EP11: {Aneesh Bhasin, Co-founder of Svami}
Hi subscribers!
We’re on Week 6, and on this episode I catch up with award winning photographer Aneesh Bhasin who is a co-founder of Svami drinks. Svami is a premium beverage brand that’s part of the latest wave of Indian consumer brands that is catering to an audience that wanted more in a category that has long lacked innovation.
Aneesh and I chat about coffee, his experience building his earlier startup HipCask and how he’s leveraged that experience to build SVAMI - a brand that’s built a massive fan following.
Listen on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Spotify
Svami beverages with their exquisite packaging and wonderful flavours, are finally putting the Indian in Indian Tonic. Svami manufactures and sells premium non-alcoholic drinks and mixers across retail stores, restaurant-pubs and e-commerce channels.
Aneesh has worked on projects for food, lifestyle and travel for brand including Johnnie Walker, Dom Pérignon, Hennessy, Starbucks, BBC Good Food, Vanity Fair, Lonely Planet, GQ, CN Traveller and a lot more!
Svami was founded by three partners Sahil Jatana, Rahul Mehra and Aneesh Bhasin in 2018. All three are connoisseurs of good drinks — be it wine, beer or even coffee. Sahil started one of the first online stores for coffee in India, Rahul started one of the first craft breweries in Mumbai and Aneesh started India’s first app for wines and spirits.
The team has graciously offered a 15% discount on orders placed on SvamiDrinks.com and should be active for about a month (June2020). Do listen to the podcast to get your discount code!
Keep safe
— V
Timeline
12:05 — Building a taste for the good stuff
17:13 — Learning from launching an iOS app for wine users in Mumbai
24:43 — Hipcask Passport
30:15 — Team and coming together of SVAMI
33:25 — Creating an FMCG brand for a non-drinker
34:05 — Overcoming the incumbents
36:02 — Reason to start with “tonics” for an FMCG brand
38:45 — Why build a brand via bar sales?
42:30 — Packaging and it’s importance
44:25 — Creating an strong IP around SVAMI Superlative Cocktail League
48:10 — Building goodwill during the lockdown across the board
50:35 — Product Development process
58:07 — Driving purchases and sales channels
1:01:01 — Fund raising
1:03:33 — Competition from other startups
1:05:45 — Expansion global vs local
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