Aneesh Bhasin: More Than A Svami

He made tonic water and ginger ale cool for anew generation of Indians with the Svami brand. And now, tt is valued at Rs 100 crore

- Suman Quazi

Aneesh Bhasin is many things, but a svami. There is not a shred of asceticism in him. The 37-year-old, who made drinking tonic water cool for a whole generation, loves indulging in cigars, sneakers, vinyl, gadgets, coffee, and booze. He is as much a podcaster and part-time DJ, as he is an entrepreneur. And also, a party animal. His friend and business associate Vidur Gupta describes him as the person present "at every event." "I don't know how he gets the time," Gupta jokes.

It's ironic then, that his brand is called Svami. Founded in 2018, it was a first-mover in the premium mixers space and has since, grown to become a market leader with 2500 touchpoints, across 35 cities, and 12 products, spanning tonic waters, alongside non-alcoholic and ready-to-drink items like ginger ale, salted lemonade, no-sugar cola, gin and tonic and rum and cola. The name Svami came about when Bhasin and his cofounders started brainstorming for one that rolled off the tongue and came sans colonial elements like 'Sons' and 'Co'. "We wanted something super Indian," Bhasin shares.

A few weeks ago, Bhasin hit the headlines when his four-year-old company, Foxtrot Beverages Private Limited - which is yet to cross the Rs 20 crore sales mark was valued at Rs 100 crore. He sold the majority stake to Gupta's Third Eye Distillery Holdings (TED), the makers of the popular craft gin brand, Stranger & Sons. Though Bhasin will continue to run the company as earlier, the change in ownership will bring in new investment, enabling him to expand and achieve Rs 100 crore in sales in the coming years. Plus, allow Svami to piggyback on TED's large distribution network spread across the country and abroad.