diff --git a/buf.gen.yaml b/buf.gen.yaml
index d04c651fb3..40edf9635d 100644
--- a/buf.gen.yaml
+++ b/buf.gen.yaml
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ version: v1beta1
 plugins:
   - name: ts_proto
     out: ./src/proto
-    opt: grpc_js
+    opt: grpc_js,esModuleInterop=true
diff --git a/proto/chat/v2/chat_message.proto b/proto/chat/v2/chat_message.proto
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d33bec91f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/proto/chat/v2/chat_message.proto
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+syntax = "proto3";
+
+package chat.v2;
+
+message ChatMessageProto {
+  uint64 timestamp = 1;
+  string nick = 2;
+  bytes payload = 3;
+}
diff --git a/src/chat/chat_message.spec.ts b/src/chat/chat_message.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a33d08c22c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/chat/chat_message.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+import fc from 'fast-check';
+
+import { ChatMessage } from './chat_message';
+
+describe('Chat Message', function () {
+  it('Chat message round trip binary serialization', function () {
+    fc.assert(
+      fc.property(
+        fc.date({ min: new Date(0) }),
+        fc.string(),
+        fc.string(),
+        (timestamp, nick, message) => {
+          const msg = new ChatMessage(timestamp, nick, message);
+          const buf = msg.encode();
+          const actual = ChatMessage.decode(buf);
+
+          // Date.toString does not include ms, as we loose this precision by design
+          expect(actual.timestamp.toString()).to.eq(timestamp.toString());
+          expect(actual.nick).to.eq(nick);
+          expect(actual.message).to.eq(message);
+        }
+      )
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/chat/chat_message.ts b/src/chat/chat_message.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..855245aca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/chat/chat_message.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { Reader } from 'protobufjs/minimal';
+
+import { ChatMessageProto } from '../proto/chat/v2/chat_message';
+
+export class ChatMessage {
+  public constructor(
+    public timestamp: Date,
+    public nick: string,
+    public message: string
+  ) {}
+
+  static decode(bytes: Uint8Array): ChatMessage {
+    const protoMsg = ChatMessageProto.decode(Reader.create(bytes));
+    const timestamp = new Date(protoMsg.timestamp * 1000);
+    const message = protoMsg.payload
+      ? Array.from(protoMsg.payload)
+          .map((char) => {
+            return String.fromCharCode(char);
+          })
+          .join('')
+      : '';
+    return new ChatMessage(timestamp, protoMsg.nick, message);
+  }
+
+  encode(): Uint8Array {
+    const timestamp = Math.floor(this.timestamp.valueOf() / 1000);
+    const payload = Buffer.from(this.message, 'utf-8');
+
+    return ChatMessageProto.encode({
+      timestamp,
+      nick: this.nick,
+      payload,
+    }).finish();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/chat/index.ts b/src/chat/index.ts
index 6e26a75f56..f9f83058d1 100644
--- a/src/chat/index.ts
+++ b/src/chat/index.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import { Message } from '../lib/waku_message';
 import { TOPIC } from '../lib/waku_relay';
 import { delay } from '../test_utils/delay';
 
+import { ChatMessage } from './chat_message';
+
 (async function () {
   const opts = processArguments();
 
@@ -12,8 +14,18 @@ import { delay } from '../test_utils/delay';
 
   // TODO: Bubble event to waku, infer topic, decode msg
   waku.libp2p.pubsub.on(TOPIC, (event) => {
-    const msg = Message.fromBinary(event.data);
-    console.log(msg.utf8Payload());
+    const wakuMsg = Message.decode(event.data);
+    if (wakuMsg.payload) {
+      const chatMsg = ChatMessage.decode(wakuMsg.payload);
+      const timestamp = chatMsg.timestamp.toLocaleString([], {
+        month: 'short',
+        day: 'numeric',
+        hour: 'numeric',
+        minute: '2-digit',
+        hour12: false,
+      });
+      console.log(`<${timestamp}> ${chatMsg.nick}: ${chatMsg.message}`);
+    }
   });
 
   console.log('Waku started');
@@ -47,7 +59,9 @@ import { delay } from '../test_utils/delay';
   rl.prompt();
   rl.on('line', async (line) => {
     rl.prompt();
-    const msg = Message.fromUtf8String('(js-chat) ' + line);
+    const chatMessage = new ChatMessage(new Date(), 'js-chat', line);
+
+    const msg = Message.fromBytes(chatMessage.encode());
     await waku.relay.publish(msg);
   });
 })();
diff --git a/src/lib/waku_message.spec.ts b/src/lib/waku_message.spec.ts
index 5865f7fe18..53bbeed709 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku_message.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku_message.spec.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ describe('Waku Message', function () {
       fc.property(fc.string(), (s) => {
         const msg = Message.fromUtf8String(s);
         const binary = msg.toBinary();
-        const actual = Message.fromBinary(binary);
+        const actual = Message.decode(binary);
 
         return actual.isEqualTo(msg);
       })
diff --git a/src/lib/waku_message.ts b/src/lib/waku_message.ts
index 1b46978fb0..07bf32221a 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku_message.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku_message.ts
@@ -15,16 +15,25 @@ export class Message {
   ) {}
 
   /**
-   * Create Message from utf-8 string
-   * @param message
+   * Create Message with a utf-8 string as payload
+   * @param payload
    * @returns {Message}
    */
-  static fromUtf8String(message: string): Message {
-    const payload = Buffer.from(message, 'utf-8');
+  static fromUtf8String(payload: string): Message {
+    const buf = Buffer.from(payload, 'utf-8');
+    return new Message(buf, DEFAULT_CONTENT_TOPIC, DEFAULT_VERSION);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Create Message with a byte array as payload
+   * @param payload
+   * @returns {Message}
+   */
+  static fromBytes(payload: Uint8Array): Message {
     return new Message(payload, DEFAULT_CONTENT_TOPIC, DEFAULT_VERSION);
   }
 
-  static fromBinary(bytes: Uint8Array): Message {
+  static decode(bytes: Uint8Array): Message {
     const wakuMsg = WakuMessage.decode(Reader.create(bytes));
     return new Message(wakuMsg.payload, wakuMsg.contentTopic, wakuMsg.version);
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/waku_relay.spec.ts b/src/lib/waku_relay.spec.ts
index 24b9d465fa..cfbf011c72 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku_relay.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku_relay.spec.ts
@@ -392,6 +392,6 @@ function waitForNextData(pubsub: Pubsub): Promise<Message> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
     pubsub.once(TOPIC, resolve);
   }).then((msg: any) => {
-    return Message.fromBinary(msg.data);
+    return Message.decode(msg.data);
   });
 }