Cuppa, one of India’s most recognised café brands with strong legacy recall, today announced the appointment of Sharath Ravikumar as Chief Executive Officer, marking a strategic leadership transition as the company enters its next phase of growth, expansion, and franchise-led scale.
The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the brand, as it re-aligns leadership, capital and execution capabilities to accelerate expansion, beginning with South India and extending into global markets. Backed by Bharat Sanjaya Ventures, its investor and strategic partner, Cuppa is sharpening its focus on building a scalable and operationally consistent café business.
As part of this transition, Sharath Ravikumar brings over 15 years of leadership experience across hospitality, event management and food and beverage, with a strong track record in brand-led execution and operational scale.Cuppa will focus on expanding its footprint, starting with Southern India and then moving into global markets, while building the systems, processes and outlet-level consistency required for franchise-led growth. The emphasis will remain on creating a format that can scale without compromising brand experience, operational discipline, or customer connect.
Over the past few years, under the leadership of Visakh Viswambharan and partners, Cuppa has evolved in line with changing consumer preferences, focusing on accessibility, everyday relevance, and consistency in experience. As the brand enters its next chapter, the emphasis is firmly on scale: expansion through a structured franchise-led model while further strengthening operational systems and customer experience.
“Cuppa has built a strong foundation over the years, and the opportunity ahead lies in taking that foundation forward with a more structured, scalable expansion model,” said Sharath Ravikumar, Chief Executive Officer, Cuppa. “My focus will be on driving growth with discipline, strengthening consistency across the brand, and building the operating cadence required for Cuppa to expand across South India and beyond. The aim is to scale the brand thoughtfully while preserving what has made Cuppa relevant and distinctive.”
Commenting on the transition, Visakh Viswambharan, Director, Cuppa, said, “Cuppa has always had strong brand recall, and the next phase is about translating that into a more scalable and execution-led growth platform. With Sharath stepping in to lead the business, and with Bharat Sanjaya Ventures as both an investor and strategic partner, we are focused on building the right structure for expansion across locations. As I continue to focus on my broader ventures across AI, technology, and sports, I will remain involved at a strategic level while Sharath leads the business forward.”
With leadership, capital support and a clearly defined expansion agenda now aligned, Cuppa is positioning itself for the next stage of growth. The brand’s franchise-led approach, combined with its consumer-facing identity and operational model, is expected to support its journey toward broader market expansion and long-term scale.
