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The thundai latte from Pi’s Coffee; owner Piyush “Pi” Jessani will open a brick-and-mortar cafe this summer.
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Pi’s Coffee made its start as a mobile venture, which will continue to visit farmers markets, concerts and other events.
Unsurprisingly, Piyush “Pi” Jessani has a close connection to Pi Day. On March 14, 2023, he held the first event for his Indian coffee business, launched the previous year. On Pi Day 2024, he announced that he’d be hitting the road with a converted Japanese kei truck that would serve as a mobile cafe. And on the most recent holiday of the mathematical constant, he shared his biggest milestone yet: This summer, Jessani will debut Pi’s Coffee, a casual Indian cafe at 123 E. Main St.
Known for infusing Indian influences into every drink — from a rich mocha to a sweet and floral Kashmiri chai — Jessani has built a following with his roaming cafe via pop-ups, farmers markets and music events.
“People really started getting excited to see the truck,” he says, “but I kept hearing, ‘Where are you going to be next?’ I realized I needed a place where I could just say, ‘I’m always here.’”
Upon the launch of his business, Jessani says, he told himself he wanted to take Pi’s Coffee as far as he could, and for the past six months, he’s been searching for a brick-and-mortar location. The nonnegotiables: room for his roaster (he currently works out of Hatch Kitchen in Manchester), a walkable area and a central location near downtown. With VCU down the street; Allianz Amphitheater blocks away; and the Hilton, Omni and Jefferson hotels close by, the new space checks all the boxes.
Jessani envisions mornings starting with turmeric-spiced golden lattes and Indian breakfast items. “I want someone to walk in and experience an Indian sunrise right here in Richmond,” he says, noting a 5 a.m. opening time, with the afternoon bringing snacky bites such as vada pav (potato fritters on a bun) and, potentially, nonalcoholic sips at night.
Born in what is now known as Bengaluru, India, Jessani moved to the United States at 7 after early years in Malaysia, France, China and Chile. Though he describes himself as “raised all over the world,” his concept is firmly grounded in his Indian heritage. His earliest memories center on a five-story family home in India, where each floor housed a different generation. He still recalls his mother’s vada pav by heart, and his popular thundai latte features a nut- and spice-laced syrup inspired by his grandmother’s recipe.
“My whole thing has been that it’s fully Indian,” he says. “I only use beans from Indian farms. I roast them myself. The food, the drinks — it all ties back to India.”
At 25, his buzzy ambition and familial support fuel his forward momentum. He’s been collaborating with many family members on this venture, calling on his aunt and uncle to gain desi design inspiration from different parts of India and collaborating with his mother, Kajal “Kay” Jessani, owner of catering business Khushbu, for the menu.
Pi’s Coffee owner Pi Jessani
His family has been an influence all along. Coffee beans from India gifted to his mother in a care package initially sparked his desire to roast, leading to the pandemic-born project. An engineer by trade and a curious caffeine head by choice, he taught himself at home.
At the forthcoming cafe, lattes, cappuccinos and cold brews will be available, but certain drinks — including a gulab jamun latte that channels the classic Indian dessert, or the seasonal, spice-forward thundai latte — speak to Jessani most, he says. Other offerings will include rose or butterfly pea flower lemonade; mango lassis; lychee-based “No-Jitos”; and the Himalayan Paradise, with khus khus (white poppy seeds), mint and lime.
Food will follow the same personalized philosophy, with the menu featuring a blend of Indian breakfast dishes reminiscent of street food and everyday staples. Offerings will include loaded poha bowls — flat rice topped with a rotating topping of the day — along with Bombay paninis, grilled sandwiches served with a side of chutney, and paniyaram, pan-fried dumplings made from a fermented rice and lentil batter.
“I know I’ve been talking to my mom about doing some hot breakfast items on Sundays, and I’d be working with her on a lot of my everyday items, too, like samosas,” Jessani says. “I also hope to host brunch pop-ups.”
Designwise, the signature white-and-blue palette from the truck will move over to the brick-and-mortar business, Jessani says, complemented by the greenery and other natural elements typically found in Indian cafes. “One of my favorite things about Indian cafes is their abundant amount of nature and how they just take any space and just make it their own. It’s like those perfect cafe scenes you see in movies,” he says. “Everything just works. It feels easy, natural — like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
Sourcing beans from India has been a point of pride for Jessani throughout. He plans to work with a specialty coffee company to curate a selection of beans from nationally accredited farms in India.
“They haven’t worked with many people in the U.S. — I’m the third person in the country they’d be working with,” he says. “We’re in the early stages, but I’m looking forward to trying to work with them and tasting those beans.”
Beyond the beans, Jessani brings four years of bartending experience at acclaimed Indian restaurant Lehja in Short Pump Town Center, which he hopes to translate into cafe operations by introducing a nonalcoholic beverage program.
Without having to work around the confines of the coffee truck, Jessani will expand the tea selection at the cafe, grow his roasting operation and experiment with seasonal specials. As for the truck, it will still be pulling up to special events and farmers markets and make appearances at concerts and the Iron Blossom Music Festival.
For Jessani, nearly every year of his adult life has marked a new chapter: first a tent, then a truck and now a cafe — all on Pi Day. And much like the number with digits that never end or repeat, Jessani hopes to keep adding to the sequence.
“I love working with others,” he says, “but at a certain point you just want something that’s yours — a place you can walk into and say, ‘This is my spot.’”
Pi’s Coffee will be open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
