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Why Chai?

With the tinkling of cups, warm aroma of cardamom, and the meaningful silence that follows each sip, chai has a creative and powerful way of generating space for dialogue and conversation. It melt's the ice and softens the air, allowing people to see each other as they truly are. Humans. Without their shields, and without prejudice.

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Our Story

When David and I fell in love in 2013, we started on an epic journey just to be together. Our worlds were so different that no one could fathom our union possible. David belongs to an Italian-American family in Los Angeles, and I am from a small tribal village in the Balochistan region of Pakistan. We both decided that despite the challenges, we would fight to make our marriage a reality, while bringing our worlds together in the process.

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That started a two-year battle for us to get our parents onboard, erase the stereotypes, fear, and even hate. In these two years, we saw our loved ones extremely afraid and opposed to even the possibilty of our marriage. 

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In those days, sharing chai at meetings between our two families served as a creative and powerful way to generate space for dialogue and connection. We came to realize that the process of reducing fear and bias often feels like an insurmountable challenge, but not a hopeless one. Certain beliefs have been ingrained in our societies which create unfair bias and judgment about each other, long before we even get to know each other. Both of our families had many assumptions and prejudices which were hard to erase. Through persistence, empathy, many tears, and much care, we brought them to together.

What is The Chai Spot?

The Chai Spot is a social enterprise focused on peace-building between the East and West, as well as the socio economic empowerment of women and education of children in Pakistan. We currently have cafes in Manhattan, and Sedona, Arizona. 
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Each location of The Chai Spot is designed to transport our guests to Pakistan with colors, textures, stories and flavors. Our chais are made from scratch with fresh spices, traditional recipes, and love. We proudly bring an exlusive menu to our guests limited to only chais we have tried and loved for their magical power to transport our guests with each sip. 
 
The Chai Spot also works with women in a dozen different villages of the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. These women have beautifully crafted modern styles with ancient embroidery. The Chai Spot is proud to bring a marketplace of these goods to our guests at both our flagship location in the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village (Sedona) as well as at our new location in the heart of Manhattan.
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Our core values

Global
Peace

Peacebuilding is at the core of what we do at The Chai Spot. The world today is united by technology, and yet divided by opinions. We strive to melt those barriers by bringing diverse people together over a healing cup of chai

Abundant
Love

Peace is not possible without love and empathy. We at The Chai Spot strive to be a gathering place for strangers. A safe space where we can meet,  leave our fears and prejudices at the door, and fall in love with each other's differences. 

Exquisite
Chai

We pride ourselves on brewing only the best chais for our guests. Our menu is limited because we only serve the chais we have tasted and love. We know you will love them too! 

Watch Khalida's recent TED TALK

Read Khalida's Book

are handmade by rural women and men

Read Khalida's Memoir I SHOULD HAVE HONOR to learn about her life in growing up in the mountains of Balochsitan and her meeting David. Their journey to fighting for true love and their success in bringing their worlds together. 

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Khalida and David's other initiatives

Sughar Foundation

Sughar is a 501c3 non profit organization founded by Khalida Brohi to fight honor killings of women in Pakistan by unleashing potential in them. 

Follow us on Instagram!

"This place is cool! Stumbled across it while looking for somewhere to do some studying on a Saturday night. Was kind of busy around 8:30pm but ordered a hot Butter Chai, kicked of my shoes and found a place to relax. My drink was delivered super quick and had to stop studying because I was too comfortable on the pillows and could’ve fell asleep".

~ Matt Parker

"Amazing! The chai is the most authentic I've had outside of India, the vibe is cozy and relaxing, great for large groups/families, but also a wonderful place to study. Best of all, half of the proceeds go to charity. Met one of the owners and he's so nice!" 

~ M Ramachandran

"What a spectacular , peaceful and therapeutic spot in the whole of NYC with the best authentic tasty Desi chai of many kinds to tease your taste buds and tingle your senses to get a taste of home ! I loved the ambiance, the vibrant colors and the Bollywood music. I loved how clean it was."

~ Nabiha Yusuf

"It’s very cozy, feels like you’re in someone’s well-decorated, festive living room. The butter chai is so good: creamy, sweet, a tiny bit savory (from the lightly salted butter) with pistachio crumbs. The traditional cardamom was really good too, less sweet and rich compared to butter chai. Cookies were good. Great all around spot." 

~ Jessie W

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Fatima

Fatima is from a small village in Sindh. She grew up knowing only one kind of life, where women are restricted and have no decision making power. But from the day she started earning, everything has changed for her.

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Amina

Amina is from a small village in Sindh. She was married very young and her daughter was married young. Amina now works to help her granddaughters to be stronger.

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Gul Bibi

Gul Bibi is from a small village in Balochistan. She has 11 children and many of them are daughters. She works hard to earn and send her daughters to school. 

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