Kiosk Kaffee

Sangram Kamble, Savan Oswal, and Nilesh Pasalkar are Season 3's most engineer-to-coffee-entrepreneur founders from Pune. All three graduated from Anantrao Pawar College of Engineering and worked in the IT sector before founding Kiosk Kaffee during the COVID pandemic in December 2020. The founding vision was born from a specific Indian consumer frustration: millions of Indians love premium coffee but cannot afford ₹250 to ₹300 per cup at Starbucks, Blue Tokai, or Third Wave Coffee. Meanwhile, the only affordable alternative was ₹10 instant coffee from roadside vendors with zero quality assurance. Kiosk Kaffee positioned squarely in this gap: authentic, freshly brewed, premium-tasting coffee at ₹45 to ₹90 per cup, served from compact kiosk-format outlets that minimised overhead costs.

Kiosk Kaffee is India's most affordably positioned premium coffee chain, bridging the massive gap between expensive lifestyle coffee chains (Starbucks at ₹300, CCD at ₹200) and low-quality instant coffee vendors (₹10 roadside chai/coffee). The compact kiosk format is the operational innovation that makes this pricing possible: by eliminating expensive high-street real estate, elaborate interior design, large staff teams, and the "lounge lifestyle" overhead that premium chains build into their pricing, Kiosk Kaffee delivers the same coffee quality at 70 to 80% lower prices. The coffee sourcing and blending process impressed even the Sharks: Peyush Bansal specifically praised the coffee blends during the pitch, validating that the ₹70 cup delivered genuine premium coffee taste rather than a diluted compromise. This taste validation from a Shark who knows premium products (Lenskart operates in the premium consumer market) was the pitch's most credible product endorsement.

Amount Asked: ₹90 lakhs Equity Offered: 3% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹30 crore

Sangram, Savan, and Nilesh opened Season 3 Episode 49 with the most aromatically engaging pitch of the episode: serving freshly brewed Kiosk Kaffee to every Shark. Peyush's immediate praise of the coffee blends established product quality credibility before the business discussion even began. The founders presented the affordable premium coffee thesis compellingly: in a country where 150 million people drink coffee and the market is growing at 15 to 20% CAGR, Kiosk Kaffee targets the massive middle segment that wants quality coffee but cannot justify premium chain prices. The ₹8.4 crore revenue, 400% growth, and 50 plus outlets demonstrated genuine commercial traction.

Peyush Bansal praised the coffee quality but stated the business model was not scalable. Azhar Iqubal (guest Shark) was not convinced by the pitch. He found the numbers confusing and the sales per outlet too low to justify the expansion strategy. Vineeta Singh believed that increasing revenue through online delivery platforms (Swiggy, Zomato) was essential but the founders lacked the digital skillset required to build a significant online sales channel. Anupam Mittal stated that the cost-plus pricing strategy (pricing coffee based on cost plus margin rather than perceived value) could not build a big business in the long run. Aman Gupta agreed with Peyush and Azhar's assessments.

No Shark made a formal offer. All five exited before entering negotiation. The unanimous concern was unit economics: while the total business metrics were impressive (₹8.4 crore revenue, 50 outlets, 400% growth), the per-outlet economics (₹2 lakh monthly revenue, thin franchisee margins) revealed a fundamental scalability problem. A franchise model succeeds only when franchise partners earn meaningful returns, and the Sharks correctly identified that ₹2 lakh per month was insufficient for retail franchisees in Indian cities with rising rents and labour costs.

Sangram Kamble, Savan Oswal, and Nilesh Pasalkar left Shark Tank India Season 3 Episode 49 without any investment. All five Sharks declined, with the per-outlet economics concern dominating every exit. The coffee quality was praised (Peyush's endorsement), the growth was acknowledged (400% YoY), and the market opportunity was validated (150 million coffee drinkers), but the franchise model's inability to generate meaningful per-outlet returns for partners prevented every deal.

Despite not securing a deal on Shark Tank India, Kiosk Kaffee continued to thrive. The exposure provided a significant boost to their brand visibility. Following their appearance, Kiosk Kaffee expanded its presence further, reaching more cities and establishing a strong brand identity. Kiosk Kaffee has grown from 50 outlets at pitch time to 70 plus outlets across India, from bustling cities like Mumbai to more relaxed locales like Udaipur. The company is implementing DotSignage digital menu integration to improve operational efficiency and customer order turnaround times. D2C product lines (instant coffee and premium coffee beans) are being actively promoted on social media to diversify income streams beyond outlet-based sales. The founders have publicly stated their commitment to reaching the 100-outlet milestone, continuing the aggressive expansion strategy that built the brand from zero to 50 outlets in three years. As of October 2025, Kiosk Kaffee remains operational and continues to serve its customers with the same passion and dedication that fuelled its inception.