In this episode, I invited Abhijeet Anand - Founder of abCoffee, a brand which is on a mission to bring specialty coffee to every Indian at affordable rates.
Specialty premium coffee is not yet mainstream in India. The Indian middle class doesn't consume freshly brewed coffee on a daily basis. The prime reason? It is extremely costly. Abhijeet understood that, when he went on a trail across India to taste coffee brewed in different parts of the country. And that's how the idea of abCoffee was born.
With abCoffee, Abhijeet wants to democratize specialty coffee. He wants to brew premium coffee that caters to the Indian palate. abCoffee is unique in the sense that it's not a café or a restaurant but a 'deck' where you can come in, grab your coffee, meet new people & be on your way.
As for Abhijeet, I think he is the perfect representation of the brand. Young. Energetic. Passionate. Agile. Talking to him was an absolute pleasure & after recording this episode I had the chance to meet him in person & I got my hands on their Classic Cold Coffee, which was absolutely amazing!
We spoke about a range of topics on this episode like:
(02:53) – The mysterious man & his journey: Abhijeet Anand
(04:44) – What were the events that led Abhijeet to start his own venture?
(07:49) – Planning 15 years into the future & working backwards – what is AA’s modus operandi?
(11:50) – When were the seeds to start a specialty coffee chain sown in AA’s mind?
(22:28) – A trail across the heart of India to validate the idea for abCoffee
(28:45) – Harnessing technology to engineer a cup of coffee + introducing a culture of ‘Grab & Go’
(36:48) – What is a Coffee deck?
(41:25) – Execution, Execution, Execution
(46:13) – What are the BLOCKERS to Growth?
(49:17) – Coffee myths & fun facts
(55:29) – abCoffee: The story behind the name
If you're based out in Mumbai I would really recommend checking out their Coffee decks @ Versova & Powai!
