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How US Mahendar Turned Rs 5 Coffee into an Rs 180-Crore Brand
M
Moneycontrol•16-10-2026, 16:02
How US Mahendar Turned Rs 5 Coffee into an Rs 180-Crore Brand
- •US Mahendar launched Hatti Kaapi in November 2009, starting with a 30-square-foot outlet in Bengaluru's Gandhi Bazaar selling filter coffee for just Rs 5.
- •The brand expanded beyond neighborhood stores into high-street locations, corporate campuses like Infosys and Deloitte, airports, and the hospitality sector.
- •Hatti Kaapi has raised approximately $8.5 million in cumulative equity funding across 13 rounds, reaching a valuation of around Rs 180 crore by August 2025.
- •The company is actively pursuing international expansion, with operations already in London and potential markets like Amsterdam, the US, and Dubai under consideration.
Key Questions Answered
US Mahendar opened the first Hatti Kaapi outlet in November 2009 in Bengaluru’s Gandhi Bazaar, operating out of a small 30-square-foot space beneath a staircase to sell filter coffee for Rs 5.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, Hatti Kaapi reported a consolidated revenue of Rs 44.11 crore. However, the company also posted a consolidated net loss of approximately Rs 18.59 crore and a negative EBITDA of about Rs 9.31 crore.
Tracxn data shows that Hatti Kaapi's cumulative equity funding reached around $8.5 million across 13 rounds, including a May 2024 Series A round and a April 2025 round. The company's latest recorded valuation stood at approximately $18.6 million as of August 19, 2025.
