That steaming hot coffee bean aroma is the perfect start to the day for most of you, right? A hot Americano or iced latte is exactly what you need to get going! Today, on International Coffee Day, we celebrate this beloved beverage that fuels millions of coffee lovers with that caffeine hit.
Coffee has become an integral part of many people’s daily routines. As the coffee culture continues to thrive, brands are innovating to bring unique experiences to their audiences. Coffee lovers are now spoiled for choice when it comes to quality and flavour variants. With a plethora of international as well as desi brands, we love to see this creator-led brand that’s making waves in the industry: Impulse Coffees by Sarah Sarosh!
Crazy Coffee Lady: Sarah Sarosh
With 203k followers on Instagram and 1.45M subscribers on YouTube, Sarah Sarosh has established herself as a powerful beauty and lifestyle creator in the industry. She decided to add another feather to her hat by founding her own coffee business ‘Impulse Coffees‘ in 2021. It’s quite inspiring to watch content creators turning entrepreneurs, and Sarah chose a rather unconventional niche: coffee!
“Crazy Coffee Lady building @impulsecoffees ☕️” says her bio. Coming from a South Indian household, Sarah Sarosh has grown up drinking coffee made by her grandmother. “My perfect cup of coffee is rich, delicious and instant. And with Impulse Coffees, I have recreated the essence of coffee I have grown up drinking,” says Sarah on her brand’s website (www.impulsecoffees.com).
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The Pulse Of ‘Impulse Coffees’
‘Impulse Coffees’ is the first content creator-led brand in India to sell instant coffee. They sell 100 per cent organic premium coffee that is Made In India with no added sugar. The brand’s mission is to create and deliver high-quality coffee, that is ethical and sustainable, at your doorstep.
Delish Flavours
They have 6 distinct flavours: some classic and some unheard combos but all look and taste oh so good! Right from their packaging to their names, the products’ branding is rooted in an old-school vibe with a modern touch. The coffee bottles come in two weight variants – 50 grams and 100 grams.
The names themselves grab your attention: Mocha Pe Chauka, Nutkhat Hazelnut, Pyaarbhari Chocolate Raspberry, Raat ki Rani Espresso, Vichaar Over Vanilla, and the latest Caramel Ka Kamaal! They also have 2 limited edition unique flavours – Keep Calm with Kacha Aam and Pal Pal Pineapple. That’s not all, there’s also the ‘Hum tum aur Instant Hot Chocolate Powder!’
Care for some Coffee Merch?
As a brand, they believe in innovation and diversification. Apart from new flavour drops, they also dived into merchandising. Sarah released a coffee-inspired Premium Apparel collection comprising super cool oversized T-shirts and sweatshirts with quirky one-liners. Impulse Coffees has various offers, combos, gift box options, festive-special deals and discounts for their coffees and merch on their website as well as Amazon India.
A Perfect Blend Of Content Creation & Marketing
Sarah is hands-on with her brand’s ideation and marketing. She smartly integrates her brand products into the content she makes on both Instagram and YouTube. Even the content on her brand page is so organic and relatable, that it makes you crave the Impulse Coffees‘ flavours and merch. From food pairings to challenges to vlogs to recipes, Sarah Sarosh leaves no stone unturned in bringing her brand visibility.
We sat down with Sarah, the CEO & Founder of ‘Impulse Coffees,’ to uncover the behind-the-scene of her coffee business. Right from where and how it began to where it’s headed, we spoke about it all. Read on:
Tell us about your business. What inspired you to start Impulse Coffees? How did you come up with this name?
Impulse Coffees was inspired by my grandma’s (naani’s) love for coffee. She is Manglorean and from a young age, she would always start our mornings with coffee from there. I’m very close to her and as we ate breakfast she would tell me stories of how she left Mangalore and moved to Mumbai. And somewhere as I grew up, coffee became a comfort drink & a conversation starter for me.
I wanted to try my hand at business & explore the world of E-commerce and I knew if there’s any product I can do justice to, it’s coffee. That’s what I know best! No joke, the idea to start Impulse Coffees was SO IMPULSIVE that I said ‘Okay, that’s the brand name – Impulse Coffees!’
Can you walk us through your coffee-making process?
To keep true to my roots, we are a 100% Made in India Coffee brand sourcing our coffee beans from the farms in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. We then send it to Surat, Gujarat for processing into freeze-dried Instant Coffee & flavouring it. It’s further packaged and labelled in Gujarat itself and sent to our warehouse in Mumbai.
How do you come up with new flavours? Which is your personal favourite?
Coming up with different flavours is probably my favourite thing to do at Impulse. I simply ask my flavour developer for possibilities with flavours I feel would go well with coffee or even be unique (like Pineapple in Coffee? Never heard of it but it tasted delicious!) We do a lot of back and forth with them before we lock on a flavour variant and launch with that only when it’s perfect.
I honestly can’t pick between my flavours because they’re all like my kids but if I have to then it would be our latest launch – Caramel ka Kamaal. I can guarantee you there’s no better Caramel-flavoured instant coffee in India!
How do you source your ingredients, and what do you look for, quality-wise? How do you ensure quality across all your batches?
Impulse Coffees keeps sustainability at its core. We’ve not shied away from always asking for the best of the best. Even as raw material & labor costs increase we ensure to get only the best ingredients of the lot as was promised to our customers from Day 1. We do batch tests with every restock and quality checks happen rigorously at every step of the process of making the coffee, ensuring a high quality output.
As the first creator-led coffee brand, what sets Impulse Coffees apart from other brands?
The fact that we listen. Being creator-led in my opinion is not just using your audience to capitalize a product revenue but actually providing them with excellent products that they deserve and want. At Impulse, we are always listening and we pride ourselves in that.
We’ve taken all feedback seriously and worked towards website makeovers, time of delivery, packaging, and even new launches all bearing our consumers’ wants and needs in mind. My platform as a creator allows me to have an open channel of communication with them and I use that fully to my advantage for the brand’s R&D.
What are the challenges you’ve faced in running a coffee business while balancing your content creation career?
Multitasking is overwhelming, especially on days when you’re unwell. The challenges are innumerable because running a business and creating content are both extremely different jobs and hence you have to wear a different hat every day to balance your work.
Can you give us a sneak peek of any upcoming flavours or products?
We have a very exciting winter launch coming up and all I can say is that it’s fruity and cozy!
How does your experience as a content creator influence the branding and marketing strategies for Impulse Coffees?
I think of myself as the Chief Marketing Officer at Impulse Coffees because with 7 years of creating content, I have a decent amount of understanding for strategising for new launch drops & what the audience likes to see. I am the one who primarily takes the call on monthly calendars and new launch content for Impulse Coffees. I use my creativity and experience fully in this matter.
Do you think being a creator is more of a boon or a bane when it comes to managing and growing a business?
I think it definitely gives your brand an initial boost. You don’t have to struggle a lot for brand awareness and if your audience gets hooked onto your product then you don’t struggle a lot for customer retention also. The marketing spends can initially be null and you can do all the marketing till you finally exhaust that and need to resort to different means of promotions.
With new product and merchandise launches, what goes into the process of product development and deciding what’s next for the brand?
We ask our audience what they seek and we work to cater for them. We also do R&D for new launches, basic trends & what works for us. We need to prep for a new launch at least 4 months in advance and nothing happens at the last minute so it’s a long journey to the finished product. I think it’s too early to decide but I’d love for Impulse to be on every shelf and that’s the vision I have for the brand.
What has been the most exciting or rewarding moment in your entrepreneurial journey so far?
It’s so rewarding when I see people share their Impulse Coffees empty jar collection with me. It’s so cute to see that they are just as obsessed with my product as I am about creating it!
Impulse Coffees by Sarah Sarosh is here to stir up the coffee space by bringing the ultimate gourmet coffee experience to everyone! It’s so inspiring to see the passion and dedication that Sarah brings to the table while building her business. We’re super excited to see what’s coming next for her and the brand! Until then, go sip on your favourite cold brew or hot latte and enjoy International Coffee Day today (and every day)!
