When Sardar-Ji-Bakhsh Coffee & Co. opened its first café in December 2017, the goal was simple, to serve great coffee that felt accessible. Before launching its physical stores, the brand began with humble mobile carts, laying the groundwork for a community-focused approach to coffee.
Today, with Kavalpreet Kaur steering the brand as its Chief Business Officer, that vision continues to evolve with greater ambition and refinement. “We still believe most people in India don’t have access to a genuinely good cup of coffee,” she says. “That’s what we’re solving for: good coffee, made approachable.” The brand has also expanded its focus beyond coffee, offering freshly prepared food made live in each café’s kitchen. Nothing is frozen or outsourced.
Founder and Chief of Execution Sanmeet Kalra adds, “We’ve always believed in staying close to our customer. Starting with carts helped us understand what people really wanted. That’s what shaped our entire brand philosophy.”
Rohit Kamboj, Co-founder and Chief of Operations, echoes this: “Execution has always been at the heart of our growth. From training staff to sourcing ingredients, we’ve kept every detail in-house to retain control over quality.”
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Their local-first mindset also influences how they choose locations. “We aim to build neighborhood cafés,” says Kaur. “Not mall outlets or high-end plazas. Just places you can walk to from home.” The result is a loyal customer base, with 60 to 70 percent of footfall coming from regulars who visit daily.
What sets Sardar-Ji-Bakhsh apart from global chains like Starbucks isn’t just its pricing or Indian identity. It’s their commitment to freshness. From dressings to sandwich spreads, everything is made in-house. Even new product development is done in a hands-on, experimental way. One standout example is their Bengaluru Iced brew, a beverage that blends espresso with instant coffee and became an unexpected hit.
“That drink was born out of a late-night experiment,” recalls Kalra. “We just tried something unconventional, and customers loved it.”
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With dozens of cafés open and several more on the way, the brand aims to reach 100 locations within the next three years. Maintaining consistency is key. Each café has its own kitchen, but standard recipe books, thorough training, and regular audits ensure quality stays intact.
“Scale without compromise has been our biggest challenge and our biggest win,” says Kamboj. “We’ve managed to grow fast, but not at the cost of what makes us special.”
Their marketing strategy is also deeply local. Rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all identity, each café reflects the character of its neighborhood, with local art, games, and books adding a personal touch. The aim is to create a space that feels familiar, not flashy.
Looking ahead, Sardar-Ji-Bakhsh Coffee & Co. has plans to explore airport outlets and even international expansion. For now, the focus remains on deepening their presence in India and growing a coffee culture that’s warm, authentic, and centered on the everyday consumer.
