EP11: Coffee, Wines, Beers, Tonics.. and what’s next for this photographer {Aneesh Bhasin, Co-founder of Svami}

I catch up with award winning photographer Aneesh Bhasin of Svami drinks. Svami is a beverages brand that’s part of the latest wave of Indian consumer brands that is catering to a premium audience and offers variety in a segment that has long lacked innovation.

Aneesh and I chat about coffee, his experience building his earlier startup HipCask and how he’s taken that experience to build SVAMI — a brand that’s built up quite the fan following.

Svami Tonics, 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!

Aneesh has graciously offered a 15% discount on orders placed on SvamiDrinks.com and should be active for about a month, so till the end of June. Do listen to the podcast to get your discount code! Do follow my channel wherever you listen to the podcast and do sign up to the newsletter so that you can receive the podcast delivered to your inbox!

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.

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