GenXYZ Nominees Thrive: Brook Eddy (2013) — Where is She Now?

Everyone was right when they predicted bright futures for these executives, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. Ten-plus years after ColoradoBiz profiled these Top Young Professionals of Colorado, we revisited several to see where their career paths led them and what they are doing now.

Some are with the same companies; others have moved on to different businesses and new roles.

For some, change was inevitable as their companies were acquired or merged with other entities. For still others, the desire to start something new was irresistible. All are continuing to meet and exceed their own career goals and engage with their communities.

The Gen XYZ Awards are open to those who are under 40 and live and work in Colorado.

Brook Eddy

2013: 39, CEO and Founder, Bhakti Chai

2024: CEO and Founder, Bhakti Chai

One thing that Brook Eddy loves as much as she loves chai is writing. The CEO and founder of Boulder-based Bhakti Chai challenged herself to write a book about her life and her company. She accomplished her goal with months to spare.

“I wanted to publish it before I turned 50,” Eddy says. “It was published in August [2023] and in December I turned 50.” The book, “STEEPED: Adventures Of A Tea Entrepreneur,” is a memoir and travelogue. Eddy describes how she started Bhakti Chai out of her home in the foothills near Boulder, and how she was inspired by her travels to India 20 years ago.

“Every other chapter takes place in India,” Eddy says. “It’s where I learned the definition of bhakti, which is devotion.”

Eddy still travels to India often, including a planned trip to the Jaipur Literature Festival in February to promote her book. “It’s not a ‘10 ways to start a company,’” she says. “But there are some nuggets about building a natural food brand.”

In 2006 Eddy started brewing and selling chai to Boulder area cafes. At that time the establishments were not selling organic and spicy chai, and Bhakti Chai found success in getting the cafes to sell the product for a higher price point than other teas. The company grew, and over the next 15 years launched new products ranging from bottled iced chai to chai ice cream.

For a few years the natural food and beverage industry exploded, Eddy says, because investors were pouring money into businesses. Brands focused on growth over profitability. “A lot of these companies, including us, wanted to have more innovation, better top numbers and grow faster,” she says. “That all costs money.”

New product launches such as sparkling tea were challenging for the small business, as Bhakti Chai didn’t have the resources of large brands to launch and market new items.

“In my book I write a lot about that,” Eddy says. “Retailers only give you a six-month window, and it’s hard to build a following when you have something new and you have to educate consumers.”

A few years ago Eddy stepped away from her company and took a sabbatical. She hired a CEO to take over and traveled for two years.

After visiting Morocco, Bali, Brazil, Bolivia and, of course, India again, she came back to run the company. Then COVID happened, and the business had to streamline and cut costs.

The company transformed from having an in-house tea brewery with 30 employees and tasting events all over the country to four employees and two products, Chai Concentrate Original and Chai Concentrate Unsweetened. These are the two original products that Eddy made in her kitchen years ago. Both have fresh ginger and spices. “It’s still fiery,” she says. “I drink it every day.”

The moves were successful, and today the company is profitable. “We have much better margins,” she says. “It’s been strictly business in the sense of cut costs and be profitable and still make organic fair-trade chai.”

Nora Caley is a freelance writer specializing in business and food topics.