Lisa Yala and Mitalee Bharadwaj Transcript
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Hi, everyone. You're listening to The Future Of Food Is You, a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. I'm your host, Abena Anim-Somuah. And each week I talk to emerging talents in the food world and they share what they're up to as well as their dreams and predictions for what's ahead. As for me, I'm the founder of The Eden Place, a community that's all about gathering people intentionally around food. I love this new generation of chefs, bakers, and creatives making their way in the worlds of food, drink, media, and tech.
Today's guests are Mitalee Bharadwaj and Lisa Yala, co-founders of Transcendence Coffee here in New York City. Inspired by their Indian and Algerian heritage as well as their time as college baristas, these women started a coffee company with the goal of shaking up the story on how syrups are a part of coffee culture and bringing a more playful vibe to the world of coffee. We talk about the process of going to market just six months after coming up with the idea, being first time entrepreneurs shortly after graduation, and also the future of sustainable practices within the coffee industry.
Thank you to Kerrygold and Walmart for supporting today's show. Kerrygold is delicious, all natural butter and cheese made with milk from Irish grass-fed cows, raised on small family run Irish dairy farms. Kerrygold's farming families pass their craft and knowledge from generation to generation. This traditional approach is the reason for the rich taste of Kerrygold. You can enjoy delicious sliced or shredded Kerrygold cheddar cheese available in mild or savory flavors at a retailer near you. There's also Kerrygold's classic salted butter perfect for slathering on some sourdough toast. Look for it in the gold wrapper. Find your nearest store at kerrygoldusa.com.
Now, let's check in with today's guests. Mitalee, Lisa, thanks so much for joining us on The Future Of Food Is You podcast.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I'm so excited to be here.
Lisa Yala:
Thank you for having us.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Can you tell me a little bit about your childhoods and how food showed up?
Lisa Yala:
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. My parents immigrated from Algeria around their mid-twenties. Luckily they moved to Chicago, the area that we were in. Chicago had a pretty big Algerian community and we just have a big Algerian family that immigrated as well. So yeah, we just grew up with having really big family parties and a lot of Algerian food. Food has always just been the center of our big gatherings too.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome. And Lisa, how do you keep those Algerian traditions now that you're not at home and you're living in the city?
Lisa Yala:
It's funny because Algerian culture is not one of those cultures, I heard this previously where recipes are written down. So especially in the pandemic when I was stuck at home with my family a lot, it was a really good time to connect with my family and write down those recipes. And then also being in New York and having so many possible places to try new foods, being able to go to grocery stores that I don't usually do and get all those Algerian ingredients and make them at home.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And what are some traditional Algerian foods that you've now aced because of learning and gathering those recipes?
Lisa Yala:
Yeah. So one of them, which is my favorite, it's called garantita. And it's like a chickpea based baked dish. It has chickpea flour, eggs, milk, oil. It's really simple. And Algeria's actually considered street food. So you bake it in a big dish and you cut it up and it's like this creamy consistency and it's typically eaten with a French baguette and you cut it in half and you spread the chickpea in there and then you do hot sauce, whatever you prefer, and you just kind of like an on-the-go snack.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's so delicious. How about you Mitalee, what was food like in your childhood and how did it show up?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I grew up in Jersey, central Jersey. I'm from a South Indian family. My parents immigrated from India, but something really cool is that before both of them separately came here, my mom actually went to grad school in France and then she had a roommate who was half Thai, half Chinese. So she was just exposed to a bunch of different cuisines before coming here. And then my dad lived in Singapore for some time before coming here too. So, a lot of what we had growing up was a lot of South Indian food that they had growing up, but then also these cool little tidbits of food that they've tried and learned from other people along the way. As much as I love Indian food, I also just love trying new things.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
What were some of the dishes that were common at the dinner table?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
We always tried to do some kind of stir fry with szechuan and peppercorn and white pepper. I'm just very heat and spice forward. But then a good south Indian meal that I really like is, it's called benne dosa, which is dosa. You see dosa carts all around the city, but benne is git really good buttered. And so it's just fatty and heavier than a normal dosa and you can't go wrong with that. So good.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
These all sound so delicious. So before you both decided to start Transcendence, you both went to college, where did you go and what did you study?
Lisa Yala:
We both went to the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign, which is central Illinois, about two and a half hours south of the city. And it's a really big engineering school, so we both actually studied computer engineering and both graduated in 2020. And we worked on a lot of school projects together, a lot of late nights. That's how we ended up meeting.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. And I'm sure coffee was a big part or a big fuel for those, but-
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
For sure.
Lisa Yala:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And you both worked as baristas while you were in college?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Mm-hmm, yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Can you tell me about each of the places that you worked at?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, actually, so kind of what Lisa said, we actually worked together at that coffee shop.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, amazing.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
So it was like we were lab partners on these classes, we worked together at this coffee shop. It was a campus coffee shop. It was nice because it was right in the department building that we had a lot of our classes in, and you could have come to the ground floor. We would work a few shifts a week and then the best perk was that we could get free coffee to just take to class with us after.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And was this where your passion for coffee spark or did you guys have passions for coffee before that?
Lisa Yala:
I think before that it was probably more of a necessity and just a fun thing to try and enjoy. It has such a big culture around it. One thing we always talk about is school and engineering was so stressful and having that coffee shop in the building, for me at least, I think for other students too, it almost provided this space where everyone came together and just took a deep breath for a second and chatted and got their coffee, and it was almost just like this little happy place inside of a building that had a lot of stresses and anxieties.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
How do you both take your coffee then, I guess? Now that you've been baristas for a few years, you've perfected the art for others. What are the best ways that you take your coffee now?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, I was going to say, it's kind of funny because when you hear someone is a barista you assume that they're really honed down on making the best drip coffee or making a really good pour over. But part of why we started Transcendence is because we like having our coffee fun and we just good espresso in that coffee. So I usually have a iced latte and that's my go-to drink. And if it's good espresso, I'm a happy gal.
Lisa Yala:
Same with that. I think it definitely depends on what mood I'm in. Most of the time though, it's a latte with oat milk. And then other times if we just want a little more simple, just like a black cold brew.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's a good range. I feel like being a barista is such an incredible opening to the world of food and the customer service industry. So, what did it teach you about understanding coffee culture, experiencing coffee culture, and then also about how the food and customer service world was operating, especially on a college campus?
Lisa Yala:
Yeah, definitely a lot of things. You learn a lot in customer service, that's for sure. A few things. People love their routine. They love finding something that they will get a consistent experience out of. Nothing's worse than ordering the same thing at a coffee shop every time. And then one time you order it and it's just not as good as the other days. I feel like there's nothing worse than that. So consistency, but also people really love to try new and exciting things. So, we would have a seasonal menu that was really fun and experimentive. And we got to try new recipes and then throw them up on the board and get people's feedback and people love it. They would get so excited about seeing what was new on the specials board. So that was really cool to see.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I think part of how we started at Transcendence too is just realizing that people would come in waiting to see when the seasons changed, or if this week we had a rotating menu and we were adding this new syrup flavor, which was just a combination of a few different spices and flavors. That's what everyone would be getting that day. Even the people that kind of what Lisa said, people would usually be die hard. "I only get my plain cup of coffee every day, maybe a slash of milk." And then they'd see something interesting on the menu and be like, "You know what? I'll try that one that looks kind of interesting today." So I think that was really cool too, to see there's that consistency but also this sort of spark in curiosity.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And did you experiment or try things outside of the coffee shop? Pour over stations, in your dorms? Were you testing out different espressos to measure with the drip times and all that kind of stuff?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I think more post-college I was doing that. I think in college it was kind of cool that our manager at the coffee shop was so chill that she just let us experiment right at the bar at the coffee shop or in the back. So I think I spent a lot of time there even when I wasn't working a shift. Lisa probably can say the same.
Lisa Yala:
Totally.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Once college is up, I mean you guys graduated in the midst of a global pandemic. You go your separate ways, Mitalee, you head over to San Francisco and Lisa, you are based in Chicago still. But then you decide to come back together to start Transcendence. What kind of made you decide to come back to coffee after going back and getting engineering jobs after graduating?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I’d love for Lisa to add her little part to the story too. But it's funny because, so yeah, we graduated with these degrees in computer engineering, kind of went our separate ways and we're working jobs that we would've expected to do with that degree. And then California on the West Coast has some great coffee culture. I just loved, once things started opening up again, I would get the chance to go try all these coffee shops. And I just went to this one coffee shop that did very similar thing where they would have a rotating menu and I tried an orange blossom latte for the first time and I was like, this is so cool. And then I started making a lot of coffee at home, but really I would just go to a new coffee shop every day and that was like my haven. I had these ideas in the back of my head, maybe I should go work at a startup, maybe I should work at a food company, maybe I should work for a coffee company.
One thing led to another and just, we hadn't talked in so long, we're living these separate lives. And just out of the blue, it's really funny because I could find a screenshot of, it's just out of the blue I'm like, "Hey Lisa, I have this idea for a coffee company." And then we just hop on a call and kind of the rest is history.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's so beautiful.
Lisa Yala:
Exactly. Yeah. And I think also graduating during the pandemic, I think a lot of people me, especially just had this moment where middle school, high school, if you decide to go to college, a very straight path, not a lot of options and choices. So when you have this really weird moment when you graduate college and then you're also stuck at home, I had this experience that's like, "I can literally do whatever I want with my life at this moment. What do I really want to do?" And I think that also fueled the idea of starting something new.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome. I have to ask you, where is that coffee shop in San Francisco that you were talking about?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, so it's literally called Coffee Bar. It's in Menlo Park, more like South Bay, not in the main city. They have this huge coffee shop, like everyone there is just relaxing, drinking their coffee. So it's a good vibe and experience in there too, but they always just have that rotating menu. And when I mentioned to her, I was like, "Oh my God, I had an orange blossom latte." And it's so funny because she was like, "Wait, yeah, we use orange blossom in Algerian cooking all the time. Of course I know what that is. It's amazing."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's take a quick break and we'll be right back. Today's show is brought to you by Walmart. The world's largest retailer, Walmart is committed to supporting emerging brands. We love that because these folks are the future. In 2022, Walmart sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from over 2,600 diverse suppliers, including those led by women and those in the LGBTQ+ community. You can find some of our favorite female founded and fueled food and drink brands at Walmart, including Siete, Collie Power, Goodie Girl, Late July, Health-Ade Kombucha, Biena Chickpea Snacks, and Laura Bar. If you're a founder of the next great brand and want to get your product in front of millions of potential customers, you need to know about Walmart's Open Call Program. 2023 will be the 10th anniversary of Walmart's Open Call event. It's an exciting and unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face, with Walmart merchants at the largest sourcing event in the United States.
This year's open call will be in Bentonville, Arkansas on October 24th and 25th. Registration starts this July. Future retail stars, stay tuned for more details. And now back to our guests. Can you tell our audience what Transcendence Coffee is?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Transcendence Coffee is just all natural globally influenced flavored syrups for coffee. And we do roast our own coffee too, I should add. But really what we're trying to do is change the narrative of adding flavor and bold flavors and specialty spices into a cup of coffee.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Why did you think it was important to target the flavored syrups market specifically?
Lisa Yala:
Yeah, I think one thing that we especially experienced while we were baristas is most coffee shops stock one or two of the big brands, syrup brands, and they really have a huge grasp over the market. And while they're fine, they do the job, we just realize coffee shops spends so much time and effort and money perfecting their bean and their roast, and then they're putting this not so great quality syrup in their coffee, which kind of defeats the purpose and also perpetuates the idea that you're not a real coffee drinker unless you're drinking black straight coffee in it's single origin and all this stuff. We kind of love to say that you can enjoy coffee and have really good quality coffee and why not put some really delicious syrup in it as well.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Who are you considering the target customer for this brand, for Transcendence?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah. I mean we often joke that we are the target customer. But, I think there's a very Gen Z younger consumer who's going to coffee shops, excited to try new things. The purpose of the syrup, while it might start as just for coffee, people love it in tea and cocktails and desserts and there's a wide use case for it. So it's cool to see how that might be our primary customer, but we're hitting a lot more people using it in a lot more things. What Lisa said, I'm excited to just see it in every mainstream or corner neighborhood coffee shop that's saying, "Hey, we want hopefully 10 or 20 syrups down the line."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Is the goal to have the syrups and the coffee just in coffee shops or do you want it to be part of an everyday routine for a home coffee consumer as well?
Lisa Yala:
Definitely part of the home routine. I feel like especially now, everyone, there's such a beautiful culture that's built around coffee where it's both a ritual. Even if I'm not going to do anything today, I'm just going to go on a nice walk, treat myself to a good cup of coffee and enjoy that whole process even no matter how small it is. And we've found that it's also translating to at home. My coffee routine is almost my morning meditation, even if it takes a long time and it's tedious, it's just such a nice way to start my day. So being able to introduce some cool and unique flavors into people's daily routines like that, is a goal too.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's amazing. Well, I will say I'm really impressed by you two because as first time founders straight out of college, you were able to get this product into the market under six months of developing. So from six months when you had your conversation after that illuminating orange blossom latte, you are selling your products. Mitalee, I would love to chat with you about the production process and what was it like going from idea to market?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I want to take the time to actually say how the very first concept we had is not even what made it into the market. So I think what's cool is just you actually can take an idea that might sound ridiculous and then bring it into market. When we first had the idea, we were like, "What if we could infuse the beans with syrup?" And it was a disaster. I had moved into my parents' house for a couple months and so I was experimenting before I moved to New York. And I was literally taking gulab jamun from the Indian grocery store. I was roasting beans on the stove top and then I was shaking the syrup all over it. And it would crystallize and it was so bad and I was like, "Wait a second." And Lisa was like, "Maybe we just add it as a syrup into the coffee." So we're like, "Okay." That kind of led to the next thing. And then we did a testing with friends and family to work on the recipe a bit.
And then I think something we really pride ourselves on, even though it might take a long time, is that we just jumped into producing ourselves. So we worked out of a commercial kitchen facility for months to produce it and just get it into the market, because it can take time and it can be costly to go straight to a manufacturer and then find out that they are going to mess up some part of your process and then you have to throw out thousands of bottles. So we were like, if we just really hone in on the recipe, how to produce everything and knowing every little bit of the supply chain, then when we take it to someone else, we also have ownership and we're not just asking someone, "Oh, can you do this for me?" And then walking away. We're like, "We want to actually partner with you."
And we took the time to understand what it takes. We know that it's a lot of hard work. We know it's very tiring. That part is what made us get into market really quickly, but also helped us cut costs too on knowing how do we just get there quickly and then learn from the customer.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
What questions were you asking friends and family while you were getting them to try out the product and test things out for you?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, so my first take was because I had tasted gulab jamun before. I had taken the actual dessert and I had my family help me make some of the actual dessert. And then essentially was trying to recreate just the syrup on the side and then tweaking, so the main flavor components in that are cardamom and saffrin and rose petals. So just trying to tweak the ingredients on that. We just ran a Google form and just had a bunch of people try it in coffee and say, "Do you taste enough of this? Is this too sweet? Do you need more rose? Do you need more cardamom?" And then we also knew that that was still just a test that was going to be very limiting. So the only way to really know is get in the market. And even now if someone's like, "Hey, if 20 people are saying we want more roses, then we're like, okay, we can always go back and change that in the next production."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
For those of our audience who don't know what a gulab jamun is, can you tell us what it is?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
When I describe it like this, it just makes me want it so much.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's good.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
I want to say it's almost like a fried donut or dough ball and then it's soaked in this rose cardamom syrup. And sometimes there's pistachios or almonds crushed up right on top. If it's served warm, it's like gooey even it's soaked in syrup. It's really good.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I think what's really beautiful is both of the flavors that you have currently are odes to your heritage. You have the gulab jamun for your Indian heritage and then we have the baklava for your Algerian heritage, Lisa. Why did you think those two were the flavors that you really wanted to start it with?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, I think it's cool because these are spices that are actually drawing tribute to something that I know and I grew up with and that a lot of people with the same culture roots grew up with. And at the same time, I think there's an opportunity there where it's a very pan-Indian experience and therefore it can appeal to a lot more people who haven't tried it yet. I mean, a big part of what we're doing is it's not just supposed to appeal to the people who grew up with it, but it's supposed to allow someone else to try it and experience it and enjoy it. And I think gulab jamun has that appeal as an Indian dessert.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And Lisa, I would love to ask you, as you were developing and going through the production process, how did you work with the coffee community? Were you talking to baristas? Were you talking to roasters? I know you mentioned that you worked at a commercial kitchen.
Lisa Yala:
We mostly drew from our own personal experiences as baristas. Also, every time that we go to a coffee shop, it's almost nosy. "What kind of syrups are they doing? What's their process? What kind of flavored lattes do they have on their menu and how are they making that?" And one of the really big things that we ran into, and we also talked to some baristas and just kind of know that it's a common issue is, if baristas don't want to use the big syrup brands for their flavored lattes then they're making the syrups from scratch and they're usually making them the morning of before the coffee shop opens or the night before. And we've both been there where we're trying to open up a shop, we're running late, things are going wrong, and the last thing we want to do is start making some flavored simple syrups while trying to do coffee orders, while trying to put out pastries, the whole shebang.
So that was another kind of thing that was really at the forefront of our mind where we want these customizable, really high quality syrups that's distributable and scalable and easy for people to get into their shops or their homes without them having to go through the process of making it from scratch.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, I mean I want to talk to you a lot about the go-to market strategy because I feel like so many people have ideas for businesses, but so few of them end up in our shelves, in our kitchens, on our coffee counters. How did you think about getting the product out into coffee culture and what were some of the tactics that you used? Because something that you both mentioned is that you don't think there's a perfect playbook to starting a company. I would love to hear what things you did that you thought were unconventional or conventional and getting your product out there.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
There's a few things on that, which is having both had tech backgrounds, it's really easy to see tech companies especially you start a tech startup and they're running these crazy valuations. And then we've been seeing that in consumer for the last several years too. And now I think we were just like, that's just noise. We get to build a brand on our own terms and we can also take the time that we want in order to do that. We didn't go out and do a hundred thousand bottle production run and then try to go sell that. We can get it out there to test it with the customers, iterate on that. And then when we land on packaging, when we land on recipe, customer feedback and all of that, and we get a few coffee shops on board, we get some press, take it one step at a time. These are all breadcrumbs that add up to something bigger. So I think that not trying to jump the gun was one of the biggest things.
That so against the D to C [direct to consumer] e-commerce playbook, it's so against these headlines you see of, "In 18 months we got to an eight figure profitability, why are we not doing that?" I don't think that's a good way to guide a business. And especially when we see flavored syrups, like Lisa mentioned, there's two big brands that have been around for actually practically a hundred years starting in San Francisco by Italian immigrant families, pervasive throughout coffee culture everywhere. And so if we're trying to make our space in a market like that, the only way to also do it effectively is by taking our time to slowly tell the story and kind of have that ripple effect into as many coffee shops as possible.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I think that's also a testament to being sustainable. The coffee industry is $126 billion industry with practices where you're going into third world countries, you're building these systems. How do you think about sustainability and the sustainability practices that you have with Transcendence?
Lisa Yala:
There's quite a few different aspects that we really try to think of, but because it's just us two and because we're both perfectionists and we took a really long time really thinking through every aspect of our product, it allowed us to take a step back and say, where are we getting our spices from? Where are we getting our beans from? What do we want our packaging to look like? And just really going through every step from there. And there were really no times throughout our process that we were like, "Ah, it would be so much easier and cheaper if we got these spices that were not sustainably sourced from women's farms that are lower quality." There was never really a time, we were always on the same page for that. So it's nice having each other and not really having to worry or have those doubts. That's a direction that one of us wants to take the brand because we never really had to think about that.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's so beautiful and it's nice to know that. I feel like any founder relationship, it's two different people working on something together so it's nice to know that this really important part to your price point, the quality of your product is one that you were both a hundred percent unanimous on. I love your branding. I think it's adorable. I think with all the different waves of coffee culture, I think we're in the third or fourth wave now. I honestly can't keep up. It's so awesome. It's just very playful, but it also there's a sense of you really care about the quality. Lisa, you're the brains behind the branding and the design, so I'd love to hear how did you come up with the branding and how do you think about incorporating storytelling with the brand?
Lisa Yala:
It's funny because I didn't study graphic design or anything like that, but I just really enjoy visually appealing aesthetic things. That's just who I am as a person. We had at first, we had gone through so many iterations of design and logo, and we came up with something that we felt good about. And then poor Mitalee one day we jumped on a meeting and I was like, "I'm going to be honest, I hate everything about this." And she was like, "I figured you did. I could tell that you were not liking it." It was just too serious. It was a lot of neutrals. And I was like, we just really wanted to create something fun and approachable and youthful. And that's where we came up with our mascot. We call him Travi and he's like a globe slurping a cup of coffee. Because we just want it to be fun.
And I feel like a lot of the times international food can seem really unapproachable and that can shy people away from it. And we wanted to do the exact opposite because this is all about sharing flavors, still being respectful and paying tribute to the cultures that they originated from, but being able to share them with other people.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
That funny story was a good way to capture how we were like, let's take a pause. What do we really want this to look like? And I think our mascot color scheme, even fonts are just really fun, playful, inviting.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
We have a lot of aspiring and current entrepreneurs who listen to the podcast. And I mean, you guys are three years out of school starting your own companies. That must be really difficult. How has it been finding community within other food founders, within other female founders of color as you navigate the space of being entrepreneurs for the first time?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
There's no better city to be building this company than New York. I think there's so many founders and even just restaurateurs or bakery owners and coffee shop owners that we can talk to, which is great. There's a few mentors we've made just I don't even know how, just LinkedIn, online, Instagram, just connecting. I think the digital connections have helped us a lot. There's a few mentors I can think of off the top of my head that have helped us, like Sahra [Nguyen] from Nguyen Coffee Supply, Scout [Brisson] from De Soi.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's the non-alcoholic brand.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Non-alcoholic brand. Yeah. There's a few mentors who've just been a part of our journey too.
Lisa Yala:
I think one thing that really surprised me when we started is how willing and helpful everyone is. I think one thing that's really scary when you're starting a brand is there's no playbook. You just really got to figure it out. And as someone coming from a STEM [science, tech, engineering, math] engineering background, I'm very used to strict rules and criteria that need to be met and decide guidelines and stuff like that. So when you come into this space where it's like just don't break any laws and follow health code and do what you got to do, it's really overwhelming and scary. And I was just so surprised at how open and willing and giving other founders are in terms of connections and knowledge. And, "I made this mistake, don't do it." It's really easy to do it and it's like I would've had no idea. And having people help you also perpetuates the idea that you want to help other people and just creating that cycle and that community of founders.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
This could have just been a side hustle, but why did you think it was important to double down and start full-time on this project?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
In the beginning, this is just a personal perspective from where I was. I was just really comfortable in my last job. I wanted to really dive into it and I think that's just also the way I operate best. So if I let something be on the side, I don't know that I would be as attentive and excited and passionate. I mean it would be nice because that also is stressful, but I was just like, I know me and I know in order for this to really be as big as I wanted to become, I got to just give my full head space into it. So I think that was really the driving force of it.
Lisa Yala:
I actually still work my full-time job.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Oh okay.
Lisa Yala:
But I do feel like it provides a different perspective and I feel like I unfortunately am not financially in the spot where I can just completely do something on the side. But I do think it shows a lot of commitment and hard work to be able to have this full-time job, the temptation of safety and consistency that a nine to five provides, but still so passionate and working late nights and getting up extra early hours and just really wanting to make this work too.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. I think what I also love about the brand is you have this awesome element of storytelling and I think brands that tell stories really well, especially this story about this particular niche of coffee, how have you used Transcendence to enable both your individual passions for storytelling, and what ways do you think you do it differently or do you do it together?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
The biggest way I want Transcendence to be used is trying to say that we are experiencing something new or we're connecting to something we know and love. And I think there's nothing better than on a Sunday morning you and a few friends go to a coffee shop and you're just hang out there and catch up and you're all just drinking whatever's on the menu. So I think about that and how I could play a part in that experience. And if there's no greater personal joy than that type of relaxation, it's really cool to be a contributing factor to that.
Lisa Yala:
Taking that aspect of storytelling, I think it was a really big thing growing up. My mom is really into baking, especially Algerian desserts, which can be really intricate and honey and orange blossom are the cornerstone of all Algerian desserts. And I just have these memories of friends coming over and being like, "Okay, Lisa, what does your mom have for us to try today?" And them always being so taken aback about how different it is and being able to capture that feeling of I'm trying something new and I had no idea this existed and I didn't know I needed it in my life, and being able to share that feeling with other people.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Are there any fun stories or customer moments that you've had since building this company that you'd love to share?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Okay, so there's two off the top of my head. One is we've had the opportunity to pitch to many different coffee chains along the way, and we're going to keep getting those opportunities. I think what's really cool is a lot of times you'll go to coffee shops and people will be like, "Oh, I don't really get this." Or, "Do you have other flavors too?" Or you'll hear maybe negative feedback. But I think when we had this opportunity to pitch to a coffee chain and they were like, "Oh yeah, we totally get it, and baristas don't want to make syrups in-house every morning, these flavors are great." And then just hearing a manager be like, "Wow, oh wow, this is really good." I think that sort of feedback resonates with saying on the large scale, we're really hitting this problem point and have a solution for it, and we're excited to be everywhere. I think that was just a really cool moment customer feedback wise.
And then there's also this coffee shop that we're now a cafe partner with, The Lost Draft in Soho. Go check it out. But they have this honey rose latte, which uses our gulab jamun syrup. And it's so awesome because every time we drop off syrups there, they're like, "We've been waiting for this. This is one of our top sellers. This drink is so great."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, amazing.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
And that just is a really good feelgood moment. Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Congratulations. That's really impressive. As you're pitching and you're selling to companies, how do you think about your sales philosophy to one, deal with rejection, but also to make sure that you're confident as you're going in to sell your product. Because you are selling something that's fairly nascent to a lot of people and in such a niche industry, if anything.
Lisa Yala:
Definitely. Yeah. I think rejection is always hard, and me at least is definitely still something that working through because this is your baby. You create it, you bring it into this world, and you give it for people to try and obviously you want everyone to love it. And you can't please everyone, everyone has different tastes and preferences and that is what it is. But definitely sticking to your guns and the confidence and the decisions that you've made, whether that be higher quality ingredients for a higher price point and just saying that's just how the nature of this product is going to be, or fun and youthful packaging to make it more accessible to people without criticism on that point. Just things like that, really having the confidence to double down on the decisions that you're making and sticking with it.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
It can be tough. It's good to make it a point to say, we are both female founders and we're young, and that naturally just draws its own criticism where people are skeptical, "Oh, who are these young girls coming into our coffee shop to give us these syrups?" And so we're already fighting against that. So we're really honed in on our pitch of saying, "Your coffee shop is going to really elevate its menu by adding these syrups. And the whole suite of syrups that we imagine having down the line that are going to enhance your menu." So I think in the same way that specialty ingredients are finding their way into all of food and beverage, this is going to be a really cool avenue for that. Something we also like to say when we say you can't please everyone, it's also the opposite, which is the market can be big enough for all of us. So there's going to be certain coffee shops that just want the cheapest syrup and they're going to host that, and they're going to be like, "Why would I pay X amount of money for your syrups?"
But I do think there's so many specialty coffee shops that are like, "Okay, if you guys are using real saffron threads from Diaspora Co, we can't go wrong with that. That is delicious. It's higher quality and you guys are doing good in your sustainability practices. We want to be on board with that."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Huge fans of Diaspora Co, yeah Cherry Bombe. Where do you hope to see the company in the next five to 10 years?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
The common theme here for us is we really want to be all over New York. I think we want to start city at a time and then really go into other cities. I think in the near term, let's say in the next two years, I would love for us to see us in the many corner coffee shops, and for that to be a pretty normal discovery for a customer. Anything down the line in five years, five, seven years, it'd be really awesome to then tap into the home consumer by going into traditional retail. So then we can hit that consumer behavior of, "Oh, I go to this corner coffee shop every morning, it's my favorite. I started getting this Algerian baklava latte, it's so good." And then I'm like, "Oh, maybe I'm spending too much money at this coffee shop every morning. Let me just go see where I can buy some of the syrup and I'll make it at home."
So it's cool to kind of work towards that and then also keep driving our online giveaway partnerships, brands that we collaborate with just to really drive the sort of online fun aspect of our brand too.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. We are at huge manifestors on this podcast, so are there any dream brands or partnerships that you have on your big wishlist?
Lisa Yala:
I mean, definitely. Yeah, there's tons of big chains and we're just really in the space of making coffee fun. So, fun coffee brands. I'm a big Emma Chamberlain fan, so Chamberlain Coffee would always be a dream partnership. But really any of our favorite coffee chains out there, being able to even do a collaboration syrup with them.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
What are you thinking? You can say them. Don't be shy. It works.
Lisa Yala:
I don't even know if it-
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Oh no, we're big manifestors. But I think there's so many. In New York, at least Joe Coffee, La Colombe would be great.
Lisa Yala:
Definitely.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
And then in L.A. or California, Verve is really big. And then they do really fun drinks and then Foxtrot, manifesting Foxtrot.
Lisa Yala:
Yeah, maybe Foxtrot.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Okay. Well, anyone, Foxtrot, La Colombe, if you're listening, we've got some founders here for y'all. Are there any exciting project or flavors that you're thinking about now that you've really got your two flavors, gulab jamun and the baklava flavors out into the world? You've got beans in the world. You've recently ended up a popup at L'Appartement 4F.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, I think so. We have a ton of new flavors in the works. It's going to be really cool to just bring our ecosystem of syrups that are just higher quality into coffee shops. There's going to be a bunch that are drawing tribute to other international desserts that either we're talking to other friends, founders, people into the food and beverage industry, or we're also just trying to say, can we make a higher quality version of some of the classic syrups instead of using extracts and preservatives and acidifier? Whatever happened to just using a really good vanilla bean in syrup? So I think that's going to also be part of our projects.
Lisa Yala:
Definitely. Yeah. We're shooting to release a new flavor this summer, so-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, wow.
Lisa Yala:
Look out for that. That's going to be really-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Can we get a hint?
Lisa Yala:
... exciting. It's very summer and spring inspired.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Perfect. We're going to do a fun, awesome game that we call the Future Flash Five. Mitalee, Lisa, are you guys ready?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Yeah, we're ready.
Lisa Yala:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Okay. The future of baristas?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of CPG products?
Lisa Yala:
Inclusive.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of coffee?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Storytelling,
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of syrups?
Lisa Yala:
High quality.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future for female founders?
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Celebratory.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Well, Mitalee, Lisa, thank you both so much for joining us on the podcast. If we want to continue to support you, where are the best places to find you?
Lisa Yala:
Follow us on Instagram, pretty much all social media's, Transcendence Coffee. Check out our website, transcendencecoffee.com, and then also our personals. We post a lot of fun founders, female founder adventures on there too. My Instagram is @LisaYalaLa, a little la at the end there.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Just @MitaleeBharadwaj.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Thank you guys both so much.
Lisa Yala:
Thank you for having us.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Thanks.
Lisa Yala:
This was so much fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Of course. Before we go, our guest is going to leave a voicemail at The Future Of Food Is You mailbox just talking to themselves 10 years from now. You have reached The Future Of Food Is You mailbox. Please leave your message after the beep.
Lisa Yala:
Hi, Lisa. I hope this message finds you well and that you've filled the last 10 years with exploration, happiness, and a little bit of soul searching. At the moment, we've dedicated our twenties to pushing ourself out of our comfort zone and challenging ourself to grow. I know how easy it is for us to get wrapped up in the present and get overwhelmed with the future. So I want 2033 Lisa to pause for a moment and realize how far she's come and how much she's grown. With that being said, here's a little check-in. Where are you living these days? If it's not New York City, I hope you're living in a place that leaves you feeling inspired every time you leave the house, and allows you to surround yourself with people who make you feel accepted and loved. If you're living far from family, you better be calling mom and dad every day. Do we have any pets? Do we still try in a million outfits just to end up wearing the first one we tried on? Do we still eat oatmeal every day for breakfast? Do the troubles and woes of 24 year old Lisa still feel as anxiety-inducing as they do now?
If they don't, then let this serve as a reminder to not sweat the small stuff. Lastly, stop being so hard on yourself. You're one resilient, hardworking girl. Love you.
Mitalee Bharadwaj:
Hey, older Mitalee, I'm sure you're still a small but mighty woman. I hope you know that whatever risks I'm taking now made you who you are. Not based on the results, but just in the pursuit of trying your best. I hope you actually figured out that your passion and conviction doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself to succeed. Instead, I imagine that you're thriving in a beautiful, loving home with a partner and some little kiddos running, around making you smile and being a troublemaker just like you once were. I don't know if you're in New York or San Diego or living in another country altogether. But I know if you're real that you're still eating good and stay sipping on overpriced oat lattes. Actually, I hope oat milk isn't even an extra charge anymore. Better yet, I hope your house has a decked out La Marzocco and coffee bar that you always wanted, and maybe you even got as crazy as getting cold brew on tap.
Mit, I bet you made it happen, and you're so hard on yourself for no reason. There was probably no need for me to be in such a rush. I hope you're enjoying time with friends and family and getting to play some basketball too. I hope you push the boundaries on issues you cared about, an equitable public education system, giving women access to capital as an investor now, and continue shifting dialogue and food and beverage, especially coffee towards flavor and cultural inclusion. And if you didn't get to all those things, you still have so much time and I bet you're working on it every day. I hope you're experiencing and building all of these things with love and with a lot of fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's it for today's show. Do you know someone who you think is the future of food? Tell us about them. Nominate them at the link in our show notes, or leave us a rating and review and tell me about them in the review. I can't wait to read more about them. Thanks to Kerrygold and Walmart for supporting the show. The Future of Food Is You is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Thanks to the team at CityVox Studios, executive producers Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker, and associate producer Jenna Sadhu. Catch you on the future flip.