Ayan Sanyal, Kolkata Chai Company

Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“Chai is amazing — it should be right alongside a good cup of coffee, espresso, or cappuccino. This business helped me reconcile my American upbringing and my Indian heritage — that push and pull, that beautiful combination of everything.”

Ayan Sanyal is co-founder of Kolkata Chai Company, a vibrant café and online brand redefining what masala chai means to America. Founded in 2018 by two brothers, Kolkata Chai Co has a simple mission: to bring the authenticity, respect and tradition behind a cup of masala chai to NYC and beyond. What quickly became clear to Ayan was that his work went beyond tea brewing. It was about creating a space - and product - to understand and celebrate culture, comfort, and connection.

The Kolkata Chai story caught the attention of many, including comedian Hasan Minhaj, a passionate investor and advocate. Before founding Kolkata Chai, Ayan established a strong career in marketing and advertising — as Managing Director at Green Room Creative, driving growth strategies for startups and mid-stage companies, and held key digital roles at 2U, Havas Media, Hill Holliday and Connelly Partners. Bridging a life of rock music, marketing, and brewing - Ayan’s journey is informed from travels between Amherst, Kolkata, Brooklyn, and everything in between. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about family, culture, and entrepreneurship, hopefully with a good cup of chai.

This episode is from Modern Minorities, Raman's other podcast - where we share minority conversations for all of our majority years — which we hope will inspire new perspectives and learnings.