In short
Podcast Episode Notes: Nikhil Explores What’s Brewing in the Craft Beverage Industry
Podcast Information
- Title: WTF is with Nikhil Kamath
- Episode: 22
- Guests:
- Rahul Reddy (Subko)
- Matt Chitharanjan (Blue Tokai)
- Aneesh Bhasin (Svami)
- Adithya Kidambi (Mossant)
Episode Overview This episode delves into India's burgeoning craft beverage industry, focusing on the rise of brands that are transforming consumer habits around specialty drinks. Through casual yet insightful discussions, Nikhil and his guests discuss the challenges and opportunities within the industry, emphasizing authenticity, innovation, and quality.
Key Themes The Rise of Craft Beverages
- Market Shift: Indian consumers are increasingly interested in quality beverages, moving beyond traditional options to artisanal drinks like specialty coffee, kombucha, and premium mixers.
- Consumer Curiosity: There is a growing willingness among consumers to experiment with new beverage offerings.
Building a Brand
- Challenges: Establishing a brand in the craft beverage market is complex, requiring careful sourcing, branding, and marketing strategies.
- Art of Brand-Building: The guests share insights into what it takes to build a successful beverage brand, particularly in a competitive landscape.
Competition and Sustainability
- Industry Competition: The podcast highlights the competition between craft beverage brands and established players like Starbucks and Schweppes.
- Sustainability Concerns: Discussion on whether quick commerce is a sustainable model for new beverage brands, with advice for new entrants.
Key Quotes and Insights
- Defining Craft: "Authenticity, innovation, and quality" were highlighted as the three core principles of what constitutes a craft beverage.
- Consumer Expectations: The conversation touches on the expectation for good coffee and food as the new baseline for consumer experience.
Notable Discussions
- Attracting Customers: A playful inquiry about how to draw crowds to coffee shops leads to reflections on what keeps consumers coming back.
- Market Comparison: The guests acknowledge the importance of direct competition, even encouraging new brands to compare themselves with established ones readily.
Conclusion The episode encapsulates a dynamic conversation on the craft beverage industry's evolution in India, underscoring the importance of quality, innovation, and strategic brand-building amidst a shifting consumer landscape.
Links to Guests and Further Reading
- Nikhil Kamath: [Twitter](https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio)
- Matt Chitharanjan (Blue Tokai): [LinkedIn](https://in.linkedin.com/in/mchitharanjan), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/matt_chit)
- Adithya Kidambi (Mossant): [LinkedIn](https://in.linkedin.com/in/adithya-kidambi-8866b1269), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/kidambiadithya/)
- Aneesh Bhasin (Svami): [Twitter](https://x.com/aneeshb), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aneesh-bhasin-252b661/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aneeshb/)
- Rahul Reddy (Subko Coffee): [Twitter](https://x.com/rahulreddysc), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulgreddy/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raah_hool)
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Let's start by telling everyone a little bit about ourselves. Who would like to go first? How can I put this right? Did engineering like everybody else. Didn't like engineering like most people. Really sucked at engineering also like most people.
0:19Fresh lime sweet and salted is the natural drink of India. Food is something that really makes or breaks the success of the store. So I define craft with three words, okay? Authenticity, innovation and quality. For me, coffee is like this upwardly mobile aspirational beverage. And let's hope everybody buys more Indian, independent brands like each one of you.
0:53Can I give you an answer to the 25-year-old? Having good coffee and good training and even good food is going to become the bare minimum. What hack can you tell me in terms of getting the kind of crowd in a coffee shop which would attract more people? If I had the answer to that, I would replicate it across our 135 hours. I got some tonic waters and some kombucha. So you guys are competitioners. As long as someone's not drinking Schweppes, you're not going to do it. Is quick commerce sustainable? If you're a new brand, please don't just think that you'll build it on quick commerce. So you're saying if I start a tonic brand, I should go to all the restaurants you are, open yours and mine and say compare.
1:37Yeah, 100%. I'm already doing it.
1:46Is Starbucks doing well in India? Yes and no. It's fine.
From the publisher
India’s craft beverage industry is on the rise, with brands redefining the way the country drinks. Specialty coffee, kombucha, and premium mixers are no longer just niche products—they’re part of a larger shift toward quality and innovation. As global trends in artisanal drinks take hold, Indian consumers are becoming more curious and willing to experiment. But building a brand in this space comes with unique challenges. In this episode, Nikhil Kamath sits down with Rahul Reddy (Subko), Matt Chitharanjan (Blue Tokai), Aneesh Bhasin (Svami), and Adithya Kidambi (Mossant) to explore the challenges and opportunities in India’s evolving beverage space.From sourcing the best beans to disrupting the beverage industry, they break down the art of brand-building, competition in this industry, and what lies next for craft beverages in India. #NikhilKamath Co-founder of Zerodha, True Beacon and GruhasTwitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcioInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcioFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio#MattChitharanjan Co-founder of Blue Tokai LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/mchitharanjan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_chit #AdithyaKidambi Co-founder of Mossant Fermentary LinkedIN - https://in.linkedin.com/in/adithya-kidambi-8866b1269 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kidambiadithya/ #AneeshBhasin Co-founder of Svami Twitter: https://x.com/aneeshb LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aneesh-bhasin-252b661/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aneeshb/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gentlemenlisten/ #RahulReddy Co-founder of Subko Coffee Twitter - https://x.com/rahulreddysc LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulgreddy/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raah_hool Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rahul.gurram.reddy/
