Origins

Nirraj Satish Manek and his wife, Kajall, teamed with his friend and partner, Chef Niyati Rao of Ekaa, a Mumbai fine-dining restaurant, who introduced him to kombucha. His 18-year career at financial behemoths Citibank, H&R Block, and elsewhere gave him the background to spot untapped opportunities. From his first sip of kombucha, he wondered why this natural, gut-friendly beverage wasn’t readily available in India.

SBOOCH was launched in July 2024 and, within a year, was named ‘Kombucha of the Year’ at the London Beer Competition for their Rasam flavor in the non-alcoholic category.

Production and distribution

Production is outsourced to a third-party in Pune. Nirraj has refused to compromise on quality, even if it meant tighter budgets and slower scaling. By forging smart partnerships and maintaining lean operations, they have captured shelf space at an unexpectedly fast pace. People can order from their website for pan-India shipping (free for orders above Rs 1,500) and also from Amazon India and Blinkit.

Over the next three years, they plan to expand distribution to every major Indian city and enter select global markets. They are in a new funding round to support those plans.

The US and Canada are a big market for kombucha. And we are in the process of penetrating that market, as well as a few Asian markets and the UK, because of the UK and India tie-up. We are trying to take advantage of that as well. These are the three major markets we are looking at.

Marketing

Instead of bombarding consumers with jargon, the SBOOCH team took a grassroots approach — organizing free tastings, using familiar flavors to ease people in, and telling stories that connected kombucha to India’s own fermentation traditions.

The early days were not without challenges. The biggest? Educating the market. For many Indians, fermented drinks either belonged to the realm of home remedies or were dismissed as “acquired tastes.” SBOOCH is marketed as a lifestyle drink aimed at what Nirraj sees is “a huge gap in a $1.6 trillion beverage landscape globally, where you and I can’t even name one beverage except kombucha which someone can pick from the shelf, and is completely clean and unadulterated.” On the one hand, potential customers range “from a five-year-old toddler to a 95-year-old senior and above, who can enjoy it guilt-free.” On the other hand, the category leaders in terms of adoption are Gen Zs and Millennials.

In today’s world, a 50-year-old, a 60-year-old, or a 40-year-old in the house might not be exposed to the external developments in terms of food and beverages as much as Gen Z is. So they are the carriers of our brand, any new brand. That is a core target, and as we all know, this generation is one of the healthiest, aspiring generations. They are the most non-alcoholic consuming generation over the last century, based on the data.

Their Instagram has content that appeals to the younger generation.

Bollywood actor and fitness icon Sunil Shetty is a brand ambassador.

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Flavors

With just 1–4g of sugar per 100ml, and an ambient shelf life of up to 18 months, achieved by filtration, with no chemicals or preservatives, SBOOCH is a balance of flavor, wellness, and reach that gives the brand an edge in both the Indian and international markets. Chef Niyati’s handcrafted blends celebrate the rich regional flavors of India.

Naga Pepper (Nagaland), is a foraged (not farmed) green pepper ingredient is a hybrid of Asian flavors such as Kaffir Lime and Sichuan.

Rice & Pandan’s (Odisha), “The Aromatic”, highlights include “Annapurna Ke Patte” which is what pandan leaves are often called in Odisha. Witness how rice and pandan, two mainstays of the eastern state, combine in a bottle.

Tulsi Lemon (Uttar Pradesh), “The Sacred” is inspired by the “Panchamrit” of Varanasi. The light bitterness of tulsi is masked by its herby notes and balanced by the perfect citrus of local lemons.

Rasam  (Tamil Nadu), “From the kitchens of south,” is inspired by the original Madurai Rasam. This well-known flavor is neither too sour, nor too spicy but just right with its blend of tomato, hing, tamarind and earthy spices.

Koshimbir (Maharashtra), “A salad in a bottle,” is inspired by its namesake, the household Maharashtrian accompaniment, made using tomato, cucumber & coriander.

Gor Keri (Gujarat), “Straight from Nani’s house.” An additive staple in Gujarati pickle, this flavor captures the essence of the sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy Gor Keri.

We have Chef Niyati, and because of her, we were able to create these amazing flavors, which people have never experienced in a bottle before. That is the unique thing, transforming an ingredient-based restaurant into an ingredient-based beverage that touches base with the Indian palate. All ingredients used in SBOOCH are real; there are no nature-identical flavors. We use only all-natural, real ingredients.

Podcast

Nirraj shares the SBOOCH story and his vision for the future in this podcast.

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