Visitors and locals are enjoying a cuppa and a chat at a seaside hotspot thanks to a young entrepreneur selling mugs of home-made masala chai from a bike. Sally Pierse, 24, launched The Chai Bike in April 2023 with the help of Big Ideas Wales, after
discovering that the comforting and community yielding powers of tea aren’t limited to a traditional builder’s brew.
Sally first discovered chai while on a trip to India as part of a BA Philosophy degree at the University of York. Alongside attending academic lectures on women’s rights and Ghandi, Sally was invited to the home of a local woman who taught her
traditional Indian recipes, including masala chai.
Taken by the sense of comfort and welcome she felt in the home of a stranger halfway across the world, Sally was inspired to start a similar initiative back home in Aberystwyth. By choosing to operate completely bilingually through her signage and social
media, Sally hopes to grow more confident in her Welsh while encouraging her customers to use it more on their day-to-day sightseeing ventures.
Sally’s healthy, home-made chai is stored on an e-cargo bike and Sally encourages visitors to stick around and make themselves at home by serving the spicy tea, made with locally sourced ingredients like Welsh honey, as well as assam tea, dry roasted
spices and fresh ginger, in ceramic mugs.
Sally said: “At first people are quite taken aback as you only usually drink from ceramic mugs at home or in a café – places we feel at ease. But that’s exactly why I offer them. I want my customers to get comfy, embrace the beauty of Aberystwyth
and treat these scenic spots like our home – because they are.
“It’s also really satisfying to see people taking sustainability that one step further without realising it. All of my takeaway cups are 100% compostable and, while I still encourage customers to use recyclable and compostable products wherever
possible, I just think ‘why stop there in my mission to be greener?’ The more single-use cups we can save, the better. There’s always more you can do to live a greener life.”
When she’s not cycling around Aberystwyth hotspots on her e-cargo bike provided by Ceredigion County Council, Sally trades at Aberystwyth Eco Hub initiatives, including Aberystwyth eco-clothes swap and the repair café.
Llinos Price, Business Adviser at Big Ideas Wales said: “It takes a very special businesswoman, with a very contagious energy, to inspire people to stop rushing through life, grab a ceramic mug of chai and put their feet up in Aberystwyth’s most
scenic spots. Sally is a perfect example of how, by accepting the support that is on offer, you can turn your small dream into a big success. If you take anything from Sally’s story, let it be that we should all appreciate our hometowns and the
community within them more than ever, and do what we can to help them thrive. Better yet, why not do it in neon pink!”
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-seaside-towns-tea-bike-27416135
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