How to Build a BILLION Dollar Coffee Business - SECRETS Revealed | Starbucks India CEO

In this episode, we sit down with Sushant Dash to decode how Starbucks, one of the world’s most iconic global consumer brands, was built, scaled, and successfully localized for the Indian market. This deep-dive conversation reveals powerful lessons in modern brand building, consumer behavior, and long-term business strategy. From the launch of Starbucks in India to the evolution of its globally renowned “Third Place” philosophy, Sushant shares rare insider insights on how international brands balance global consistency with local relevance, premium positioning with mass appeal, and customer experience with operational scale. We explore how Starbucks adapted to Indian consumers, the importance of sourcing and supply chains in building a lifestyle brand, how Gen Z is reshaping consumption patterns, and the competitive challenges faced by global consumer and retail brands today. Drawing from his experience with the Tata Group, Sushant also reflects on leadership, partnerships, and building brands with a long-term vision. This episode is a must-watch for founders, brand managers, marketers, MBA aspirants, and anyone interested in global brand strategy, consumer businesses, and scaling premium brands in emerging markets. Explore our programmes: UG Programme – https://mastersunion.org/ug-technolog... PG Programme – https://mastersunion.org/pgp-technolo... Follow us on: LinkedIn –   / mastersunion   Instagram –   / masters.union   Twitter – https://x.com/themastersunion/ Facebook –   / themastersunion   Chapters: 00:00 – Trailer 01:22 – Sushant Dash and his career journey 08:46 – Launching Starbucks in India 15:01 – Localizing Starbucks for India 22:15 – Starbucks’ “Third Place” concept 29:34 – The next 5 years of Starbucks 32:15 – Inside Starbucks’ supply chain 34:46 – Gen Z and changing consumer behavior 40:51 – Competition and key challenges 42:00 – Learnings from the Tata Group experience 45:12 – Starbucks’ future vision 51:12 – Customer feedback & loyalty