The Chai Box Success Story

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Brewing Success with Third-Party Audit Certification

The Chai Box, based in Marietta, Georgia, specializes in authentic chai concentrates and loose-leaf tea blends. Founded in 2016 by Monica and Sundeep Sunny, the company aims to share the art of making proper chai — a tradition Monica has cherished since childhood and has passed on to her children and community. With a team of 15+ employees, the company manufactures and ships products nationwide through a thriving e-commerce business and supplies local specialty food shops and food service establishments.

Andrea Hines, GaMEP food and beverage industry project manager, looks at a label and talks with the food safety manager at a chai manufacturing company in Georgia.

Situation

In 2023, the company sought to expand its market reach by selling to larger retailers. Grocery buyers had shown interest in stocking The Chai Box products, but the company needed guidance to navigate the complexities of the required food safety audits and documentation.

Monica and Sunny reached out to the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech for assistance, starting with a food safety plan and eventually preparing for a critical Costco audit.

Solution

GaMEP food and beverage industry manager, Wendy White, worked with Monica and Sunny, along with The Chai Box director of sales and marketing, Zahra Dharani, to develop a comprehensive food safety plan. She visited the production facility, learned about their process, and educated the team on necessary protocols. The plan they created together ensured safe food and handling and made the company compliant with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations.

Once the food safety plan was in place, the team began to focus on passing a third-party audit, needed to sell to Costco Wholesale, which had shown interest in the chai concentrate. The requirements for the Costco audit differed from the FSMA requirements and while the company was following the plan, an initial assessment from a third-party auditor did not go as planned. The auditor and The Chai Box had difficulty communicating, which is not uncommon during a first audit. White referred them to GaMEP food and beverage project manager, Andrea Hines, who had specialized expertise in the Costco audit requirements. Hines agreed with some  of the auditor’s findings but not all. Hines’ expertise was crucial in appealing the initial audit, which allowed The Chai Box to get initial approval to launch with Costco.

Hines shifted focus to helping The Chai Box improve and sustain the systems needed to maintain compliance to Costco expectations. Hines conducted a gap analysis, identified areas needing improvement, and helped The Chai Box team establish robust documentation, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and traceability systems.

With GaMEP’s help, the company passed the audit with increased confidence the second time around. Costco expanded the product lines purchased from The Chai Box, which not only increased revenue, but also put their products on a national stage.

In addition to the food safety projects, Hines also helped connect the company to other resources at GaMEP, including experts in strategic planning and automation. White and Hines serve as trusted advisors and continue to work with the team at The Chai Box to help grow the company and achieve their dreams of sharing family recipes and cultural traditions with the world.

Results

By working with GaMEP, The Chai Box has:

  • Increased revenue by 20% from the first Costco order.
  • Achieved a 99% score on the latest Costco audit.
  • Increased market visibility and credibility with the new relationship, including viral social media posts and features in national magazines, such as Forbes.
  • Received two additional orders after their successful first run.
  • Improved food safety documentation and compliance, preparing the company for future growth.

Testimonial

“Working with GaMEP has been transformative for our business. Their guidance has helped us navigate the complexities of food safety audits and significantly boosted our revenue. We couldn’t have achieved this without their support.”

– Zahra Dharani, Director of Sales and Marketing, The Chai Box