Ep #22 | WTF are Craft Beverages? Nikhil ft. the Founders of Blue Tokai, Subko, Svami, and Mossant
WTF is with Nikhil Kamath
From Restaurant to Kombucha: The Mosan Journey
This chapter explores the transition from the restaurant industry to launching a kombucha brand, sharing personal anecdotes and challenges encountered along the way. It highlights the intricate connection between quality tea sourcing, alcohol regulations, and expanding into global markets.
India has long been a tea-drinking nation, but in recent years, a new wave of craft beverage brands has started reshaping the way the country drinks. Specialty coffee, kombucha, and premium mixers are carving out space in an industry dominated by mass-produced options. While the demand for high-quality, homegrown beverages is growing, breaking into this space isn’t as easy as it looks. Import duties drive up costs, fragmented supply chains make scaling difficult, and price-sensitive consumers often hesitate to pay a premium. Unlike mass-market beverages, where marketing muscle can drive sales, craft brands have to build awareness, educate consumers, and create demand from scratch. In episode #22 of “WTF Is” Podcast, Nikhil Kamath sits down with some of the biggest names in India’s craft beverage industry—Rahul Reddy (Subko), Matt Chitharanjan (Blue Tokai), Aneesh Bhasin (Svami), and Adithya Kidambi (Mossant). They share their journey of navigating regulations, shifting consumer habits, and competing with legacy brands to bring high-quality, locally made beverages to the mainstream. Resource doc: https://www.notion.so/Resource-Craft-Beverages-19d26a5adf3180b68f1adbbbd2eea2f5#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/ Time stamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:01:48 - Matt’s Intro | Childhood & Family 00:05:13 - Starting Blue Tokai & Career Journey 00:07:29 - Adithya’s Intro 00:14:13 - Building Mossant 00:17:54 - Challenges in the Industry 00:20:05 - How big is Blue Tokai?00:21:39 - Aneesh’s Intro 00:25:36 - Starting Career Path leading to Beverage Industry 00:27:38 - Rahul’s Intro00:39:26 - Building Subko 00:42:40 - How are Subko & Blue Tokai different?00:47:54 - Hacks for a 25 year old to Compete with Subko & Blue Tokai00:50:30 - Cafe Offerings of both Coffee & Food00:58:09 - Waves of Coffee - Shift to Coffee01:04:27 - How Big is the Craft Industry in India01:10:21 - How to Influence the Crowd at a Coffee Shop 01:12:31 - Difference between Good & Bad Coffees 01:18:13 - Difference in Coffee Culture of India and USA 01:24:11 - Opportunities in Tier-2 Cities01:28:59 - Recent Consumption Trends01:33:21 - What’s Kombucha?01:41:28 - Difference of Flavour Palette in India and Abroad01:44:01 - Consumption Patterns in India 01:49:24 - Awareness of Kombucha as a Product01:58:21 - Craft Beverage Taxation Policies02:05:47 - Mossant’s Journey 02:09:27 - East Asian Beverage Markets02:10:12 - Building a Global Indian Beverage Brand 02:19:12 - How to Compete as a New F&B Brand 02:21:57 - Svami’s Journey 02:30:20 - Differentiating as a Tonic & Non-Alcoholic Brand 02:31:59 - Is Quick Commerce Sustainable in India? 02:41:12 - Svami, Mossant vs Schweppes 02:47:32 - Effects of Coffee as a Commodity02:49:13 - Steps to Starting a Cafe 02:58:07 - Learning from Abroad Beverage Markets 03:01:12 - Favourite Coffee Shops, Kombucha Brands, Non-Alcoholic Beverages 03:14:59 - Beverage Industry as an Investor #WTFiswithnikhilkamath
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