Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaisha Adeel Polani.
Hi Aaisha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, I’m Aaisha Adeel Polani, founder of ChaChaCup.
Honestly, when this all started, I was terrified. I never imagined this business would turn into something real. The thought of putting myself out there, building a brand from scratch, and hoping people would genuinely connect with it felt overwhelming.
I still remember spending hours in coffee shops with my husband, brainstorming names, sketching logo ideas, discussing flavors, and imagining what this could become one day. At the time, it felt more like a dream than a real business. But Mayur, my husband, believed in it long before I did. One day, he ordered our first matcha cart and brought it home. I remember staring at it in our apartment and thinking, “Wow… this is actually happening.”
For weeks, it honestly just sat there because I was too nervous to take the next step.
A little about me: I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, where chai is a huge part of everyday life and naturally brings people together. At the same time, I’ve been drinking matcha for over five years and became obsessed with experimenting with flavors, sweetness levels, and understanding how much the quality of the matcha powder matters. As my love for matcha grew, I started wondering what would happen if I combined the warmth and spices of chai with matcha. That curiosity turned into weeks of experimenting in our kitchen and eventually led to creating our signature drink: the ChaCha Signature, a chai matcha latte. The drink that really inspired ChaChaCup’s name in the first place—Cha (chai), Cha (matcha).
What finally pushed me forward was the support around me. Our family and friends kept encouraging me to take the risk. Eventually, I found the courage to announce our very first pop-up. With no marketing, no professional product photos, I ran downstairs with my camera, took a few quick photos, and introduced our brand on IG. We made all of our syrups at home and launched with flavors like Toasted Coconut Matcha, Apple Spice Matcha, and the ChaCha Signature. Serving those drinks for the first time felt incredibly vulnerable because we had no idea how they would be received. I expected maybe a handful of people to stop by and support us. Instead, the response completely caught me off guard.
Friends, family, and people who had found us through social media showed up. Watching people come back for seconds and looking around a room full of people enjoying our drinks completely shifted my perspective. It made me realize that ChaChaCup was becoming more than what I thought, it was bringing people together.
Since then, we’ve had the opportunity to grow far beyond what I imagined. From intimate community pop-ups to weddings, corporate events, and brand activations, every experience has reminded me why we started in the first place.
Today, I feel genuinely proud of what ChaChaCup has become. What once felt like a scary “what if” has grown into a brand built around creativity, culture, community, and connection.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Starting a business is never really a smooth road, and ChaChaCup definitely came with its share of challenges. In the beginning, we had to figure out everything from sourcing high-quality matcha and finding the right materials to permits, pop-up logistics, and building a brand with no experience. Even today, we still sample every flavor multiple times, and perfect it before introducing it to our menu.
There is a lot of trial and error behind the scenes, but these challenges ultimately help us grow, become more detail-oriented, and feel more confident in our vision for ChaChaCup.
We’ve been impressed with ChaChaCup, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are Texas based mobile matcha cart specializing in weddings, corporate events, brand activations, and community pop-ups. We source our matcha directly from Uji, Japan, the birthplace and matcha capital of the world and use only first-harvest matcha in our drinks.
What makes us different is that we’re not just serving drinks, we’re helping bring our client’s vision to life. From designing custom branded cups and menu designs, to fully customized event experiences, we focus on the small details that make an event feel personal. Whether we’re working with a bride/groom planning their wedding, a local business hosting a pop-up, or a national brand launching a campaign, we treat every event with the same level of care.
Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with organizations and brands such as the Dallas Mavericks, University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University, Texas Suhoor Fest, numerous Pilates studios, Run Clubs, and salons including Drybar, as well as brands like David Yurman and Albion Fit. We’re incredibly grateful for the trust these partners have placed in us and are proud to continue growing throughout Texas.
At the end of the day, we’re most proud of the reactions we see when someone takes their first ever sip and realizes matcha can taste this good.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I think that perfectionism can sometimes hold you back. I used to think I had to do everything myself, but learning to trust others has been one of the biggest drivers of growth. Most importantly, take care of yourself. When you’re healthy and energized, you’re better able to take care of your team, your customers, and the people around you (I’m still trying to take my own advice on that one).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chachacup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chachacup/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chachacuptx
