A local tea brand is planning its first brick-and-mortar cafe in Buckhead. The Chai Box announced in a recent social media post that it has signed a lease for its first chai cafe space.
The brand will be taking over the 625-square-foot space at 1963 Howell Mill Road (as first identified by Tomorrow’s News Today Atlanta) that formerly belonged to Doughnut Dollies, which closed last year at the address.
Owner Monica Sunny has been drinking chai her whole life and has been crafting tea blends since she was 12.
“Ever since I was a little girl, chai was an integral part of my family’s daily ritual,” Sunny states on The Chai Box website. “Each morning, we fill our home with its warm and spicy aroma, connecting us to our roots, giving us a sense of calmness and at the same time, energizing us to take on the day.”
She decided to move forward with her dream to open her own tea business when she had her own children, with the goal of carrying forward her family’s tradition. Sunny opened The Chai Box in 2017, using family recipes as inspiration and crafting blends that signified different regions in India. Since then, she has been selling chai concentrate, loose-leaf blends and spices online.
The brand prioritizes providing healthy, environmentally-conscious products, offering single-origin, small-batch chai products with sustainable packaging.
The cafe, which is slated to open later this year, will be a realization of a goal for Sunny, who has always aspired to bring a brick-and-mortar spot to Atlanta. The Chai Box is expected to open later this year, with Tomorrow’s News Today Atlanta reporting an expected November opening.
“When I moved to Atlanta 40 years ago from India, there was only one Indian restaurant and grocery store here,” Sunny wrote in a recent Facebook post. “Chai was only enjoyed in homes and not in the streets or cafes like in India. As a little girl, I only imagined opening a Chai Cafe in my dreams, and now it’s becoming a reality.”
