Ep #22 | WTF are Craft Beverages? Nikhil ft. the Founders of Blue Tokai, Subko, Svami, and Mossant

About this episode

Nikhil Kamath discusses the challenges and opportunities in India's craft beverage industry with its leading founders.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Nikhil Kamath

Guests: Rahul Reddy, Matt Chitharanjan, Aneesh Bhasin, Adithya Kidambi

Topics covered

• craft beverages
• specialty coffee
• kombucha
• premium mixers
• consumer habits
• local brands

Keywords

• craft beverages
• India
• specialty coffee
• kombucha
• premium mixers
• consumer education
• local production

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blue Tokai, Subko, Svami, Mossant

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