From Grandma’s Kitchen to a Global D2C Brand: The Sweet Karam Coffee Story

On a rainy Diwali evening in 2015, something magical stirred in a Chennai household. The aroma of home-made goodies, the crackle of freshly fried snacks, the chatter of siblings — it all felt incomplete without Paati’s signature bakshanams (traditional South Indian festive snacks). But the stores offered nothing that matched the taste, the purity, or the soul of those flavors. That longing, that nostalgia, sowed the seeds for what would become Sweet Karam Coffee (SKC).

Humble Beginnings: ₹2,000 and a Dream

Anand Bharadwaj and Nalini Parthiban had tasted the magic of their grandmother Janaki’s recipes many times growing up. But it wasn’t until they realized how hard it was to find those same flavors packaged well — free of preservatives, free of palm oil, authentic — that they decided to act.

With just ₹2,000, in a small room of their home, they began experimenting. Many conventional avenues like bank loans declined them in the early days. But their passion was stronger than their constraints. They distributed pamphlets, knocked on doors, and slowly built a first base of believers.

From those modest beginnings, Chocolatey conversations (sweet), spicy bites (karam), and filter coffee (coffee)—the trio from which the brand takes its name—would come to define a new South Indian snacking experience.

Staying True to Roots — With a Modern Touch

What made Sweet Karam Coffee stand out — beyond the emotional pull — was its commitment to clean, authentic ingredients. From the start, the founders insisted on:

• No palm oil, no preservatives — using packaging technologies such as MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) and nitrogen flushing to maintain freshness.

• Recipes drawn from Paati’s kitchen, guided by Janaki herself, ensuring every snack carries the memory of home.

• Sourcing closer to origin: working with local farmers and homepreneurs across Tamil Nadu, especially in villages like Pudukottai, ensures authenticity and fairness.

• Building a community narrative through content, storytelling, festivals, and cultural events — under banners like Dakshin Tales — to revive interest in South Indian food heritage.

The result: snacks that taste like they came from your grandmother’s kitchen, but with packaging and shelf life suited for modern retail.

Scaling, Challenges & Breakthroughs

Growth didn’t come overnight. But the team’s lean, community-driven, product-first philosophy allowed them to scale steadily:

• Over time, Sweet Karam Coffee expanded its portfolio across sweets, snacks, and filter coffee blends.

• They grew their presence pan-India and internationally (in 32 countries to date) via the D2C model — focusing on direct shipping through their website and app.

• In 2023, they raised USD 1.5 million in a pre-Series A round from Fireside Ventures to expand offline channels and scale their operations.

• More recently, they secured USD 8 million from Peak XV Partners (with backing from Fireside) to further fuel growth, geographic expansion, and infrastructure.

• Their marketing success is often quoted as going “from ₹2,000 to ₹313 crore” — a testament to a brand built on authenticity, community, and smart scaling.

That said, they often faced challenges typical of consumer food brands — logistics, supply chain, perishability, regulatory & packaging constraints. Their ability to surmount these (while staying true to Paati’s values) speaks to their grit and vision.

Impact Beyond Snacks

What elevates the Sweet Karam Coffee journey is not just business success, but social and cultural impact:

• Empowering women and home-chefs: A significant portion of SKC’s workforce and production partners are women, turning traditional kitchens into sources of livelihood.

• Farmer partnerships: By sourcing directly from millet and grain farmers in Tamil Nadu, the brand promotes sustainable agriculture and fair pricing.

• Cultural revival: Through Dakshin Tales, Madras Utsav, Dakshin Utsav, and storytelling initiatives, SKC fosters awareness and pride in South Indian food heritage.

• Sustainability: Their packaging choices — recyclable PET, minimal preservatives — and promotion of millets highlight a conscious approach to environment and health.

The Road Ahead

Sweet Karam Coffee doesn’t see itself as resting on its laurels. Their roadmap includes:

• Deepening offline/retail presence, beyond just being digital.

• Expanding into other South Indian states (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana) with their distinct snack traditions.

• Strengthening B2B and gifting verticals, integrating into cafés, corporate gifting, hotels.

• Experimenting with healthier variants, millets, alternative grains, sugar-free or reduced sugar products — staying attuned to evolving consumer preferences.

In their own words, the mission is to “take the Taste & Tales of South India to the globe.”   And with the strong foundation built so far, that is no longer just a dream — it’s unfolding in real time.

Sweet Karam Coffee’s journey is a beautiful blend of memory, culture, entrepreneurship, and conviction. From a Diwali night’s longing to becoming a beloved brand across continents, SKC is a reminder: when home, heritage, and hard work come together, something magical happens.