It’s Time To Spill The Tea

Calmer Sutra Tea Rebrands as Calmer Chai

To think it was 21 years ago that Caitlin aka ‘Mama Chai’ created the first ever sticky chai and started supplying to some of Melbourne's favourite cafes is very humbling! To mark the occasion we decided to sit down and reflect on what represents our ethos and personality most accurately. The result - a new look, a hot new blend (to be released!) and a sustainability initiative. We have dropped the ‘sutra’ and are refocusing on precisely who we are; CALMER and CHAI. Our intention is to continue to inspire our customers through the ritual of chai, and to help assist those who want to partake in a ‘calmer’ lifestyle. With that, we are proud to announce our new name Calmer Chai; with our intention being to help create space for calm in all of our lives.

Calmer hearts, Calmer minds, Calmer bodies. 

With our new name comes a full aesthetic makeover to our range, as well as a transition to stand up pouches to make our products more versatile and streamlined for customers. We invite our beloved customers to join us as we evolve.

 

A note from Caitlin (aka Mama Chai)

Humble Beginnings

Rewind to 2002 when chai was a rarity on a café menu, when its place was hidden in the cluttered shelves of independent health food stores or at alternative festivals and markets. As a non-coffee drinker, a chai addict and café enthusiast, I had an urge to fill this gap if for nothing more than my own personal benefit. I wanted to create a product that was cafe friendly and contemporary, so I dreamed up a fresh chai concept that paid homage to the traditional masala chai that originated in India.

With my mortar and pestle in hand and my collection of spices, I got to work in my best

friend’s kitchen. Call it luck or divine intervention, but the first attempt created in that kitchen is the same recipe still used in today’s Original Blend of Calmer Chai (formerly Calmer Sutra Tea). Indian spices were added to the black tea along with freshly grated ginger root and local honey, to preserve and lock in the goodness. It was then that the first wet/fresh chai was born.

When hitting up my local cafes with my blend in tow, I was met with a few confused looks and furrowed brows, but once hit with the alluring aroma, interest was piqued. It wasn’t too long before my fresh chai began making its way onto the menus of my favourite Melbourne cafes and beyond. The rest, as they say, is history.

Caitlin West
Founder & Director of Calmer Chai (formerly Calmer Sutra Tea)

An Ever-Evolving Journey

Throughout the years, Calmer Chai’s (formerly Calmer Sutra Tea’s) journey has been rich and eventful with each year bringing new opportunities and projects. 

Over time, Calmer Chai’s product offering has evolved to include one of a kind products like our velvety ‘Super Spiced Cacao’ and our zingy ‘Ginger Pear and Lime Tonic’, to a diverse range of organic, fairly sourced teas and tisanes.

Along the way we have been fortunate enough to build incredible and enduring relationships with people in the community and throughout the hospitality and wellness industries. 

This lifelong passionate journey continues to grow while bringing peace and calm to the daily ritual of many loyal sippers, Australia wide.

Our Values

*Handcrafted small batch products.

*Commitment to batch testing to maintain product quality and consistency.

*100% Australian made.

*Commitment to quality ingredients.

*Maintain sustainable practices throughout our business, from recyclable office supplies to recyclable packaging. We continue to improve our methods with sustainability at the forefront of our decision making.

*A skilled and passionate team dedicated to creating quality and unique products for the always evolving food, beverage and wellness industries.

*Connected to our humble beginnings and goals, we enjoy supplying and supporting many other wonderful small businesses with similar values to our own.

 

Calmer Chai (formerly Calmer Sutra Tea) respects and pays tribute to the traditional Indian roots of masala chai. We have carefully crafted our contemporary style chai using different techniques from the West.

At Calmer Chai, we feel it is important to express our gratitude and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We honor Elders past, present, and emerging and understand sovereignty was never ceded. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live, the Boon Wurrung & Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We stand in solidarity and celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.