Meet Arushi Gupta’s Matcha Journey in LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arushi Gupta (@chugofmatcha).

Hi Arushi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In high school, I discovered my love for food and cafes. What started as a fun habit of trying a new place every time I went out slowly turned into something more. In the part of the Bay Area where I live, life is calm and serene. People tend to stay in their routines rather than venture out. Food became my way of adding excitement and exploration to everyday life. Trying new cafes and restaurants gave me a sense of adventure close to home. At the time, I didn’t care much about food photography. I valued taste over aesthetics and saw meals out as moments to disconnect from social media and simply be present.
Everything changed during a summer trip to Japan with my family. Being in the heart of matcha culture, I had the opportunity to enjoy it in its most authentic form. I fell in love instantly, not just with the rich, earthy flavor, but also with how refreshed and grounded it made me feel. I participated in a traditional matcha tea ceremony and learned about the cultural roots of the drink. The experience deepened my appreciation and gave me a new perspective on matcha.
That trip also shifted my relationship with food photography. Knowing I might not return anytime soon, I began capturing every dish. Not to post online but to preserve memories and share them with my friends back home. Food became more than just something to eat. It became a way to share and capture my memories.
After returning, I was on a mission to find matcha that could replicate the taste of what I had in Japan. I started exploring cafes around the Bay Area with friends, always chasing that same richness, though nothing quite measured up at the time.
A few years later, I got into UCLA and moved to Los Angeles, a city full of food culture. I couldn’t wait to explore. I started with spots near campus and gradually expanded to different neighborhoods. Koreatown quickly became my favorite area for both food and matcha. I finally began to find places that matched the flavor I had experienced in Japan. Aside from the drinks, cafes became my safe space, where I could unwind, reflect, or catch up with friends.
Living in LA also opened my eyes to the power of media. I discovered most of the places I visited through Instagram reels and posts. It made me realize how much content influences the way we discover food. That’s when the idea sparked. What if I turned my love of cafes, matcha, and trying new places into something I could share with others?
That’s how @chugofmatcha began. I won’t lie; it took me a year and a half at UCLA to build the confidence to actually post. I was nervous about how people I knew might perceive my content. But with encouragement from friends and family, especially my friend Emma, who helped brainstorm usernames and shape my first post, I finally took the leap. I chose the name @chugofmatcha because I’ve always been the chugger when I go out to cafes with friends—my drink is usually gone by the time they’ve taken just a few sips. It felt like something unique to me, especially when it came to the drinks I love most at cafes.
ChugOfMatcha isn’t quite where I want it to be yet, but it’s growing. One of my videos recently received over 300k views on Tiktok! Right now, @chugofmatcha is a space where I celebrate my love for matcha, food, and storytelling. Now, I look for cafes everywhere whether it be on trips to Asia or New York. In the future, I hope it becomes a platform where I can share not just matcha recommendations but also food, recipes, cooking, and the joy I find in every chug and munch.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I haven’t faced any major obstacles, but there have definitely been some struggles along the way. Since I had never posted content consistently before starting @chugofmatcha, I assumed growth would come more easily than it has. Creating reels takes a lot of time, filming, editing, and finding the right music or captions, and often, those videos end up with only a few hundred views. It is quite discouraging, but I’ve learned that’s part of the process. Social media is unpredictable: one video can take off while another barely reaches anyone. I’ve come to appreciate the creative journey regardless of the numbers and remind myself that I’m doing this because I genuinely love it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m currently a student at UCLA studying Data Science and Cognitive Science, with a deep love for food, creativity, and storytelling. Outside of academics, I spend a lot of my time exploring cafes and restaurants, especially ones with standout matcha, and turning those experiences into short-form content through Instagram and TikTok. I recently started posting more personal content on TikTok, sharing thoughts about life, growth, and everyday moments, as I learn how to use media as a tool to connect and inspire others.
What sets me apart is the blend of creativity and analytics I bring to everything I do. Whether I’m filming a reel, experimenting with content formats, or building data pipelines, I approach things with both heart and structure. I’m especially proud of starting @chugofmatcha from scratch and sticking with it, even when growth was slow. It’s taught me to value consistency and authenticity over numbers.
This summer, I’m excited to be working as a Data Engineer, bringing my interests in business, data, and psychology into the tech space. Long term, I want to explore how we can use psychology and data together to create meaningful, human-centered innovations in tech.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
As I mentioned in my story, my friends and family have played such a big role in helping me get @chugofmatcha off the ground. My friend Emma, who I’ve known since high school and am lucky to now go to UCLA with, was especially instrumental in the beginning. We brainstormed username ideas together, talked about what my posts could look like, and she even helped me create the account right in front of her. She took the idea seriously from day one, sending me inspiration posts, giving honest feedback on what works and what doesn’t in the food Instagram space, and most importantly, encouraging me to be confident in the content I was putting out.
Beyond that, I’m so thankful to all my friends and family who’ve waited before digging into their food so I can take pictures and videos. My friend Janelle, in particular, always goes the extra mile by reminding me to film content when I forget and even cues me to capture satisfying moments like cutting through a dessert. These little moments of support have really helped me stay consistent and feel excited about what I’m creating.
My mom has been a constant supporter in everything I do. She always holds back my dad from eating too soon and never fails to tell me how aesthetic my videos look. Even when she doesn’t say anything, I know she and my sister have seen every single post, story, and reel I’ve made. My sister does her best to leave encouraging comments under my posts, and that support, even in the smallest moments, keeps me going.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chugofmatcha/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chugofmatcha?lang=en