First Coffee, a grab-and-go specialty coffee brand, secured $1.2 million in funding. South Asia and India-focused venture fund Beenext led this investment round.
The funding round also included investors like Ashish Gupta from Helion Venture Partners, AngelList India, Ritesh Malik (Innov8 founder), Sahil Malik (Da Milano founder), Aman Arora (Keventers co-founder), and Agastya Dalmia (Keventers director), among others.
With Beenext leading the round, early-stage venture capitalists and angel investors continue to show strong interest in emerging food brands, especially in the growing coffee segment.
The company will use the funds to expand to more locations nationwide, focusing on hiring and marketing efforts. First Coffee aims to increase its store presence in key urban areas, including New Delhi, NCR, and tier-I cities in northern India.
“We are the first brand to bring true specialty coffee, scoring 91% on the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) scale, to the Indian market. At First Coffee, we’re not just serving coffee; we’re crafting a unique, premium experience while still catering to the fast-paced lifestyle of our customers,” said co-founder Shiv Dhawan.
Founded in 2024 by Sohrab Sitaram and Dhawan, First Coffee sources its beans from Harley Coffee Estate in Chikmagalur. The brand will mainly target small-format quick-service restaurants (QSRs) in high-traffic locations like malls, corporate parks, high streets, and metro stations. By the second quarter of the next fiscal year, the company plans to open 35 stores nationwide.
Commenting on the investment, Anirudh Garg, partner at Beenext, said, “First Coffee is uniquely placed where they are not just selling a product but rather a coffee experience, blending tech, sustainability, and coffee.”
Specialty coffee chain AbCoffee secured $3.4 million in a Series A funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from existing investor Tanglin Venture Partners.
On March 26, Subko, a specialty coffee roaster and craft bakehouse, raised $10 million in a funding round spearheaded by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.
Other notable players in the specialty coffee market include Slay Coffee, supported by Fireside Ventures, Alteria Capital, and Rebel Foods, along with Sleepy Owl Coffee, Hatti Kaapi, Blue Tokai, and Rage Coffee.
