable as a regional beverage chain competing for the same young urban tea-drinking occasion, even though format is RTD/bubble rather than loose chai.

Broad incumbents

• The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Global café chain with a strong tea programme and packaged retail teas. Comparable café-plus-retail tea play at much larger scale; relevant as a benchmark for international café economics rather than a head-to-head competitor in UAE.
• % Arabica: Design-led specialty café brand with a strong lifestyle/merchandise layer and Middle East presence. Comparable on café-as-lifestyle-brand positioning and merchandise-driven brand equity, though beverage focus is coffee rather than chai.
• Teavana (Starbucks): Tea brand under Starbucks selling loose-leaf blends and RTD teas globally. Useful reference for what scaled specialty tea retail and café distribution looks like, and the risks of large-incumbent tea brand strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/projectchaiwala
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@projectchaiwala9389
• Facebookfacebook.com/projectchaiwala
• Instagraminstagram.com/projectchaiwala
• TikToktiktok.com/@projectchaiwala

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Project Chaiwala