Established
2011
Franchise Units
150
Minimum Investment
₹ 5,00,000
Franchise Fee
₹ 3,00,000
Total Investment Range
₹ 10,00,000
Home Based
No
Description
The Indian food and beverage landscape is undergoing a massive shift. High-street coffee chains often feel too formal, while local tea stalls lack the vibe the younger generation craves. Enter Café Crème, the brand that perfectly bridged this gap by creating an affordable, high-energy café culture across India.
Famous for its legendary signature drink, Kuka—a uniquely smooth, ultra-creamy, and deeply indulgent cold chocolate beverage—Café Crème has evolved from a single passionate outlet into a full-blown nationwide craze. The brand positioning is crystal clear: offering a premium, youth-centric, stylish café experience without the premium price tag.
Unlike traditional coffee shops that depend heavily on seasonal hot beverage sales, Café Crème boasts a dynamic menu featuring over 60 specialty chocolate drinks, thick shakes, customized mocktails, and an array of quick-bite favorites like pizzas, cheesy sandwiches, and momos. By serving comfort food alongside highly shareable, social-media-friendly beverages, the brand ensures consistent, round-the-clock footfall.
For entrepreneurs, Café Crème isn’t just a food business; it is a highly optimized, bulletproof commercial model built specifically for the Indian consumer market.
Background
| Milestone / Detail | Brand Profile |
| Industry Category | Food & Beverage / Café Chain & Dessert Parlor |
| Established Year | 2011 (Operations launched); 2013 (Franchise network initiated) |
| Founders | Kunal Kashikar |
| Current Active Units | 150+ Successful Outlets |
| Geographic Presence | Across 20+ major cities and 8+ Indian states |
| Target Audience | Gen Z, college students, young professionals, and families |
The Brand Journey
Café Crème started its journey in 2011 with a simple vision: to make high-quality, chocolate-driven café experiences accessible to everyday Indians. By 2015, the brand celebrated a major milestone by hitting 50 active outlets. In 2018, it solidified its title as one of India's fastest-growing café chains by surpassing 100 locations. Recognized at the F&B Leaders Awards and featured by premier business coaches like Dr. Vivek Bindra, the brand recently refreshed its layout to introduce its most affordable, tech-integrated franchise model yet.
Support Training
Café Crème operates on a "Turnkey" philosophy. They don't just hand you a recipe book and leave you to figure it out; they manage the heavy lifting to ensure your store hits the ground running.
Pre-Launch & Site Selection Support: Finding the right location determines up to 80% of a café's success. The corporate team uses footfall data and demographic mapping to help you select, analyze, and secure high-street commercial spots, mall spaces, or university-adjacent properties.
Store Design & Infrastructure Setup: You receive comprehensive assistance with outlet layout planning, sleek glass-based modern aesthetics, electrical routing, and counter setups optimized for fast service.
Rigorous Operational Training: Your kitchen and counter staff undergo extensive, hands-on training directly at the outlet. They are taught precise inventory control, ingredient management, strict point-of-sale (POS) billing systems, and standard hygiene check-up procedures.
Academic & Recipe Precision: To maintain identical taste profiles across India, the brand provides specialized pre-packaged mixes and bases for the iconic Kuka and other Choco Crème variants. No highly skilled, expensive chefs are required; the system is designed to be effortlessly repeatable.
Marketing & Platform Onboarding: The marketing team provides initial launch campaigns, local store marketing (LSM) toolkits, digital media assets, and handles your official onboarding onto aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato to drive digital delivery revenue from your very first hour.
Ideal Candidate
Café Crème looks for partners who share their energy and operational mindset. You are a perfect fit if you meet the following criteria:
The Driven Entrepreneur: You don't necessarily need a background in hotel management, but you must possess strong leadership skills, a passion for customer service, and a hands-on approach to local business management.
Financial Readiness: Prospective owners should have an investment capability starting around ₹5 Lakhs to ₹10 Lakhs in liquid capital to cover setup costs and early-stage working capital comfortably.
Location Access: Preference is given to individuals who own or can lease a high-visibility commercial property ranging between 100 to 500 sq. ft. in heavy-footfall zones like college hubs, commercial markets, tech parks, or popular high streets.
Financial Detail
For a quick breakdown of the core numbers behind the business model, refer to the verified data points below:
| Investment Variable | Financial Metric / Requirement |
| Minimum Capital Required | ₹5,00,000 INR |
| Total Investment Size | ₹5,00,000 to ₹10,00,000 INR (model dependent) |
| Franchise / Brand Fee | ₹3,00,000 INR (+ GST) |
| Royalty or Commission Fee | 0% (Completely Royalty-Free) |
| Floor Area Requirement | 100 to 500 Sq. Ft. |
| Property Type | Commercial High-Street, Kiosk, or Mall Counter |
| Expected Return on Investment (ROI) | Up to 100% annually |
| Estimated Capital Payback Period | 12 to 24 Months |