First Coffee Raises USD 1.2 Mn Funding Led by Beenext To Expand Its Specialty Coffee Chain With the raised funds, the specialty coffee brand aims to expand into key urban areas across New Delhi, NCR, and Tier-I cities in north India, focusing on hiring, marketing, and increasing store presence.
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First Coffee, a grab-and-go specialty coffee brand, has secured USD 1.2 million in a funding round led by Beenext, a South Asia and India-focused venture fund.
Other prominent investors in the round included Aman Arora (cofounder, board-Keventers), Agastya Dalmia (director, Keventers), Ritesh Malik (founder, Innov8), Sahil Malik (founder, Da Milano), and Ashish Gupta (Helion Venture Partners).
Founded in 2024 by Sohrab Sitaram and Shiv Dhawan, First Coffee aims to redefine India's coffee culture by introducing true specialty coffee. The brand sources its beans from the Harley Coffee Estate in Chikmagalur.
"We are the first brand to bring true specialty coffee, scoring 91% on the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) scale, to the Indian market. At First Coffee, we're not just serving coffee; we're crafting a unique, premium experience while still catering to the fast-paced lifestyle of our customers," said Co-founder Shiv Dhawan.
The funds will be used to fuel First Coffee's expansion strategy, which includes launching 35 new stores by the second quarter of the next fiscal year.
The brand is focusing on small-format quick-service outlets (QSRs) in high-traffic locations such as malls, corporate parks, and metro stations across key urban centers in Delhi-NCR and Tier-I cities in North India.
The investment will also support marketing and hiring initiatives as the company scales.
Commenting on the investment, Anirudh Garg, partner at Beenext, said, "First Coffee is uniquely placed where they are not just selling a product but rather a coffee experience, blending tech, sustainability, and coffee."
