There’s a certain magic in how coffee powers daily life in India, equal parts fuel and ritual. For Abhijeet Anand, creator of abCoffee, coffee isn’t just another beverage. It’s an experience, a supply chain, and a way of understanding what Indians actually want. His journey from a successful career in oil and gas to building India’s fastest-growing coffee brand started not in a boardroom, but on the misty slopes of Chikmagalur.

A Founder Who Did the Homework

Instead of simply launching another café, Abhijeet Anand spent 14 months living and learning alongside coffee farmers in Chikmagalur, Karnataka India’s coffee heartland. He studied traditional farming methods, global coffee formats, and, most importantly, the consuming habits of everyday Indians. “Coffee in India isn’t a luxury. It’s daily fuel,” he says a principle that would define every aspect of abCoffee’s business.

A Brand Built for the Indian Routine

Launched in late 2022, abCoffee’s first kiosk opened in Versova, Mumbai. The ambition was simple: take great Indian coffee, make it affordable, accessible, and lightning-fast, 90 seconds from order to hand-off. The model clicked. In under two and a half years, abCoffee scaled to more than 75 outlets nationwide, a pace rarely seen in Indian F&B.

Here are some numbers that tell the story:

• 75+ Outlets: From a single kiosk in Versova to more than 75 locations across India in less than 2.5 years.
• 39% Online Revenue: Over 39% of total revenue now comes from online channels, thanks to a blend of technology-enabled ordering and subscription models.
• Subscription Success: abCoffee cracked the notoriously difficult F&B subscription market, outpacing most competitors that still rely on loyalty cards or discounts.
• 90-Second Ritual: The brand’s promise, delivering specialty coffee in just 90 seconds, sets a new bar for convenience without sacrificing quality.

A Founder Who Became the Brand

Abhijeet isn’t just leading abCoffee, he is abCoffee. From Instagram reels to podcast interviews, he is both chief storyteller and the company’s most visible ambassador. The brand’s communication, design, and even its hiring philosophy reflect Anand’s first-hand observations and deeply personal mission.

Lessons for India’s D2C Dreamers

abCoffee didn’t race into virality with celebrity endorsements or viral campaigns. Instead, Abhijeet focused on two underappreciated fundamentals: decoding real-world behavior and putting the product in the hands (and routines) of everyday people. By rooting his brand in ground-level insights, literally among the farmers, he turned a humble coffee into a daily essential for India’s growing urban workforce.

In a market crowded with “disruptors,” abCoffee rebuilt the category from scratch. It’s an approach led by patience, and an obsession with the rhythm of India’s mornings.

If you’re building any consumer brand in India, or just want to understand what true founder-led storytelling looks like, this is one case study you can’t afford to skip.

ALSO READ : How Homegrown Startups Are Taking Over The Coffee Industry