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"After being laid off in February 2022, Texas native Aliya Prasla impulsively decided to start Chaiwali and sell chai at the Dallas Farmers Market, researching Assam tea estates with her mother to source the CTC leaves used in her tea bags. Her brand offers several blends—masala chai, ginger chai, a “bougie” rose chai—and seasonal favorites like pumpkin spice chai and reindeer chai, and she blends Texan habits into her routine (pairing chai with Ritz crackers rather than Parle-G). A self-described chai purist, she serves piping-hot chai year-round but also developed an iced chai that became her best-selling product during a triple-digit summer." - Didi Paterno