How Something’s Brewing Is Disrupting India’s $500 Mn Coffee Industry With Specialty Brews

India’s coffee culture is thriving. With a $500 Mn industry brewing fast, it’s no surprise that coffee lovers are seeking better brews. While giants like Nestlé, HUL, and Tata dominate the instant coffee market, true connoisseurs often struggle to find their preferred cup. 

The gap became even more evident during the Covid-19 lockdowns when limited choices and poor-quality brews left many craving better options. To bridge this gap, Abhinav Mathur and a group of coffee enthusiasts launched Something’s Brewing in 2020, a D2C marketplace dedicated to all things coffee. 

As new-age D2C brands like SLAY Coffee, Third Wave Coffee, First Coffee, Rage Coffee, and Blue Tokai gain traction, India is shifting towards premium, artisanal, and home-brewed coffee experiences. Something’s Brewing makes home brewing easier with premium coffee gear and high-quality brews.

Crafting Fresh Brews 

Unlike instant coffee brands, Something’s Brewing chose to educate the consumer through YouTube videos, blogs, and product guides while fostering community engagement through events and workshops. As home brewing remains a new concept in India, it aims to bridge the knowledge gap with a curated marketplace featuring top coffee brands and equipment.

The startup is a vertical marketplace, offering a wide variety of brews, dry coffee, coffee equipment, including fully automatic and semi-automatic machines, manual brewers, grinders, and related gear for brewing at home. Its flagship product Budan One Touch Coffee Machine can brew using both coffee pods and ground coffee, creating everything from a rich espresso to a frothy cappuccino.

Double Shot On Retail

Something’s Brewing saw its revenue reach INR 7.9 Cr in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) from INR 6.7 Cr a year back, scaling over 60%. It also expanded its retail presence by launching its second store in Surat, which reached operational break-even within two months. One of the key milestones for the brand in community engagement was hosting the Mumbai Coffee Festival in collaboration with Reliance Jio World, which attracted nearly 25,000 enthusiasts. The brand has so far served 12,000+ users and has sold more than 25,000 products.

A Peek Into The Next Pour 

The D2C brand aims to double its growth from the previous year and looks to hit INR 25 Cr in revenue by FY25.

Something’s Brewing plans 20 experience centres across top metro cities, offering a premium coffee brewing experience. A range of IoT-enabled Budan Brewers, operated through an app with features like recipe storage and sharing, is also on the cards. 

For its long-term vision, the brand aims to achieve INR 100 Cr in revenue and build a 100K strong community over the next 4-5 years.

[Authored By Pooja Yadav]