In a bittersweet moment for the Indian beverage industry, O’Be Cocktails—an ambitious ready-to-serve cocktail brand—has officially shut down operations after five years of redefining convenient indulgence. The Bengaluru-based startup, backed by marquee names including Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola, brought a fresh, premium twist to the alco-bev segment, offering consumers a taste of curated cocktails without the fuss.
Founded by Nitesh Prakash, O’Be Cocktails was born out of a desire to deliver a refined drinking experience that combined quality, accessibility, and innovation. However, despite its promising beginnings and growing footprint across nine Indian states and Bhutan, the brand has called time on its journey.
“It was one of the most difficult decisions for me,” shared Prakash in a heartfelt LinkedIn post. “After extensive retrospection, it all came down to one key realization—this is not a consumer-backed industry, but a commoditized one. And that doesn’t align with our vision of creating a premium cocktail experience.”
O’Be Cocktails had built an enviable distribution network, with 22 private distributors and two government contracts, making its products available at over 1,700 premium wine stores. From classic mojitos to bold cosmopolitans, O’Be carved out a niche for itself among discerning drinkers seeking bar-quality beverages in the comfort of their homes.
In August 2021, the brand raised ₹3.5 crore in an angel round led by First Cheque, LetsVenture, Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal, Sprout Investments, and Tracxn’s Abhishek Goyal. This was followed by a pre-Series A investment round in late 2023, led by Inflection Point Ventures.
Even as the brand gained traction and consumer love, sustaining operations in a highly regulated, complex, and distribution-heavy alcobev market proved increasingly difficult. Over the past year, the team explored every avenue to sell the business and keep the cocktail flow alive. “But we now believe we have exhausted all remaining possibilities,” Prakash added.
O’Be’s closure serves as a sobering reminder of the challenges faced by new-age brands in traditional industries. Yet, its legacy as a pioneer of the premium bottled cocktail movement in India will certainly linger—much like the aftertaste of a perfectly balanced drink.
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