In India’s complex, high taxation beer landscape, craft brewer Kati Patang is preparing for its next big leap. After building a presence across four states and crossing approximately Rs 16 crore in gross revenue last year, the company is now aiming to double its growth in FY 26–27.
The Delhi headquartered craft beer brand, founded by Lata Upadhyay and Shantanu Upadhyay, has spent the past few years building distribution muscle and brand recall in a category dominated by mass lagers and regulatory hurdles.
Scaling Without Overextending
Unlike many craft entrants that invested heavily in owned breweries, Kati Patang adopted an asset light model early on. The founders sourced water from the Himalayan belt and began brewing select styles in Bhutan, while expanding contract brewing partnerships within India as state wise demand evolved.
This hybrid production strategy allowed the company to enter new markets without locking capital into infrastructure in a category where excise policies vary dramatically from state to state.
Today, Kati Patang operates in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Goa, with planned entries into Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh as part of its FY 26–27 expansion roadmap.
Retail Led Revenue, Experience Led Brand
Retail contributes nearly 70 percent of the company’s revenue. However, brand building has been driven through horeca placements and owned community initiatives such as the Kati Patang Trial Room and a structured quiz league format that helps deepen consumer engagement.
Rather than compete on pricing in a discount driven beer market, the company has focused on premium positioning. Its portfolio includes an Amber Ale, positioned as India’s first bottled amber ale and a silver medal winner at the Berlin International Beer Competition, along with differentiated offerings such as Snappy Wheat and Saffron Lager.
The strategy is clear: build pull in a niche segment instead of chasing mass volume.
A Craft Category on the Rise
India’s craft beer segment is estimated to be growing at 25 to 30 percent annually, outpacing the broader beer market. Kati Patang’s leadership believes this structural shift in urban consumption, premiumisation, and experimentation is creating room for independent players to scale.
The company’s FY 26–27 target of doubling revenue will hinge on deeper state penetration, sharper distribution execution, and disciplined capital allocation in what remains one of India’s most tightly regulated consumer categories.
As the founders see it, the opportunity lies not in competing with large beer conglomerates on their terms, but in expanding the premium craft occasion itself.
For Kati Patang, the next phase is less about storytelling and more about scale.
