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THEREANDISHOW 006 - Interviewing 4th Generation Coffee Grower and Co-founder of Chik Monk Coffee, Nandini Jayaprasad!

• Daniel Clavijo

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The REAL Estate & Investment Show - Episode 006 - Nandini Jayaprasad!

When does a cup of coffee become more than just a delicious beverage? How does it become a cup of love? Find out from fourth generation coffee grower and co-founder of local Palm Beach, FL coffee shop sensation Nandini Jayaprasad!

In this episode of The REAL Estate and Investment Show, host Daniel Clavijo sits down with Nandini Jayaprasad to learn about her journey and experience in the coffee world, from learning about her family's estate in Chikmagalur, India where the coffee is grown and sourced, to the process of bringing it to the United States and sharing it with the Palm Beach community. Along with her husband David, Nandini founded Chik Monk in 2019 and have since established quite a presence!

In this conversation:

  • The labor-intensive, year-long process of coffee production, which occurs on hilly terrain and requires manual harvesting
  • Sustainability is a core component, with the farm being Rainforest Alliance certified
  • The importance of family in business, combining an agricultural background with one in hospitality
  • How meditation and yoga helped in development, navigating business challenges with calm and awareness   
  • Making a lasting impact in local communities and internationally!

Whether you're starting a business or a fan of great coffee, this episode is loaded with great tips and experience!

Connect with Nandini:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechikmonk/
• Website: https://chikmonk.com/

Watch on YouTube! https://youtu.be/qMH855wfi_c

For business inquiries, you can reach me at info@thereandishow.com

*Some of the links and other products that may appear on this video are from companies which THEREANDISHOW will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. THEREANDISHOW is part of an affiliate network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. This is not investment advice.

SPEAKER_03

It's the real real estate and investment show with Daniel Polito. The number one show for real estate and investment interface. Brought to you in part by Wadi Associa. Residential architecture of distinction. For 50 years, delivering high-quality architectural and interior design services, serving New Canaan, Palm Beach, and beyond. And by RenQuest, specializing in the renovation and restoration of vintage automobiles. Renquest. It's why we drive. Room, room. And now, it's time for the Real Estate and Investment Show with Daniel Clavijo. Alright, hello, and thank you for tuning in to the Real Estate and Investment Show with Daniel Clavijo. I am Daniel Clavijo, coming to you from Beautiful, Sunny, Palm Beach, Florida. What is the real estate and investment show and who am I, you may ask? Well, our show wants to focus on the experience of amazing people in the real estate and investment space and share their knowledge with you, our wonderful audience. I truly hope that together we spark some ideas and inspiration for you wherever that may be. And who am I? Well, I'm an architect grad from the University of Miami, MBA grad from NYU Stern, and I've been designing homes in Palm Beach and the surrounding areas for over a decade. I now also get to share the stories of such talented individuals with you. Questions or suggestions about our show, write to us at info at the reandyshow.com. That also spells out theirandishow.com, the abbreviated form of the real estate and investment show. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts, we appreciate your help. Like, comment, follow, subscribe, and above all, share with your friends and family. It's thanks to you that we will be able to grow and bring you high quality content and guests in the real estate and investment space. Speaking of which, we have an amazing guest with us today. She is the co-owner, along with her husband, of a specialty coffee company with a popular local cafe here in the town of Palm Beach. A fourth-generation coffee grower, she sources the unique, farmer-owned, and locally roasted coffee from her family estates in Shikmalur, India, which in 2019 won silver in the golden bean competition out of nearly 1,400 competitors. She is also a certified yoga instructor and enjoys yoga and meditation. She is the woman, the wonder, the legend, the one and only Nandani Jayabrasad. Nandami. Thank you so much for being on the show.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you, Daniel. That was a wonderful introduction.

SPEAKER_03

I'm glad you liked it. Uh now, your company, Chickmunk, is quite an impressive story of, I would say, family, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. And I think it is a story our listeners and viewers would love to learn and see if it can be some sort of inspiration for them on their own journey to, you know, establish a business. Um your journey, so also meditation, as you explained to me before, and I hope we get a touch on that, how that was very crucial for you in developing. So as we say cheers, please tell the audience a little bit about your background, your bio, and please take it away.

SPEAKER_01

Um I'm Nandani Jayaprasad, and um I'm a I would say third or fourth generation coffee uh grower from India. And um I met my husband David in in Palm Beach. Uh no, sorry, I mean I met my husband David, who's from Palm Beach in Michigan, in India.

SPEAKER_03

Nice.

SPEAKER_01

And he comes from a hospitality background, so he has restaurants and uh I mean his father had restaurants throughout the country. So when we got married, we sort of also married our backgrounds together. So I brought my agricultural coffee experience and he brought his hospitality restaurant experience, and we decided we'll start a cafe. And um, we thought, I mean, since he had uh some sort of history in Palm Beach with Charlie's Crab and Chuck and Harold's his father was a partner with them.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, amazing. I I love Charlie's Crab. I'm very disappointed that it's not here anymore.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so um my father-in-law is no more around. So but then we said let's let's try it in Palm Beach. So we started off um in 2019. Uh we started Chickmunk, um, bringing coffee from our family estates in India, roasting it locally, that was very important.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

And we went through a ton of roasters and we finally found um Oceana Coffee and we got along with them. They roast the coffee. And we started at Farmers Markets in 2019. That's how we started.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. And prior to actually establishing Chickmunk, um, what's the story behind your family estate in in India and how you grew up then to also join the business?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. So um from what we know, my great-grandfather um had like smaller coffee estates, farms, whatever. And then the India was still under the British rule at that point. So I uh I think Indian farmers weren't allowed to have huge holdings, or there was some sort of rule.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

And then my grandfather was uh had um was a huge part in the the Freedom of India movement against the British and stuff. So during that time is when the British left India and they sold all the coffee uh plantations to the Indian farmers. That's when my grandfather went and bought up more. And so it just sort of passed on great-grandfather, grandfather, then my dad. And we are three girls, um, my sisters and I. Yes. So we're the next generation that's taking it over.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. And set the scene for our audience who might not be, as I am, not too familiar with the geography of India. This is in the western region, very high in the mountains, correct?

SPEAKER_01

We're about um uh 4,000 feet, an average 4,000 feet elevation. And um, this is the rainforest. So if you want to set if you want me to set the scene, it's it's literally um the coffee growing under the rain rainforest. You wake up to birds and animals and everything. It's yes, um, you're basically in this lush jungle with coffee growing. I mean, you get unlimited supply of oxygen, is what we call it. Um, and so it's it's not a bad place to live.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. It's um, you know, when when I think about coffee, when a lot of people think about coffee, I think they're mostly focused on, you know, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, all these other places. But um, it is, of course, as you say, there is this region in India that is the rainforest, and it's quite an interesting way how the coffee beans got there, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Did you read that story?

SPEAKER_03

I read the story. Could you share it with the audience?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. So Baba Budan, he was a Sufi saint, and back in the days, um, like Yemen, there's a little bit of North Africa, uh, but that's kind of between Ethiopia and Yemen, is where coffee was discovered by the Arabs. Um, and they kind of came up with this concoction that kept them awake for long hours.

SPEAKER_03

Hence the Arabic a beans. Right.

SPEAKER_01

And there's some sort of a history, I don't know how true this is, that sort of the goat herds noticed that their goats were eating leaves of this plant and were like going hyper. And that's when that's when they figured out something about it. Right. So from there, Baba Buddha um stole seven beans of coffee and brought it over to Chick Muggler, where I'm from. And it started growing really well. Um, and that's when the British were also in India. So they decided, oh, this is a cash crop. From there it went to Indonesia, to the Portuguese, and from there it went to the Caribbean and South America. So India has actually been growing coffee a lot longer.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. How big is the estate roughly, would you say?

SPEAKER_01

About 400 acres, what I would say. Impressive. Yeah, and it is like on a hilly terrain. So unlike Brazil, um, or not all of Brazil, but some parts where it's flat or land, you know, you can you can use like machines to pick coffee. For us, it has to be manual.

SPEAKER_03

All done by hand.

SPEAKER_01

Because it isn't slopes, but I mean grown on slopes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And that's something that is of course very interesting about the way that you have it as well. Part of the, I would say, ethos behind your company. And I'm just gonna read something that from another interview that you had done that you had mentioned that you noticed that the coffee growers weren't getting enough credit for their crops. And roasters typically source from brokers where coffee is aggregated at the country level. They roast the raw coffee and sell it under their brand names. The story of the farmer dies once the coffee is shipped out. And that really resonated with me because it is so true that you know, there are even here in the United States, other places in the world, um, you know, farmers maintain the food, the livelihood for all of the world, right? So, what was something with this message that you were trying to get across to have that impact, remember the farmers and the people who were working the land?

SPEAKER_01

Um, I think one thing I do tell people is I I sometimes, you know, people say, Oh, the price of coffee is so high and everything. And I'm like, yeah, one cup of coffee pretty much is the salary of one entire, you know, family for a day.

SPEAKER_03

That for a day.

SPEAKER_01

Like I'm just saying what the final you're paying for it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um for a day, or you know, it just depends on what you're charging. But yeah, that's sort of the livelihood. So it's easy for people to bargain, but you don't understand without people, without employees and anything, you you're not gonna get that coffee. It's not easy. Um, so it was important for us because and and the roasters, it's totally fine, you know, they do the they take the final risk of selling the coffee and stuff. But no one like really knows how coffee is grown, how how it's picked, it's very specific. It's not just like you know, pulling the the beans out, it's there's a specific way where you don't hurt the bud for future crops and stuff, and no one really knows that story. So for me, it was just a way to let people know, like, enjoy the cup of coffee that you're drinking because it's taken a whole year for it to grow. It's an annual crop, it's just a once-year crop. Um, so like you know, just be mindful and enjoy it.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I had the opportunity once to, you know, go to one of these. Uh it was in South America, how the coffee was produced and everything. But again, for our listeners and viewers, um, share the story, the process of that one year long road, and then when it comes time to harvest, what what does that look like over there?

SPEAKER_01

Um so around March is when we get our March, April, actually.

SPEAKER_03

Um around this time we're we're we're we'll we're filming in April. This will hopefully be out in May.

SPEAKER_01

So we have our first the coffee blossom where the coffee flowers bloom throughout the um I actually should have sent some pictures for your issue.

SPEAKER_03

We're gonna put them we're gonna put them later on on the YouTube. So for our listening audience, you should migrate to our YouTube page. We're gonna be showing some images on the screen of all these things and and possibly of the current local harvest so that you know when you're getting a cup of coffee from Chickmunk, that's where you know that that that was happening right there. You might have gotten those exact beans. So keep on.

SPEAKER_01

So we have these flowers that sort of look like jasmine. So the whole um, the whole plantation, all the hills are covered with these white flowers, and it almost looks like it snowed in the morning. And then a week later it withers off, and that's when the actual they say coffee bean, but it's actually a berry, it's a cherry.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

So that's when the bean, the bud starts growing. So throughout the monsoons, which is um which starts in sort of May and June, goes all the way till October, it's that's when the coffee will literally start developing and growing. And then um and it's very tricky because you need the right amount, and since it's grown under shade, we have trees that kind of cover it, you need the right amount of shade and sunlight. If you have too much shade, it could destroy your crop if you get heavy rains. If you don't have enough shade, you're not getting enough sunlight and the the berries won't really grow well. So it's just some it's not something that you learn in a textbook, it's just something that's passed down. You know, I see my dad looking up and he's like, oh no, that's that's been pruned a little too much. And I'm just, you know, I always wonder like how are we going to but um so it takes that long, and then around October, November, you'll see these like green berries. Um not November, sorry, by the end of the monsoons, and then once the sunlight you get a little bit of sunlight towards after the monsoons is when it'll ripen and become red berries.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And that's when you pick it. Gotcha. And you have to find that optimal colour. You don't want it to get overripe, you don't want it to be underripe.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

And then um that's when people go out and specialize labor that pick the coffee and um and then we pulp it, we remove the outer skin and the flesh, or sometimes you keep the flesh. It's different ways of processing it. Right. And then it's uh dried, and for us we dry it um under the sun. So it's sun-dried for about a week. And you have to rake it every hour so that it it dries evenly under the winter sun.

SPEAKER_02

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01

And then once it's uh dry, we send it to this uh processing plant um where they remove the skin, the outer dry skin. And that's when you get your green beans.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And then the process, then at that point, it'll get shipped over here to the United States. Um about how much in terms of like size quantity does do you know that you guys produce?

SPEAKER_01

We produce um we produce over, uh I mean, you know, possibly closer to um closer to like 100 metric tons. Okay. What we're bringing here is just about we're so far bringing about eight to ten metric tons.

SPEAKER_03

Gotcha. And the rest of those metric tons go towards it mostly goes to Europe. Europe. Very nice. You have uh partners that you've had long established over the time there that are able to get it, and uh part of that is as as you know uh you can't fully get rid of the unknowns, right? But I'm I'm s I would assume that this goes towards you know the larger coffee producers, perhaps.

SPEAKER_01

And yeah, gotcha. They buy it like in France and then they distribute it to Belgium. We uh had buyers in the UK as well. Coaster coffee used to buy from us before. Uh huh. But since then they've been bought over by Coca-Cola, so they're not anymore.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

Um also I have uh my one of my sisters lives in Texas and she also sells uh coffees, so she buys some of the green coffee as well. Gotcha. But like small quantities like me.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Um, but yeah, so that's eight or nine metric tons still is no small quantity, I would say, but uh in the grand scheme of things, perhaps. But it's very an interesting process, I would say, and something that um is definitely worthwhile finding out about. Uh do you go back to India every so often to check?

SPEAKER_01

I do. I go at least um at least twice a year.

SPEAKER_03

Twice a year? Yeah. Nice. And how does how does it feel when you are back back home over there?

SPEAKER_01

Um, it's obviously completely different from like being here in in Florida, South Florida, but um it feels great. I was just there in January, so I got to see a little bit of the harvest. Um I was there for my also for my sister's wedding, but congratulations. Thank you. It just coincided with the harvest, so I got to see all of that. It was really good.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. And that aspect as well, the aspect of how you kept this in the family and this story of we'll say woman empowerment, woman-led business, how important was that for you? Because especially um, well, still uh granted mo most of the world, but especially we'll say India and this region where you come from, it's a very patriarchal, male-dominated society. How did that change, develop, and how important was that for you to continue on the family business?

SPEAKER_01

It still is, it's work in progress in India. Uh like you said, it is sort of like patriarchal. Um, it's just hard to get people to still like listen to or take your word for something since you're you know a woman. Um, but that we we have to change it. And um I think also growing up and my dad didn't have any sons, so it was kind of like, okay, we are the ones that's gonna take this forward. And as um and coming here and starting chickmunk here, um, this part was a lot easier, I would say, being a woman. It wasn't as difficult as being in like the farm.

SPEAKER_03

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

Um, so that's something we're still working actually on.

SPEAKER_03

Gotcha, gotcha. And that other side to it as well, where you have the sustainability aspect. Yeah, your Rainforest Alliance certified. Tell us a little bit about that story and what's that means to you to be able to make sure that you're taking care of the earth in this great and sustainable way.

SPEAKER_01

Um so the Rainforest Alliance uh is uh is a board that um it's like a 360 degree approach. It's not just about the soil or the fertilizers that you know that are banned and stuff, but it also takes care of your workers, um, animals, wildlife, um the trees and birds and stuff. So that something we had anyway. So it was just a matter of, oh, we have we're working on all of this, we just need to get it, get certified. Yes. Um, also, people don't realize that um sustainability and quality go hand in hand. In the beginning, when we started Chickmunk, we we'd talk about sustainability, and a lot of people would roll their eyes, like, okay, we don't really care about it. But then we were trying to tell people, no, you don't understand. It's the the trees and the wildlife and everything, you know, it's all goes hand in hand.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Um like having all those trees protects it and really gives you a good crop, as opposed to not having any trees that cover your plants, because you're just you know, it's open, you know, they're not developing the flavors slowly.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and of course the animals, and you know, um we have uh we also harvest rainwater, so the lakes and ponds that we build um are not just for irrigation, it's for the community and with the animals. Do we have elephants, leopards? Um so it just keeps up the whole ecosystem.

SPEAKER_03

Any any um tours that you guys have of the of the estate or we've been thinking about that for a while. It's a pretty good idea. I mean, like um I'd probably sign up and go. Uh you get the again these experiences where I've either visited or have been invited, and you get to see the process of you know how the coffee is produced and everything, right? And I think it helps people better appreciate, you know, the process, right? Because it becomes something tangible that they see, they bill it under like eco-tourism, right? And um could be could be something, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we're definitely working on that, so we'll keep everyone posted.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. Now, um Chickmunk, of course, the name comes partly because of the region, Chickmunk, or but uh where how how did you develop that? What was because that sounds like a a fun a fun thing to develop that that name and the and the logo.

SPEAKER_01

So that was definitely David's um idea. And I think part of it came because of my whole spiritual meditation journey. Um where I was, you know, I mean, at one point I was like, I think I might become a monk. There you go. Um so he kind of did a play on the word chickmagal for chickmunk. Yes. And uh then he wanted this meditating chipmunk as our logo.

SPEAKER_03

There it is. It's really nice, very cute, and it has a story behind it. Everything should, right? And um of course you have your your shop on the island, you do, as you said, in in the local markets. Um, you also cater to private business and and school events, right? Yeah and yeah, uh something that I found interesting in one of the other interviews that you and David gave was our goal is to have a positive impact on the community through a cup of coffee, coffee, or as we call it, a cup of love.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

So how I I can definitely see that face up of all we've talked about, and and you know, people who love uh chickmunk, but how did that grow and develop? What does that really like mean to you?

SPEAKER_01

I think so. I wasn't in the retail side at all. I I I had never seen customers drink our coffee. Like I said, once our coffee is shipped off, you never see the end product.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Um actually, I don't I mean, unless we roast our own coffee at home, we don't we don't know who's drinking it or anything. So for me it was just something new in the beginning. And David, his father was in the business, but he hadn't like you know met customers and stuff. So when we started it, it was kind of something fun, and we were like, what are we gonna lose? Let's just set this up.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And um, you know, we had both our families backing us. So it started off as something fun and um it grew. And I think so. We're using coffee as a way to spread love and in the community. And there were so many people in Palm Beach who realized that, you know, they just want to come and hang out at the coffee. Coffee shop. Right. And I mean you must have seen when you come in there. There are people like every day, they're just hanging out.

SPEAKER_03

Yep. Inside, outside. You got a nice little setup there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So we were like, this is really good. We've created a community. And it's not I mean, of course, the coffee is is a is part of it, but it was the community that mattered most to us.

SPEAKER_02

Of course.

SPEAKER_01

And um and that's what we we wherever we expand, that's where we want to take that same concept.

SPEAKER_03

Gotcha. And of course, on the side of all of this entrepreneurship, again, you had this background from um your husband and his family, and again, your background from your family being the coffee uh growers, but it is a story very much of entrepreneurship, I would say. You've got you've had to handle logistics, marketing, um, retail, all of these things almost completely by yourselves. What are some key takeaways you've learned from starting a business? You've had challenges, you had the experience. What are some lessons that you've learned over time, you'd say?

SPEAKER_01

Um, the lessons I would say are you can read about every single thing, but nothing goes as plan. And there will be things that come up your way, and you just just have to like roll with it, I think. Yes.

SPEAKER_03

I think it's Mike Tyson who's attributed that everybody has a plan until you're punched in the face.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Exactly. So I think that's just what it was. But like in the beginning, we don't know, we're like, you know, calling everyone for logistics and our shipments stuck somewhere. We're like, how do we get this out? Right. I mean, uh we had all these challenges, and David and I did every single thing when we started off. We were uh we were the baristas, we were we still are.

SPEAKER_03

We have some help sometimes.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, but now we have help, yes. Um, so I think that's just like in the beginning, you've just got to do everything that you're good at. And then when you have um when you can get to a place, you can hire people and do stuff, it is good to do it. And we definitely did not overinvest in the beginning. All our machines, we just bought simple machines, we bought went to our roasters and got what we could. Some of them were used, but these machines from Italy are really good. It's it's like buying a car. You don't need a brand new car sometimes if it's in a good condition, kept well. Um, and so that's all we did. And I do sometimes see other people or cafes where I mean it's nice, it's pretty, but it's if you've overinvested, I I don't know in the beginning if that's such a good idea. But for us, we definitely went. We were very conservative.

SPEAKER_03

Right. And it makes sense because you know, as you're able to, as they say here, bootstrap the business, do it very um bare bones, you're able to then still take the money that you generate, and reinvest it into the business, and eventually you'll get there. So it's definitely a lesson for people to take into account as they're developing their own business ideas.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I do have to tell you this one story. Our bar in the when we first started off with our current location. Yes, we found it on Facebook Marketplace for like 150 bucks. We drove like an hour away to pick it up. Yes. And we had that for two years, and then finally we're like, I think we need a bigger bar than this. And that's when we were like, oh, we can get a custom-made one, and we spent a little bit on it. There you go.

SPEAKER_03

And you also had um the store nicely uh decorated, designed by Nicolas, who is one of our previous guests, so it's always nice to see how that community aspect continues to re-emerge. Um, I would also say that, of course, uh as you've mentioned, you've had your husband and his family, and of course, your family helping it out, but the who you marry becomes such a huge decision in your life and impacts so many things. What uh how did you guys meet and how did that develop into now uh a business relationship as well?

SPEAKER_01

So we met in India at a coffee shop.

SPEAKER_03

Oh wow, look at that.

SPEAKER_01

And um, I think the coffee shop was part of their whole uh the logo was uh a lot can happen over coffee.

SPEAKER_03

That's that was the that was the logo? Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01

A slogan, slogan.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And um, and so yeah, we met there. He was in India doing um he was doing a study abroad program. He was studying in Germany.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

And then we met and he lived in India for some time as well. And um and then we got married, moved, we lived in Michigan for some time. Nice. And we when his father was alive is when we actually started the idea of maybe uh bringing coffee over here and doing something. And then when his father passed, we moved to Palm Beach, and that's when we started it. It is it is a little tricky when you're working with your spouse.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

It took some time and patience from both our sides, obviously, because you don't know it's the line is blurred. Like, where are you a couple and two business partners, right?

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_01

So it it was something you know, it took some time for us to be like, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Get into that rhythm. But you managed to find it, and it takes two to tango. So that's great. Now uh one of the things as well that um you mentioned, of course, is your spiritual journey and how that helped develop your business. So can you give us a little bit of a background to that story and how that impacted you and and and Chickmunk?

SPEAKER_01

Um, so this is after David and I got married, um, and his father was uh, you know, and he passed. I kind of went on this whole spiritual journey. I went actually traveled back to India. I stayed in monasteries, I stayed in ashrams and in um in India. And um it just really I I it's something that I can't like you have to feel it to know where it is, but it just changed my whole uh perspective on life. And um I I took a few, I mean I'd go back and forth, obviously. I didn't go live for years, but I went back and forth and um it took a couple of years and I came back with a renewed sense of purpose and um what what's even to like help because at one point I was like, do I want to get in this rat face and this whole money thing? But then I was like, no, we do need even to go help someone out in the world, you you know, you have to have money, you have to something. And I remember I went to this women's um some business conference, and uh the lady was like, I just want to know why are you all in business or something? And everyone said, Oh, it's because I want to get out of the house, I want this, I want that. But the lady came back and said, Not one of you said you want to be profitable, and that's when it kind of hit me. I'm like, Oh, it is about profits, being business. So my whole spiritual journey definitely changed my whole perspective on why I wanted to do this, what I want to do with the profits and stuff like that. And I don't know if you read, but we do give back to our community, the coffee community.

SPEAKER_03

Please inform our audience about that. Before I do, I wanted to get to that point of what you're saying about business, and just as a reading suggestion, one of the great books is called uh The Goal. Um uh Eliapu Goldrat, I believe, is the author, and it makes a point pretty early on in the book is that the point of a business, like you can say whatever it is, whatever business you do, but the point of a business is to make money, right? Yes, and so you find ways how to do that in terms of um, in some cases, you're developing supply chain or you're doing something, in this case, you're doing retail, and all the things that go behind it, of course, it's not just one avenue. Um, but you can say that you want to make your customers' lives easier. You can say you want to sell the best handheld device or whatever, but at the end of the day, you are a business, you're not a charity, you're making money. Um, it's very important to give back to the community, but um that part resonates with me as well when you know I'm working on on stuff, so it's uh just wanted to make that point. But yes, please tell us a little bit more about how you were saying, um, which goes back to that aspect of charity, how you give back to the community, which again is a very crucial part that I think all businesses should take into account.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so it came down to again, we'll give part portion of our profit away. Because if you don't have profit, what are you giving away?

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

And like you said, I can say I want to give create a community, I want to give everyone a great cup of coffee, but if I'm not profitable, I don't have anything to give. Right. So uh we did say that. So we do um encourage um children in our coffee community to study. We pitch in for that.

SPEAKER_03

In India.

SPEAKER_01

In India. And in here in Palm Beach, we uh do the Beach Bucket Foundation, we sponsor the buckets too for beach cleanups as well. Um so um that's that's part of the whole uh the giving back.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And uh the whole spiritual journey also just changed my way. Like a lot of times, you know, when you you get you get thrown a curveball, right? You can just so easily stress out, but my whole spiritual journey has just like really helped me navigate through this whole process just calmly. Like right now I'm really calm, but there's a not going on.

SPEAKER_03

I read that as well in one of your interviews. Can you explain to the audience what that means that you have fire inside of yourself?

SPEAKER_00

What is saying that in something?

SPEAKER_03

You said you said you're predominantly pita, which means you have a lot of fire in you. So for some who might not be familiar with that aspect, can can you explain more or less what what that means?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, so um that's an Ayurveda, that's like an ancient um Indian philosophy. So all of us have different aspects of our personality that's um inherent in our bodies as well. So pitta is fire, vata is uh air, and kappa is like the water element in the body.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

So the the whole point of it is for all three to be balanced, and sometimes one of them are more um dominant, and uh what they say is uh you know, you need like fire, pitta is something that helps drive you, of course, and then uh vata the air. If you're like more on the calm, there's tam sick and raj sick, that's that's another different topic, but the ones they said all the people that went and fought in wars, the kings and everything, had to be more Raj Sik, that's the fire sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

And the other the people, the sages that were like meditating and calm and Himalayas, they have this other aspect, right? So it's about balance, but it's also about what this point in life, what you want. So for me, that pipa is what's driving me at this point.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. But at some point in my life I want to be calm and just meditate and is that easy to I'm sure it's a process, but how is that to to change those um those balances? How do you know what your what your balance is?

SPEAKER_01

It's it is tricky because you don't know like when is when is it enough, like enough is enough sort of thing, right?

SPEAKER_02

It's never um again.

SPEAKER_01

Another philosophy of Hollow from India is that um we're in this right now, this part of our lives that they call the household uh part where this is when we earn our living and you know create families and kids and stuff. And they say towards your end of life is when you give away your material, not give away, but like don't have any attachment towards your material stuff, and then just you know, you go and you like retire and live your life peacefully and meditate, is what they say. Because in India we again believe in uh the reincarnation. So they basically they say you go into your next life just calm and peaceful and not attached to your physical material things.

SPEAKER_03

All right.

SPEAKER_01

So maybe that's my plan. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03

We'll see what happens. I guess you'll you'll let us know.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe we'll do a podcast in the Himalaya somewhere.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, I'll hold you to that. Um, you had also mentioned in one of another um interviews that you had done that uh one of your inspirations was Deepak Chopra's Seven Laws of Success. So can you give a little bit of a background to that to our listeners and viewers who might be interested, who may not know, even though he's very well known about a little bit about that and how that inspired you?

SPEAKER_01

Um The Seven Laws of Success, yes. Um I just it's been a long time, at least 10 years, since I read that book.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

But from what I can remember, some of them were there was one law that was the law of least resistance. So when sometimes you have to make a decision whether it's um work-related or personal or something, it's just which one feels least resistant to or whatever to you.

SPEAKER_03

Sure.

SPEAKER_01

Um that was one I followed, and then there were others on um helping others. It's you when you help others when you're in a you know, like everyone, everyone sort of does well. There's no reason to not help someone. Right. Of course, choose who you help. You don't want to help someone that's eventually gonna step over you and stuff. Right. But when you're surrounded by people, your friends and family, um, it's help someone because that's gonna come back to you. So those small things just stayed with me, and I I do go out of my way if someone needs anything. That's awesome to help people.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. It's very important to do.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

And you had also mentioned that you had a meeting with the Dalai Lama at one point. Tell us a little about that. That that's something that not everybody does every day, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Um, I was meditating in Daramshala, that's in um the foothills of the Himalayas. I was in a monastery, and uh he happened to be um speaking for like three days, like teaching actually in Tibetan, but they had like a translation to English as well.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

And I went every single morning, and then um the last morning I I happened to know the photographer of the Dalai Lama, so I briefly met him and he said, Okay, he said, if I see you in the Dalai Lama, take a picture. I said, Okay, but I had no idea there were thousands of people there. Right. And um, I got a spot right in front, and I was I was there and the Dalai Lama was walking, and I kind of just bowed in reverence to him. And I don't know how amongst thousands of people he walked up to me and he blessed me, he put his hand on my hand. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03

There we go.

SPEAKER_01

And in that those few seconds he took a picture. So I actually do have that picture.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, terrific. Well, if you see how if he's into that picture, we'll put it up there as well. That'll be fun. That's uh very impressive. So, what other things can you tell us in terms of that um meditation journey and that you do and you practice yoga? How was that process of becoming uh a certified yoga instructor? This was all in in this time that you were traveling back to India, or was there also a component when you were here in the United States back?

SPEAKER_01

It was mostly traveling back and forth. And when I uh studied yoga and meditation, I was doing it mostly for myself. But when I came back, uh everyone was just interested in my journey, what happened, and they were like, teach us, and so I sort of started teaching yoga and meditation without really meaning to.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and then a lot it actually did help a lot of people. And I also volunteered at hospice when I was in Michigan.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and that um it just it was, yeah, it was fulfilling just being with people towards the end of life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. Any tips or suggestions you'd like to give to the audience about trying to find that inner peace through meditation or or yoga, something that perhaps uh we probably there may be out there beginners and probably more experience, something that you could give to to both that you would suggest.

SPEAKER_01

Um a lot of people think that meditation is just sitting cross-legged and you know, like closing your eyes, but that's not really it. Meditation being in a meditative state is also like mindful, just um just like us having a conversation, right? I'm fully present or fully present, and not um not staying in the past or the future, just being in the present moment. And um it's just I went for this one meditation, it's called Vipassana, 10 days silent meditation. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, I've heard of that. I've heard of that.

SPEAKER_01

I've done it a few times, and I remember once I went to my teacher and said, I just can't keep uh you know, I can't seem to keep my mind still. It just goes on over. And she said, The whole point of meditation is not to control your mind or keep it still, it's to watch your mind like you're watching a movie. Just like step back and watch your mind, and then you'll notice the thoughts that go through and note you'll notice how your body feels with it. Like are you tensing up or what's going on?

SPEAKER_03

You're becoming more aware, aware, self-awareness essentially.

SPEAKER_01

Of your thoughts and how your thoughts uh manifest physically. So I would say that's that's more important than you know, it's not just about sitting cross-legged and closing your eyes, it's being in a meditative state throughout the day.

SPEAKER_03

Mm-hmm. And some easy tips that people can can try and take to to do that. I know that um, you know, perhaps breathing is definitely one thing that people s always say. Um, but what what else could you could you suggest that people try to implement in their daily lives to start off if they're looking through this process?

SPEAKER_01

Um definitely breathing, and um what we do is uh you know, you kind of close one nostril, open the other nostril. Okay, because when you're so focused on that, that's why they say count to four, inhale to four and exhale for eight. When you're so focused on counting and which nostril you're you know, kind of closing and opening, you s for those few seconds you'll forget everything else.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

So that's why they say breathing, focus on breathing. And also when you breathe deeper, it just instantly calms you. Um, and another thing is um just watch your mind before you say react to anything. That's we're so quick to react.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, be proactive, not reactive, is what I like to say as well. So that's that's fun, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so even if someone comes and says like something, whatever, something that's not nice to you.

SPEAKER_03

You get an angry customer, you have a client that you're trying to deal with, or you know, you you're just stuck in traffic or something, right?

SPEAKER_01

And I know this uh person in India Sadhguru always says, you know, people wait or they've they save up all their money to buy these like really expensive cars. Right. They're sitting in their car and they're stuck in traffic, but they're unhappy.

SPEAKER_02

So very true.

SPEAKER_01

So be happy, just you know, grateful for every single day, just being alive, you know, that's something to be grateful for. So just being great gratitude and then like breathing and not reacting.

SPEAKER_03

Very nice. Well, appreciate that insight. Um going slightly back to the to chickmunk, um, just some other interesting things that I found that maybe our audience would like to hear and that perhaps you could explain about uh how you guys have gone plastic free, right? And using compost as well in the farm. So, what are some of those other aspects that you find that may not have been the most uh economical, right, necessarily, but they were the right choice for your b for your business and for the vision you guys were trying to achieve?

SPEAKER_01

Um, a lot of the compostable stuff also just helped us uh in certain ways, uh like I said, with the quality and stuff. But we might have had to scale back a little bit on that because some of them didn't work out. We had uh lids that were popping and you know.

SPEAKER_03

So well, you adapt and you change, right? That's that's another important factor that comes with running a business.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Um we're definitely um eco-friendly from even in the farm level. All our um even like the the skins of the coffee, beans and stuff is recycled into um manure and fertilizer and everything. So everything is recycled.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

As much as possible. Of course. We use solar panels for um for um all sort of electrical needs back in this day. And um and we're trying our best to do what we can here in in the side of the business as well. But the farm is definitely a lot more um eco-friendly.

SPEAKER_03

And tell us a little bit about your your partners. You had mentioned about your your roasters, but as well as you know, you guys also have some other items that you stock at Chickmunk and tell us a little about them.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, so all most of our products at our store is all local, um, with other small businesses, our croissants and our bagels and everything. We as much as possible, we try to support all small businesses. And um even Nicola and like you know, we brought her in to do amazing work for us, artwork and everything.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And um again, and that's something for me, encouraging other people and you know, other women as well. Um so yeah, and we have juices and everything is local.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, we have people that bring it in and we just love supporting other people because someone gave us a shot when we first started, and you know, we want to be able to give other people that too.

SPEAKER_03

What was that story of getting your first shot?

SPEAKER_01

Um, it was other than uh we were in the green market, and yeah, we were in the farmers market but uh over in West Palm Beach.

SPEAKER_03

West Pomp Beach.

SPEAKER_01

But our first shot was Amichi Market, Maurizio. Okay, no. Yeah, we had just we just launched the company, we got our bags, we got everything roasted, and we had a list of places to go to. And David told me, um, he's like, we're going to Amichi Market, but remember, nine out of ten people will say no, and then we'll get a one, we'll get one yes. So we went in and Maurizio looked at us and you know he had seen it, and he needed coffee anyway at that point. He's like, fine, fill my shelf. And we're like, oh, okay. So walked on I said, so doesn't mean the next nine say no.

SPEAKER_03

You got your first yes on the first try. That's impressive. That's great.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we did have nine no's on the first time.

SPEAKER_03

Of course, of course. But that's still something, right? And um it goes to that other aspect of, of course, persistence. Yes. Right? And same thing as what people people associate this a lot as well with you know, sales and calls and what's not, and you're gonna have keep on calling people, keep on trying to make the sale, and you're gonna get a lot more no's than yes, but eventually somebody will say yes.

SPEAKER_01

And that will make a huge difference. Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. Yeah. Well, that's fun to hear. Um, all right. So here's a question that I ask everybody. Um The podcast to date. What has been your best investment personally and professionally?

SPEAKER_01

Personally, my best investment is um those 10 days of silent meditation at Katasana. And if anyone has the time to do it, that is something I would suggest.

SPEAKER_03

And you said that you've done it a few times.

SPEAKER_01

I've done it a few times in India and Michigan and Georgia, yes. And I mean, this we're talking other than my marriage. Of course, of course.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, the shout out to David again. You you mentioned him all the time, I guess. Of course, he knows that.

SPEAKER_01

And then uh professionally, I would say um the best investment is yet to come, which we're working on. But uh other than that, I would say our first like coffee machine that we bought. I mean, we just started with the company and it was uh 1800, and we were like, oh my gosh, can we afford it? Like, what are we gonna do with this? Our first espresso machine. And that was amazing. We paid it off like within a month or so because we generated enough income.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_01

And um, so I would say that was our first big investment that got us started.

SPEAKER_03

Nice. Yes, and of course, well, we'll stay tuned to what the the one that is yet to come as as soon as Nandani shares it with us, we will bring it to you. We'll give you a little bit of an update as things go by. Um, we'd like to try in future episodes, try to give updates on on our previous guests. But of course, you've also had um before in in Palm Beach, you had a pop-up, right? And hopefully we get to see more of those in the future would be nice, and it's great to be able to enjoy that cup of love wherever you are here on the island, and hopefully it can continue to grow. So that's that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03

Um all right, Nanadi. I've asked you a lot of questions, but now you get to ask yourself one. Do you know how that's gonna work?

SPEAKER_01

I thought you were going to say I get to ask you a question.

SPEAKER_03

No, no, I asked the questions. I asked the questions here. But do you need to ask you're gonna get to pick second question out of the fitfold.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

All random questions. Just pick one. Alright. Please read it into the microphone.

SPEAKER_01

If you had to live in another country for a year, where would it be?

SPEAKER_03

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Other than India and the US.

SPEAKER_03

Of course.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna say New Zealand.

SPEAKER_03

Ooh, that's a nice pick. I've always wanted to be in Australia for some time, and New Zealand's, of course, the neighbor. What what interests you about New Zealand?

SPEAKER_01

I think it's just something that I kind of have some my little bit of a goal at some point. And it's far away from all the war zones and everything.

SPEAKER_03

That's a that's a good plan. I hear there's a lot of multi-billionaires who have funkers and sheep outnumber people like 10 to 1 or something like that.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, but I mean, other than that, it's just it's it's a beautiful place, and I think that would be nice to have like a piece of land and grow your own vegetables and fruits and have sheep.

SPEAKER_03

There you go. Well, that's great. It's probably at that other part of your your journey, right? Future future. That's a good one. Um, and now about to wrap up, but let me ask, do you have a suggestion for a future guest on the real estate and investment show?

SPEAKER_01

A future guest. Um I would say I don't know. Have you ever had Ivy?

SPEAKER_03

I don't know what what is Ivy Lady.

SPEAKER_01

She's uh she has a store right by us on Brazilian. Uh not Brazilian on um county.

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And what is what's her she um she has her own brand and um she's more like like holistic and she's got a lot of like she sells products but a lifestyle as well.

SPEAKER_03

Gotcha. Alright, interesting.

SPEAKER_01

I would say Ivy would be interesting.

SPEAKER_03

Alright, well, shout out to Ivy. Hopefully we get you on the show. Um we'll definitely look to adding them on the list. So, alright, it is just time for the shameless plug. What's something you're working on right now that everybody ought to know with Chickmunk or other endeavors, and where can they follow you slash find you and have that wonderful cup of love?

SPEAKER_01

So, um we are working on something new in Palm Beach. Terrific. And we have another pop-up coming up on in West Palm Beach in Southern Bolivar.

SPEAKER_02

Terrific.

SPEAKER_01

Uh, for about a year, we'll be trying it out. And you can find us, um, you can log on to our website, chickmunk.com. Yes. And you can follow us on social media, the Chickmunk, for all sorts of updates.

SPEAKER_03

Terrific. Well, we'll put all that in the show notes so that everybody can follow Nandani and David and Chickmunk and just see how that's going to grow. It's amazing to see a local business with such an amazing history and background behind it. And of course, their products are great as well. The coffee is great, so definitely go and try Chickmunk. So, Nandani, I want to thank you so much for your time. We're going to give you another round of applause. Thank you for sharing your journey, your experience, and being such a wonderful guest, Nandani. Appreciate it. And thank you for being here with us. Join me again next time with another amazing interview on the real estate and investment show with Daniel Clavijo. I'm Daniel Clavijo. Till then, stay awesome, everyone, and God bless America.