PROFILE: ANI SANYAL
My conversation with Ani began sitting on a velvet burgundy couch in dim-light setting with a glass of Pinot, and a Grandmaster cocktail, at a speakeasy in lower Manhattan.
“I think the biggest thing was trying to create a space that reflected our culture, and our values. Where do you go if you’re a minority? Where do you fit? I’ve always been into creating spaces that don’t exist, that you wished existed.”
For Ani, creating a space, like his very own cafe called Kolkata Chai Co. which he opened up alongside with his brother, Ayan. Kolkata Chai, has been wrapping lines around the block, since the grand opening happened back in September. Kolkata Chai Co, is located at: 199 East 3rd St, New York. The cafe serves us with South Asian culture, history, traditional homemade masala chai with oat milk & cold brew variations with authentic herbs and spices.
His brother Ayan Sanyal, said the concept of starting Kolkata, was a trip to Rajasthan to visit their father. Along the journey, they encountered a young boy serving Chai Tea. The boy asked Ayan if he would like a cup of tea? Ayan, said: “It was the best tea I ever tasted, and it was a life changing experience for me.”
For Ani Sanyal, 32 , CEO at Green Room Creative, Real Estate Investor, managing his best friend, Anik Khan, a Bengali-American hip hop artist, kidney failure survivor, and now co-founder of his cafe. How does he manage it all?
Ani, wants to inspire minority entrepreneurs to embrace their roots with their businesses. He explains to us about the core ethics of his business, the importance of his culture, entrepreneurship, and why he thinks a good coffee should be valued for all people.
“We felt that the narrative around chai wasn’t being communicated by people who actually came from the culture. It was dominated by outsiders and as entrepreneurs who are very in touch with where we come from, we wanted to disrupt the market.”
I myself was inspired by Ani, and couldn’t wait to engage in conversation about his family, and values, and what made him the man he is today. I wanted to understand how someone in their 30’s is literally betting everything on himself, and winning while doing it. Not to mention, he’s very handsome, well dressed, wearing a simple white crew neck sweatshirt, with some denim jeans, and crispy white sneakers looking like GQ’s “Casual Look Friday” ad.
“I grew up between Boston, and New York with both my parents and my brother. We didn’t have a lot but we had each other and that drove home a strong sense of family early on. I just come from very simple, humble people. I thought New York was my home, until I went back to India. I met my grandparents, aunts, and all these people that love you the same way your parents do, and that starts feeling like home. I’ve always straddled between the U.S. and India as my two homes. I feel equally comfortable in either place.”
I decided to visit the shop, and the decor was absolutely beautiful. With a beautiful gold art piece of the U.S. spelling out the word “Immigrant”, brick walls stacked with good reads like: “The Good Immigrant, India after Independence, green plants that weren’t wilted, the smell of herbs and spices gracing the front register, and “Get Rich or Chai Tryin” t-shirts. This place really makes anyone feel like “Home.”
Neil, 27, a customer, from Yonkers, says: “This place makes me feel like home, I’m mixed with two different cultures, my family is from both Trinidad, and Pradesh, so the fact that I have two different values and customs makes me keep coming here. I grew up on tea with my family, I grew up on spices and herbs, that’s what makes me me.”
What is it about Kolkata Chai Co. that moved us both? All of this was on my mind when I met with Ani. I wanted to know what was deeply within him — much the way it stirs in me.
“I didn’t like how people that look like me were being treated. Mainly black and brown people in America. Two things in America you can’t be: you can’t be poor, and you can’t be black or brown. The world just treats you differently, and that doesn’t sit right with me, and I felt like I needed to do something about that.”
For someone who knows how that can feel, is one of Ani’s friends Darren Bowen, producer, for the culture based marketing event agency called “Driven Society.”
“Ani is a great guy. I’ve spent a few moments with him, and each time we met, I can say that Ani is a very intentional person. He knows how to value time and be present. He always knows the appropriate measure to strike. I suspect it’s because he has often considered his mortality while battling kidney failure at one point in his life. He is purposeful and inspiring.”
So, when I asked Ani what made him want to become a businessman at such a young age, he reverted back to his roots of his “Baba” which means “Father.”
“ I watched my dad repeatedly get laid off and lose his job when I was younger. That sense of hopelessness and feeling that your life was in someone else’s hand never sat right with me. I knew that whatever I would do, I would own and control so that no one could threaten my ability to put food on my family’s plate.”
As we ordered our drinks, Ani, ditched the wine, and went for a better drink with a kick. I chose to stick with something I’m good at… a “Manhattan.” I wanted to know what struggles Ani faced to get to the position he is in now. I had to know if he’s ever had any problems climbing up the ladder of success.
“I went through some real life situations that forced me to have patience. I had a gruesome kidney failure where I nearly faced death, I had an ugly falling out with my business partner, emptied out my personal savings account, lawsuits thrown at me, and a $30,000 setback. 2019, I put a lot of my money out there in the streets. Whether that was investing in property, ideas, businesses, or with people. Every month, or year is different. I’m learning how to recapitalize, because some days you’re like “Damn, I don’t know if I can pay my employees.” So, I’m going through all those emotions right now, but you have to find a way.
With all those emotions, and struggles everyday, I had to know what’s a day like with Ani. With a cool, calm, and collective demeanor, I wanted to know how does Ani prepare for the day.
“I’m very routine, I wake up at 8:00 AM everyday. I pray, meditate, and shower. I think how you dress is important so I take a little time putting things together. I block my time out, so I know where every minute is going. No two days are the same for me.”
With food, culture, and values, it’s really nice to hear someone speak about what does home mean to them. How combining both business and traditions in one, can make a difference in people’s lives. Ani has goals for the upcoming 2020 year, and plans to execute every single last one.
“I think being balanced is important, and my job is to make sure I can help other people do what I did for myself, and apply it to their lives. I want to open up more cafes, co-working facilities, and healthy bodegas. Bet on yourself, don’t let other people tell you what you can or can’t do, and if you’re undeniably good at what you do, the world will find out.”
