DEMAND FOR TEA IS GROWING IN THE UAE.

▪ Tea has grown 3% retail value and 1% retail volume. Perceived health and immunity benefits fuel further demand for tea.

▪ Unilever retains dominance with a 50% retail value share, with other big players active.

▪ Retail sales are predicted to record a 4% value CAGR and a 3% volume CAGR.

MOST DEMAND IN THE UAE COMES FROM SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITIES.

▪ Indians and Pakistanis are majority of tea consumers, owing to their population among a high ratio of expats in the region, and culturally engrained tea-drinking behaviour.

▪ There’s a preference for loose black tea, and its flavour and aroma.

PROJECT CHAIWALA, A SMALL LOCALLY HOMEGROWN TEA BRAND AND STORE, AMIDST TEA GIANTS, WAS A CHALLENGER BRAND, AND NEEDED TO GROW.

Despite all the rivalry, India and Pakistan have centuries of history and culture in common. And the one thing that perfectly captures this shared culture is their mutual love of chai.

So, we turned this cup of chai into a symbol of unity by creating a new blend of tea made by combining tea leaves from the plantations of Darjeeling, India and Mansehra, Pakistan.

We collaborated with Sanjay Sethi – renowned tea taster with over 39 years of experience – to perfectly balance the flavour characteristics of the two tea leaves with completely different soil origins, taste densities and compositional structures. After multiple rounds of trials, we finally achieved the perfect balance with Milaap.

We launched it during the cricket match, as rivalries between fans of the two nations peaked – to remind them that what unites them is stronger than what divides them.

Indians and Pakistanis form up to 60% of the UAE’s total population. This is the largest combined diaspora of Indians and Pakistanis living abroad, and as a result – one of the only places in the world where thousands of Indians and Pakistanis fill up the stadium alongside each other during a cricket match.

Which is why, to launch a blend of chai with the purpose of spreading a message of unity between the two nations – there was no better occasion than the India vs. Pakistan cricket match in the UAE. And that’s exactly what we did.

Milaap was launched during the match – to directly reach the largest captive audience of Indians and Pakistanis in the UAE, and encourage them to spread the spirit of unity by purchasing a cup of Milaap from Project Chaiwala.

Milaap was first launched directly to customers during the India vs. Pakistan cricket match in the UAE, and continues to be available until today.

After the initial launch, Milaap was sold online as well as in all Project Chaiwala stores in the UAE.

To further celebrate the unity between India and Pakistan, and support the product launch, we designed special packaging (disposable cups, tray mats, delivery flasks, metallic kettles, takeaway tea tins) and on-site posters. The launched was communicated online with social media content (reels, stories) and influencer collaborations.

Project Chaiwala sold more than 53,000 cups of 'Milaap' during the match and over 208,000 cups through online orders within the first 72 hours of launch.

With only US$ 23,000 spent, we earned a media value of over US$ 390,000, and searches for Project Chaiwala increased by 260%.

All of this resulted in an overall brand awareness increase of 173%, with Project Chaiwala receiving the “Best Chai in Dubai” award at the Dubai Food Festival. Project Chaiwala was even recognised with TimeOut’s ‘Best Restaurants Award’.