NEW YORK — Baristas-turned-businesswomen Mitalee Bharadwaj and Lisa Yala launched Transcendence Coffee, a line of coffee flavoring syrups featuring whole spices.

The entrepreneurs started their business journey while working in a coffee shop during college. They noticed the coffee syrup market was lacking healthier alternatives.

“We were focused on coffee beans at first, but we soon expanded to the syrups because we realized how lacking the syrups (coffee) were and how important it was to find high-quality syrups,” Ms. Yala said.

“We noticed if we wanted to use those big-box brands if you did several pumps of vanilla and cookie dough flavors at the end it tasted muddy,” Ms. Bharadwaj said.

The pair began working early-morning shifts to formulate small batches of syrup with different flavors and spices, which led to the debut of Transcendence Coffee last spring.

“We’d try a simple syrup base then we’d play with different flavors and spices,” Ms. Bharadwaj said. “We’d take it a step further and decided to get into these great single-origin spices and looked into what flavors were popular in cooking or what flavors people were using in restaurants that we could bring into the syrups.”

Founders Lisa Yala, left, and Mitalee Bharadwaj, right, founded Transcendence Coffee in April 2022. Photo: Transcendence Coffee 

After perfecting the formulation, the pair homed in on the flavors, which include Indian Gulab jamun, Algerian baklava, and French lavender madeleine.

“Our flavors are based on our own cultures; my family is from India, and Lisa’s family is from Algeria,” Ms. Bharadwaj said.

The syrups are formulated with cane sugar, water, and whole spices the company grinds and steeps to get its flavor.

With their knowledge about coffee and syrups, the founders manufactured the products prior to partnering with a co-packer in New Jersey.

“Until the beginning of this year, we were handmaking all the syrups ourselves in the same kitchen as our spices,” Ms. Yala said. “We’re very familiar with the manufacturing process. It gave us a good opportunity to know the complete ins and outs of how our products are made and the troubles you’ll run into. It was a tough journey getting to where we are, but it gave us so much more insight.”

Ms. Bharadwaj added, “We still produce in small batches, and we grind all the whole spices ourselves in a commercial kitchen facility in Queens. That’s what’s steeped into the manufacturing of the syrup in Jersey, then the rest of our operations are in Brooklyn.”

As a clean label coffee syrup with whole spices and no additives, Transcendence Coffee has gained popularity among the Gen Z crowd.

“It’s for everyone, but the younger crowd has leaned into the customization of coffee and romanticizing going and getting a coffee,” Ms. Yala said. “They also romanticize the whole process of your daily coffee and recreating it at home, especially with the pandemic. It (COVID-19) ignited this whole movement of 'how can I save money and create cafe-quality experiences in my home routine.'”

Transcendence Coffee has raised $275,000 in pre-seed funding from friends, family, and current and former startup operators and consumer packaged goods investor and adviser Anjali Kumar.

While the company began as a direct-to-consumer business for home baristas, it is shifting to the business-to-business foodservice sector.

“We launched as direct-to-consumer for ease of bringing it into the market,” Ms. Bharadwaj said. “The real goal is going to be very much in line with how the flavor syrup market sits. It’s going to be 80% foodservice: coffee shops, bars, restaurants, etc. We’re really trying to get distribution into as many coffee shops as possible. We’re currently in 13 locations of Spread Bagelry and will be on the specials menu at all 11 Cha Cha Matcha cafes this December.”

While formulating flavor additions for coffee is a top priority for Ms. Bharadwaj and Ms. Yala, catching the eyes of consumers in coffee shops in New York City is a main goal.

“We want to reach as many coffee shops as possible and to provide better alternatives for syrups,” Ms. Bharadwaj said. “We’re about to sign on with Odeko, which is a big barista supply distributor, which will help our goal. We’re focusing on specialty coffee shops, particularly establishing ourselves as the primary, high-quality flavored syrup option for seasonal menus in New York City.”

The company is hoping to rewrite the narrative about adding flavor to coffee.

“There’s this narrative you’re not a real coffee drinker if you don’t drink straight black coffee,” Ms. Yala said. “There are high-quality syrups on the market that you can still have a wonderful cup of coffee that’s not just black.”

Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.