Stories
Rajeev Samant on Sula Vineyards at 26: A Million Cases, Wine Tourism, and India's Future
- •Rajeev Samant left a successful career at Oracle in Silicon Valley 26 years ago to return to India and pioneer grape farming and winemaking in Nasik.
- •Sula has expanded significantly from early days in a garage to owning five wineries, luxury resorts, an amphitheatre, and hosting the popular Sula Fest.
- •Despite achieving strong market share and hitting a million cases annually, Samant notes that overall wine consumption in India remains minuscule globally.
- •Unlike Western markets facing Gen Z drinking declines, Sula's growth in India is strongly driven by an increasing cohort of female consumers.
- •Global spirits giants are increasingly showing interest in entering the fast-growing Indian wine market, driven by potential FTAs and duty reductions.
Key Questions Answered
Rajeev Samant left Oracle Corporation in Silicon Valley twenty-six years ago to return to India and start farming grapes, initially conducting lab work in a bungalow garage in Nasik because the winery wasn't finished. Despite friends and parents thinking he had lost the plot, he established what is now India's leading wine producer.
Founder Rajeev Samant acknowledges that Sula's stock has experienced a rough run since its 2022 public listing. He attributes this downturn to post-COVID cycles where things ran up too fast before correcting, and notes that he shares the financial pain with all shareholders.
Unlike Western countries where drinking starts around age eighteen in universities, Indian drinking culture is traditionally male-dominated, skews older, and features women as a key growth cohort for alcobev brands. Furthermore, Rajeev Samant notes that modern screens are the biggest deterrent to going out, socializing, and drinking for young people in India.
