What a story! Melissa is the co-founder of Bondi Chai, the first powdered chai product available in Australia and she and her partner Martin started it after discovering chai in New York when they were there for the beginning of the millennium.
Melissa is so warm and engaging, and clearly, she and Martin are madly in love, so it's a really positive, uplifting episode. They have the classic startup story. Born and bred in Launceston as one of a set of twins, Melissa, and her sister bought a house at 18 because they knew that it would give them a strong financial foundation, having grown up with a single Mum and seen her struggle.
After many years of admin jobs, and after meeting Martin after a divorce, Melissa was up for something new! Bondi Chai has now been around for 17 years but the two naive founders had no idea what was in front of them. From finding a manufacturer (their first order was 2 tonnes!), to building a customer base, a brief foray into supermarkets, and then building a network of independent cafes that would stock their product, Melissa has been on a wild ride that still continues. Now supplying a number of countries globally, and with Heidi Dugan helping them to sell into China, the sky is the limit for this brand. You will be totally inspired by this story.
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