Before this café, life looked very different.
Chapter One
The IT Years
Shishir spent over 15 years in the IT industry, working across India, France and Germany. It was stable, structured and rewarding in many ways.
Priya was on a similar path. After years in her own field, she chose to step away and pursue a Master's in Psychology, her own form of reorientation.
On paper, everything made sense. In reality, it did not. Coming back to India brought a different perspective. The work felt distant from what we wanted to build. The frustration was not sudden. It built slowly, until it became clear that something had to change.
Finding Coffee Again
Coffee was always present. I have been drinking it since the age of six. But it was only when I began studying it seriously that things shifted.
I approached coffee academically. Understanding espresso, extraction, why it is served at a certain temperature, why Indian filter coffee behaves differently, why froth forms, how milk interacts with coffee, how flavour is built and lost. What was once habit became curiosity. Curiosity became understanding. Understanding became respect.
Chapter Two
Finding this path did not happen early. It happened after years of doing something else well. But once it became clear, it also became obvious.
We began with a simple pursuit. To find a coffee that felt complete. Ten beans brought us close. The 11th brought clarity. It was not just better. It felt right. That decision became our identity.
Chapter Three
Our Beginning
We began with a simple pursuit. To find a coffee that felt complete. Ten beans brought us close. The 11ᵗʰ brought clarity. It was not just better. It felt right.
That decision became our identity. And our standard. Maison Aranya represents Indian craftsmanship across categories. The 11ᵗʰ Bean Café is its coffee expression. It is where craft becomes something you can taste and experience in real time.
Why This Exists
We did not want to build a café that felt transactional. We wanted a place where the coffee is taken seriously, but the people are not rushed.
Where regulars feel at home, and first-time visitors do not feel out of place. That is what we continue to build, every day.
Today
A café built on craft, clarity and the discipline of doing things right.
We are not built for volume. We are built for consistency, clarity and craft. Every cup reflects discipline. Every decision reflects intention.
We do not get everything perfect. But we care enough to keep improving every single day.