Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Organic India Cafe is celebrating its groundbreaking, not its grand opening, this week. BizWest regrets the error.

BOULDER — Organic India USA, the Boulder-based American subsidiary of an Indian tea and herbal supplement company, is opening a Boulder brick-and-mortar space to serve as a cafe, teahouse and community gathering space.

Organic India Cafe is celebrating its groundbreaking Tuesday at 1795 Pearl St.

The stateside outpost of Organic India, which has several dozen local employees, has been based in Boulder for two decades and has historically focused on business-to-business sales. 

The company is Boulder’s “best-kept secret,” Organic India CEO Miguel Gil told BizWest. But it’s  “a bit of a shame” that the company hasn’t taken advantage of the “halo effect” that a Boulder presence can bestow open a natural-foods brand.

The goal of the cafe is to serve as a physical manifestation of Organic India’s Boulder bona fides. 

The Pearl Street operation is meant to highlight “the brand’s array of Tulsi-based teas, whole-herb supplements and fiber products, while providing a community space to host events, speakers and champion like-minded organizations to showcase the company’s iconic heritage,” Organic India said in a prepared statement. “The public will be able to relish in the cafe’s nature-inspired atmosphere, where all are welcome to work, connect, and relax, while enjoying an organic smoothie, fairtrade coffee, or plant-based cuisine.”

The operation will partner with local groups such as Nude Foods, which bills itself as a zero-waste market, and Repeater, which offers reusable takeout containers, Gil said. 

Gil told BizWest that the primary function of the cafe isn’t retail sales, but rather providing a venue to educate consumers about healthy and functional foods and beverages. 

The ultimate goal of the Organic India Cafe is to provide insight about “how to incorporate more and more beneficial herbs into your diet in a really yummy, plant-based, super original way,” he said. “I think people are going to be blown away by it.”