Samyukta Mahendra
My first sip was at my Ammaamma’s table—four drops of strong filter coffee stirred into my milk that I refused to drink. Just enough to make me feel like I was being let in on something special.
That tiny act of indulgence set me on a lifelong path of chasing that taste.
Since then, my journey has crossed continents and cities—each place shaping my perspective on coffee, community, and resilience.
Every stop along the way changed how I think about labor, service, and sustainability.
Crossing Worlds
I came to the U.S. at 11.
Like a lot of immigrant kids, I learned quickly how to code-switch, blend in, and keep going.I didn’t know it at the time, but that experience would shape how I later moved through both academia and the service industry—never quite seen as an expert, but always expected to over-deliver.
Over the years, I cleaned houses, managed cafes, worked behind the bar, handled contracts as someone’s agent, and consulted for coffee businesses trying to survive in a broken system. Along the way, I earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and a master’s degree in sustainability science.
I loved the work—but academia, like a lot of industries, wasn’t built for people like me. It taught me about systems, climate, agriculture, and global inequality—and gave me a critical lens I carry into coffee today.
Sleepy Mango is the result of all of that.
It’s scientific and emotional.
Practical and political.
Personal and expansive.
The Story Behind Sleepy Mango
Sleepy Mango was born out of frustration.
Frustration with the gatekeeping.With the industry’s obsession with prestige over people.With how hard it was to just get in the room—as a roaster, as an immigrant, as someone from a coffee-growing country who wasn’t seen as an expert unless the status quo said so.
I didn’t set out to build a company.
I just wanted a work environment that wasn’t extractive.A place where care wasn’t conditional. Where people didn’t have to burn out to belong.
In an industry as beautiful and expansive as coffee, there should be room for softness, joy, and real sustainability. And yet, so many spaces still run on underpaid labor, overextended staff, and outdated systems that take more than they give.
So I built something different.
Sleepy Mango is steady. It’s intentional. It’s grounded in soft rebellion and structured care.
We move slow on purpose—because building well matters more to us than building fast.Because people matter more to us than prestige.
This is deeply personal work. It’s future work. And, if you’re here, I hope it becomes yours too.
As for me—I love a lot of things in this world: coffee, plants, great food, power tools, Legos, art, my spouse, and my chosen family. I’m an introvert with social anxiety. A jaded hopeful. A scientist who loves service. And someone who’s deeply, stubbornly committed to building something real.
Sleepy Mango is how I do that.
