From Third Wave to fourth wave, India’s specialty coffee boom

When the Covid-19 pandemic first made landfall in India in early 2020, it dealt a crushing blow to the hospitality industry. Restaurants and bars, with their high rents and amid growing concerns about public gatherings, shut down abruptly. 

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Mumbai-headquartered Subko Roasters, which opened its first café in Mumbai’s Bandra just three days before the country went into lockdown. Paying extortionate rentals for real estate in an otherwise nondescript lane, it was hoping to make a mark on the throngs of passersby the area usually played host to. With that no longer a possibility, the business had to quickly pivot to home delivery. 

Three years later, Subko has not just weathered the storm, it has grown considerably. It has reported a steady increase in sales, has three standalone cafes in Mumbai alone, and a number of shop-in-shops in Mumbai and Bengaluru.