Matt Chitharanjan

Matt Chitharanjan is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters.

Journey

Chitharanjan studied economics at the University of British Columbia and worked in research, finance and development-related roles before moving to India. He and Namrata Asthana struggled to find consistently fresh specialty coffee in Delhi and began sourcing beans directly from Indian estates.

They founded Blue Tokai in 2012, first roasting in a small space and selling directly to customers. The company expanded into cafés, packaged coffee, subscriptions and business supply while maintaining relationships with Indian farms. Chitharanjan leads the business as co-founder and CEO; Asthana has played a central role in design and brand.

Working approach

He has focused on traceability, roasting quality and educating consumers without making specialty coffee inaccessible. Vertical control over sourcing, roasting and cafés helps the brand connect farm information with the final cup.

Assessment

Chitharanjan helped widen the Indian market for domestically grown specialty coffee. The challenge is to expand stores and packaged sales while preserving freshness, farm relationships and disciplined unit economics.