Meet the amazingly talented Uppma Virdi, creator and owner of locally made Chai Walli. Her passion for natural healing remedies and appreciation of her Indian heritage is what inspired this lawyer-by-day to create her own authentic chai blend.
In her conversation with Mosiqi Acharya, Uppma shares her journey of becoming a Chaiwalli, her love for Indian tea and how she turned her love for chai into her business.
Uppma migrated to Melbourne with her family 25 years ago. Born in Chandigarh, Punjab, she learnt the art of mixing Chai with Indian spices from her grandfather. "My dadaji was an ayurveda practioner and he used to blend his own chai with Indian spices. I observed and learnt the art from him."
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Uppma, an ardent chai lover, carried her chai along with her, when she went to study on an exchange program to Austria. On her two months back packing trip across Europe, she made several friends over a cup of chai. "They loved the chai and called me Chaiwalli. Even after I returned to Australia, I kept sending them tea packets and thats when I thought of becoming a Chaiwalli."
Trained as lawyer, Uppma works in a law firm 4 days a week and spends her Friday to Sunday at her local warehouse in Collingwood in Melbourne. "I currently work with 11 Indian spices. I source my tea leaves from India and Srilanka and then according to the season, I blend my teas. They are definitely seasonal. My teas will cool you down in Summers and warm you up in winters," she says.
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At the moment, Chaiwalli supplies to 60 outlets in Melbourne. She also has a significant following on her Facebook and Instagram and is using Social Media to reach out to her audience. Uppma is looking to branch out to other states in Australia and will soon start retailing in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.
