It was a cold, rainy day in New York.

I was sitting in a quiet café in DUMBO, Brooklyn, hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee. The iconic % symbol on the cup belonged to % Arabica, a minimalist coffee shop with a perfect view of the Brooklyn Bridge framed by the mist.
That moment was supposed to be just a pause in a busy day — but instead, it became a turning point.
That cup wasn’t just coffee. It was an experience. The way the aroma lifted my mood, the way the rain softened the city’s noise, the way the first sip seemed to slow time — it reminded me why I’ve loved coffee since I was 17. I’ve been drinking coffee for over a decade, but that day in Brooklyn made me fall in love with it all over again.

Coffee, Culture, and My Hospitality Journey
Long before that rainy afternoon, coffee had been part of my life both personally and professionally. My hospitality career gave me the privilege of working with flavours in all their forms — from tasting fine wines and understanding their terroir, to working with freshly roasted coffee beans and discovering how origin, processing, and roasting techniques shape the final cup.
In fine dining, I learned that taste is as much about story and setting as it is about flavour. A great cup of coffee, like a great glass of wine, can transport you to the land where it was grown and to the people who cultivated it.

Coming Home with a New Perspective
After years abroad, I returned to India with fresh eyes. I reconnected with our traditions, our landscapes, and our people. And among all the things I rediscovered, Indian coffee stood out the most.
We often celebrate India’s tea heritage, but our coffee heritage is equally rich — cultivated in the lush hills of Chikkamagaluru, Coorg, Wayanad, and the highlands of Araku Valley. Indian coffee has long found its way to cups around the world, but it rarely gets the recognition it deserves for its quality, sustainability, and history.
I saw an opportunity — not to introduce Indian coffee to the world, but to elevate its place in the global coffee conversation.

From Passion to Purpose — and Beyond
I’ve been a coffee drinker for more than a decade, but this journey is about more than my love for coffee. It’s about using coffee as the first chapter of a much larger story.
That story is TaLe — built on a vision to connect cultures, products, and people through trade that is rooted in authenticity, quality, and shared experiences.

Coffee is just the beginning of our TaLe.
Tomorrow, it might be spices, textiles, or other treasures from India — each with its own story, its own journey from origin to destination. But the spirit remains the same: to take something grown, crafted, or created with care, and share it with the world in a way that honours its roots.
Because somewhere out there, in a café, a kitchen, or a home halfway across the world, someone will experience that same spark — the one that began for me with a single cup in Brooklyn.

By Mayank Wankhede