Tag: Coolberg

Top Beverage Startups Disrupting the Drink Industry in India

Not too long ago, your choices for a quick drink in India were pretty predictable: cola, a packet of juice, maybe a packaged iced tea if you got lucky. That picture is changing fast. Walk through a supermarket today and you’ll see shelves stacked with cold brews, flavoured waters, protein shakes, and even mixers that feel straight out of a cocktail bar.

Curiosity and lifestyle are the main factors that are driving this shift. Young entrepreneurs are building brands around health, nostalgia, and premium experiences, and people are responding. Whether it’s a bottle of aam panna that tastes like summer holidays, or a non-alcoholic beer that lets you join the party without creating buzz, these startups are finding smart ways to stand out.

This isn’t just a new set of drinks on the market. It’s a new way of thinking about beverages in India. And the ten startups we’re about to explore are right at the heart of that story.

The Rise of D2C Beverage Brands in India
Key Growth Trends Driving the Sector
List of the Best Beverage Startups Driving Innovation in India’s Drink Sector

The Rise of D2C Beverage Brands in India

The D2C beverage sector in India is on a caffeinated rise, with homegrown startups shaking up everything from iced teas and smoothies to functional herbal infusions. Unlike traditional FMCG giants that rely heavily on retail shelves, these digitally native brands are building direct relationships with consumers through their own websites, apps, and online marketplaces.

According to recent reports, the food and beverage segment commands nearly 27% of India’s booming D2C market, making it one of the most promising categories for entrepreneurs and investors alike. The shift is fueled by health-conscious millennials and Gen Z buyers who prefer transparency, cleaner ingredients, and personalized experiences over mass-market products.

Key Growth Trends Driving the Sector

Natural Preference: Today’s consumers actively look for natural ingredients, low-sugar alternatives, and functional benefits like immunity boosts or gut health.
Global Aspiration: Many Indian beverage startups are going global with clean labels, vegan options, and sustainable practices to appeal to international markets.
Freshness is King: With shelf life, cold chains, and timely fulfilment being critical, tech-enabled logistics has become a backbone for scaling these businesses.
Digital-First Approach: The rise of e-commerce and quick commerce platforms is shifting consumer purchases from offline stores to direct-to-consumer models.
Product Innovation: From refined-sugar-free iced teas to frozen espresso shots and flavoured water enhancers, the product range has never been more diverse.

List of the Best Beverage Startups Driving Innovation in India’s Drink Sector

Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters

Year of Inception	2013
Founders	Matt Chitharanjan, Shivam Shahi, Namrata Asthana
Funding Raised	$72.09 Mn+
Key Investors	Verlinvest, Anicut Capital, A91 Partners, 12 Flags Group, Deepika Padukone
Headquarters	Gurugram

Blue Tokai - Best Beverage Startups in India — Blue Tokai – Best Beverage Startups in India

Blue Tokai is India’s leading specialty coffee brand with 80+ cafés, four roasteries, and an outlet in Tokyo, proving strong domestic and global appeal. Backed by Verlinvest, 12 Flags Group, and Deepika Padukone, it has raised $72 Mn+ to date. With its D2C + B2B model and a fresh $35 Mn Series C round, the brand is set to expand into Tier I & II cities, making it a strong play on India’s premium café culture and scalable growth market.

Glow Glossary

Year of Inception	2019
Founder	Pratishtha Rawat
Funding Raised	Not disclosed
Headquarters	Mumbai

Glow Glossary repositions matcha as a mindful ritual, offering curated kits for holistic living. Targeting India’s growing wellness and lifestyle market, the brand represents a niche, premium opportunity for investors in the health-focused, D2C beverage segment.

Blue Tea

Year of Inception	2020
Founders	Nitesh Singh, Sunil Chandra Saha
Funding Raised	INR 50 lakh for 3% equity + INR 25 lakh debt (Shark Tank India S2)
Key Investors	Aman Gupta
Headquarters	Delhi

Blue Tea brings ancient Ayurvedic flowers to modern cups, offering antioxidant-rich, caffeine-free teas from shankhpushpi and butterfly pea. For investors, it represents a unique farm-to-cup wellness beverage brand tapping into the rising demand for functional, natural, and holistic drinks in India.

Boba Bhai

Year of Inception	2023
Founder	Dhruv Kohli
Funding Raised	$3.35 Mn+
Key Investors	Titan Capital, Arjun Vaidya, Varun Alagh
Headquarters	Bengaluru

Boba Bhai has quickly emerged as a leading bubble tea brand in India, serving over 4 lakh customers in just one year with revenues of INR 8 Cr. For investors, it offers high-growth potential through aggressive expansion plans to 150 stores by 2025, new product launches, and strong traction in the urban F&B market.

Coolberg

Year of Inception	2016
Founders	Pankaj Aswani, Yashika Keswani
Funding Raised	$3.5 Mn
Key Investors	RB Investments, India Quotient, Ashish Goenka, Indian Angel Network
Headquarters	Mumbai

Coolberg offers a range of non-alcoholic beers and beverages, with distribution across India, Africa, the Maldives, Bhutan, and Nepal. For investors, it represents a premium, globally scalable beverage brand, strengthened by acquisition and poised for portfolio expansion in the non-alcoholic drinks segment.

DropKaffe

Year of Inception	2019
Founders	Rakshit Kejriwal, Lakshmi Dasaka, Chaitanya Chitta, Amar Yashlaha
Funding Raised	$850 K
Key Investors	Fireside Ventures, Brigade Group, GrowthStory, Sidharth Pansari, Nirupa Shankar, Hitesh Oberoi, Kanwaljit Singh, Apurva Salarpuria, Manish Singhal, P39 Capital
Headquarters	Bengaluru

DropKaffe offers ready-to-drink and fresh coffee products across 160+ locations in 19 cities, serving over 500K customers. For investors, it presents a fast-growing D2C and café brand in India’s booming coffee segment with strong urban penetration.

FOMO Iced Tea

Year of Inception	2022
Founders	Avik Chaudhery, Gaurang Gadia
Funding Raised	INR 35 lakh for 6% equity (Shark Tank India)
Key Investors	Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal
Headquarters	Mumbai

FOMO Iced Tea targets Gen-Z and health-conscious consumers with zero-refined sugar beverages, combining trendy branding with functional benefits. For investors, it’s a youth-driven brand in India’s growing low-calorie beverage market.

CoCoFit

Year of Inception	2020
Founders	Shashikant, Sunil Kumar
Funding Raised	INR 50 lakh for 1.67% equity (Shark Tank India)
Key Investors	Namita Thapar, Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal
Headquarters	Bengaluru

CoCoFit delivers farm-to-cup coconut beverages with no added sugar or preservatives, appealing to health-conscious urban consumers. For investors, it represents a premium, functional beverage brand with scalable farm-to-consumer operations.

Skippi Pops

Year of Inception	2020
Founders	Ravi Kabra, Anuja Kabra
Funding Raised	INR 1 crore for 15% equity (Shark Tank India)
Key Investors	All 5 Shark Tank India investors
Headquarters	Delhi

Skippi - Best Beverage Startups in India — Skippi – Best Beverage Startups in India

Skippi Pops revives the traditional “chuski” with preservative-free, all-natural ice pops, scaling nostalgia into a modern FMCG opportunity. For investors, it’s India’s first all-natural frozen treat brand with proven Shark Tank backing and growth potential.

Malaki

Year of Inception	2021
Founders	Ashish Bhatia, Mohit Bhatia
Funding Raised	INR 50 lakh for 3% equity (Shark Tank India)
Key Investors	Aman Gupta, Peyush Bansal
Headquarters	Mumbai

Malaki offers premium, non-alcoholic wellness beverages crafted with Himalayan ingredients and contemporary Indian flavours. For investors, it presents a luxury D2C opportunity in India’s growing artisanal and functional drinks segment.

Conclusion

The beverage scene in India is changing like never before. These startups aren’t just selling drinks; they are creating experiences, shaping lifestyles, and connecting with consumers in meaningful ways. From artisanal coffees and wellness teas to bubble teas and natural frozen treats, each brand reflects creativity, health focus, and a fresh approach to consumption.

For investors, the opportunity is clear: D2C models, strong urban adoption, innovative products, and the potential to scale make this sector incredibly promising. These 10 brands show how the Indian drink industry is evolving, offering both exciting growth for entrepreneurs and smart avenues for investment.

FAQs

Which are the top D2C beverage startups in India?

Some of the leading startups include Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, Glow Glossary, Blue Tea, Boba Bhai, Coolberg, DropKaffe, FOMO Iced Tea, CoCoFit, Skippi Pops, and Malaki.

Why are Indian consumers shifting from traditional soft drinks to D2C beverages?

Consumers are seeking healthier, functional, and innovative alternatives such as cold brews, bubble teas, herbal infusions, and non-alcoholic beers instead of colas and packaged juices.

Which Indian D2C beverage startup focuses on nostalgia?

Skippi Pops is reviving the traditional “chuski” in a preservative-free, all-natural form, turning nostalgia into a scalable FMCG opportunity.

September 11, 2025

Coolberg Success Story- Aimed Towards Youngsters Who Don’t Drink Alcohol

Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Coolberg.

In the Indian market, there hasn’t been much creativity in the soft drinks industry, and it has grown somewhat antiquated. Coolberg was created to provide a quality and creative soft drink substitute. New flavours and fashionable items are required in contemporary India. According to a recent poll, more than 80% of customers want to try alternatives to Colas. As a result, Coolberg, a drink for everyone, was developed.

Non-alcoholic beer can be made using a variety of methods. Some of which involve restricting the fermentation process and others require evaporation of alcohol from an ordinary beer. Coolberg uses the former method and keeps the fermentation of its beverages to a minimum.

Know more about the company profile, startup story, business model, founders, etc., of Coolberg by reading this article further.

Coolberg – Company Highlights

Startup Name	Coolberg
Legal Name	Coolberg Beverages Private Limited
Headquarters	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Industry	Craft Beer, and Food and Beverage
Founders	Pankaj Aswani, Yashika Keswani
Founded	2016
Areas Served	India
Current CEO	Pankaj Aswani
Website	www.coolberg.in

About Coolberg
Coolberg – Industry
Coolberg – Name, Logo, and Tagline
Coolberg – Founders
Coolberg – Startup Story
Coolberg – Vision, and Mission Statement
Coolberg – Employees
Coolberg – Business Model, and Revenue Model
Coolberg – Funding, and Investors
Coolberg – Growth
Coolberg – Competitors
Coolberg – Future Plans

About Coolberg

Coolberg Beverages Pvt Ltd is a firm that makes non-alcoholic drinks. It is an Indian company that manufactures non-alcoholic beers to establish a new drink genre that is trendy, contemporary, and appealing.

The company’s beers are made with natural ingredients including herbs and barley malt and are available in a wide variety of flavours, giving drinkers and beverage fans a selection of interesting mocktails and beers to pick among.

Coolberg’s Malt Zero Alcohol Beer has a beer-like flavour, and its other malt-based drinks, such as Cranberry, Strawberry, Peach, Ginger, and Mint, provide a pleasant and fresh punch. The company’s goods appeal to a wide range of clients, including many who enjoy Coca-Cola and those who crave the flavour of the beer.

Coolberg – Industry

During the projected timeframe, the non-alcoholic beverage market is expected to grow at a rate of 4.7 per cent (2021-2026). COVID-19 is having a significant influence on the worldwide non-alcoholic beverage category, which is implementing numerous safety regulations, measures, and quality control to increase customer confidence.

Such initiatives have raised sales of items with functional advantages, such as immunological health, which are projected to have a favourable influence on the market; demand for high-sugar carbonated drinks has decreased both in off- and on-trade venues.

In 2020, the pandemic changed the package size scenario, with customers opting for larger pack sizes and multipacks since they are more cost-effective and eliminate the need for further regular shop visits.

The non-alcoholic beverage sector in India has experienced tremendous growth. Expanding middle-class populations, increased urbanisation, and rising disposable income are all contributing to this expansion.

Furthermore, with a population of 1.3 billion people, India is one of the world’s largest consumer marketplaces. It is also one among the youngest in terms of demographics, with over half of the population under the age of 25 and around 65 per cent under the age of 35.

According to an analysis, the Indian bottled non-alcoholic drinks industry is expected to rise at a rate of 16.2% from 2017 to 2030. Furthermore, because more individuals switch to packed beverages, the industry is expected to expand to USD 20.4 billion by the end of the projection period.

Coolberg – Name, Logo, and Tagline

Coolberg Logo

Coolberg’s slogan says, “Non-Alcoholic Beers Never Tasted So Good Before.”

Coolberg – Founders

Coolberg was founded by Pankaj Aswani and Yashika Keswani in 2016.

Pankaj Aswani

Pankaj is the CEO and co-founder of Coolberg. His name was also included in Forbes’ list of the top 30 under 30 people in the world. He is a CA and a former banker.

Yashika Keswani

Yashika is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Coolberg Beverages Pvt. Ltd. She previously worked at MTLB as a Verbal Communication Expert, where she was responsible for content writing for print advertisements, idealising, designing posts for social media websites, managing pages on social media websites, blog writing, radio jingles, and content writing for brochures, visiting cards, and menu cards, among other things.

Coolberg – Startup Story

Pankaj and Yashika, a couple, established Coolberg in 2016. Pankaj is a teetotaller who does not drink alcohol, although he enjoys partying with his buddies. So many of his pals drank beer or other alcoholic beverages, but Pankaj preferred to consume Energy Drink or Apple Juice discreetly.

The trick was that both the options seemed to be beer in the glass, and friends didn’t push him to consume more alcohol. In several instances, he rescued himself. The greater problem was that there weren’t a lot of alternatives for non-drinkers, and Pankaj didn’t use to buy expensive mocktails with a lovely curled straw.

Pankaj and Yashika visited Australia and New Zealand after their marriage in early 2016. Pankaj had the same difficulty at many of the restaurants and clubs, that is where they discovered the non-alcoholic beer alternative.

Pankaj ordered Non-Alcoholic Beer right away and fell madly in love with it. This was the epiphany moment when a doorbell rang in both of their heads, and they tried to launch non-alcoholic beers in India, 12,000 kilometres away from the home.

When Pankaj and Yashika returned to India, they began working on the formulas and spent several months perfecting the formulation and putting in place all of the necessary equipment.

Coolberg was formed after a huge amount of work, and their idea of developing a non-alcoholic beer subcategory in India became a reality, and it is now on its way to being a great success.

Coolberg currently sells not just in India, but also in Africa, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, and other nations.

Coolberg aspires to be India’s biggest beverage firm in the premium non-alcoholic beverage sector. The Coolberg family has grown to over 300 members and is rapidly increasing.

Coolberg – Vision, and Mission Statement

Coolberg was formed, and their vision of establishing a non-alcoholic beer category in India became a reality, and it is now on its way to becoming a huge success.

Coolberg – Employees

Pankaj Aswani – Founder & CEO
Yashika Keswani – Co-Founder & COO
Sumanta Sarkar – Director of Sales Marketing
Aejaz Patel – Business Development Manager
Bhavin Rajde – Business Development Manager
Biman Kar – Business Development Manager – HORECA
Brijesh Gupta – Area Sales Manager
Dharmesh Kundaliya – Market Development Manager
Kapil Baviskar – Business Development Manager
Milan Das – Area Sales Manager

Coolberg – Business Model, and Revenue Model

“Coolberg was conceptualised looking at the needs of non-alcoholic consumers, I being one of them. There was a demand and it was met by imported stuff. We saw an opportunity in non-alcoholic beer segment and entered this business. We are increasing production every month,” Aswain said.

Coolberg is a millennial-oriented brand. It’s designed to have the optimum flavour, consistency, and scent, as well as youthful and colourful packaging. The product is now accessible in over 30 major cities and is supplied at over 2000 commercial outlets, the majority of which are cafes and restaurants.

The products are priced at Rs 109/- MRP and fall into the luxury segment. Coolberg has carved out its position in the marketplace, catering to customers who aren’t interested in alcoholic beverages.

When non-drinkers are socialising with friends and seeking a more grown-up option to the juice and soft drink alternatives present in the market, it also provides a fresh perspective.

Coolberg – Funding, and Investors

Coolberg has raised $3.5 million in two rounds of financing.

Date	Round	Amount	Lead Investors
Nov 13, 2019	Series A	$3.5M	RB Investments Pte. Ltd.
Aug 1, 2018	Seed Round	–	Anirudh Agarwal, India Quotient, Sanjay Mehta

Coolberg – Growth

Coolberg is a millennial-oriented brand. It’s designed to have the optimum flavour, texture, and scent, as well as youthful and entertaining packaging. The products are now accessible in over 30 major cities and are supplied at over 2000 retail touchpoints, the majority of which are restaurants and cafés.

The products are priced at Rs 109/- MRP and fall into the premium category. Coolberg does have its own place in the industry, catering to those who aren’t searching for alcoholic drinks.

When non-drinkers are socialising with friends and seeking a more grown-up alternative to the soft drink and juice alternatives available on the market, it also provides a fresh experience.

Coolberg is now accessible in 25,000 retailers across India, 4 years since its inception. Supermarkets, grocery shops, cafés, restaurants, colleges, airlines, and online mediums, all distribute it.

Pankaj, a Chartered Accountant, is in charge of marketing and statistics, while Yashika is in charge of organizing and advertising. According to Statista, sales in the soft drinks industry in India is estimated to reach $4,932 million by 2022, with the market growing at a 9.0% annual rate (CAGR 2021-2025).

Currently, the brand works with over 250 distributors that provide to a variety of retail outlets. Also, it sells directly to consumers through a range of online platforms.

Coolberg – Competitors

Counter Culture Coffee, Budweiser, Heineken, Kingfisher, Funkin, Boxed Water, and INCASUR are among Coolberg’s main competitors.

Coolberg – Future Plans

Pankaj Aswani, Founder of Coolberg Beverages Pvt Ltd, said, “Coolberg was conceptualised looking at the needs of non-alcoholic consumers, I being one of them. There was a demand and it was met by imported stuff. We saw an opportunity in the non-alcoholic beer segment and entered this business. We are increasing production every month.”

Coolberg Beverages Pvt Ltd intends to increase market dominance in terms of reaching out to several clients. The firm’s offerings, which include the manufacture and marketing of zero-alcohol beer, are currently accessible in 30 major locations across India. Such items were available in 2,000 outlets, including stores and restaurants. Coolberg now intends to increase its reach by ten times.

As of 2019, “This year our target is to make products be made available at 20,000 outlets, which is a 10 times growth in market expansion. We want to penetrate deep into the markets we are already in. It helps in better distribution and an efficient supply chain. Once we stabilise our operations in these markets, we will expand to new markets,” Aswani added.

Coolberg – FAQ

What does Coolberg do?

Coolberg Beverages Pvt Ltd is an Indian startup that makes non-alcoholic drinks.

Who founded Coolberg?

Coolberg was founded by Pankaj Aswani and Yashika Keswani in 2016.

When was Coolberg founded?

Coolberg was founded in 2016.

Which companies do Coolberg compete with?

Counter Culture Coffee, Budweiser, Heineken, Kingfisher, Funkin, Boxed Water, and INCASUR are among Coolberg’s main competitors.

February 10, 2022