AT WORK WITH CHAIHOLICS

I am delighted to bring you an interview with Ray Sandhu, founder of Chaiholics. If you haven't had a chance to visit yet, then I recommend you do.

A brief background of Chaiholics:
"Chaiholics is an independently owned tea house specialising in a variety of hot and ice blended chai's. It is the first authentic chai/tea house in Wales and is known for its lovely decor, service standards, a perfect cuppa and unique range of gluten-free food. It is a favourite meeting place to savour a hot, fresh cup of chai or pot of single and organic teas, and to discuss the day's happenings.

We are very unique on the basis that we offer loose leaf chai/tea. This is made through a bespoke steam pumped espresso machine that no one has ever done before. Even the Italian manufacturers were amazed."

The Chaiholics mission:
"Our mission is to reach out, inspire and share with our customers the passion for spiced tea, i.e chai, and make this oldest beverage accessible, affordable and customer focused."

Why Cardiff was chosen as a location:
"Being a Roath boy who lived on Strathnairn street years ago, I wanted to have this cafe specifically in this local area."

The inspiration for the current product range:
"The range of various chai's and teas being sold have been handpicked. We have created our own unique combination of spiced chai's, fully loaded with antioxidant benefits to capture the traditions of different Indian regions. We also offer organic teas which are hand-harvested and are the purest, most natural tea from India's most remarkable gardens, besides single origin blends that are directly obtained from the various single plantation by our master blenders.

Chaiholics is a passion project for me. I'm a solicitor by profession, having left my firm in June, where I was head of the department, to pursue my love and passion for tea, and to bring back the true craving for a perfect cuppa to this tea drinking nation."

On the future of Chaiholics:
"We aim to be a UK wide brand serving the highest quality of authentic chai and specialty tea, prepared by our own Chaiwallahs (Baristas) who are highly trained and cultured as brand ambassadors."

"My ambition is to take this concept to every other city in the UK in 2014."

Chaiholics has now closed down.