Dec 21: When Kadambari (Kay) Kapoor started Gusto Imports in 2009, one didn’t give her much chance of succeeding in a market that had suddenly crashed because of 26/9 mishap the previous year but shifting to Mumbai in 2011 was a smart move that helped Gusto enter the seven largest wine consuming cities in India, making her one of a tiny handful of importers in India focusing on the wine-only import model and yet vibrant business.
Kadambari’s passion for wine had been ignited during her decade long stint in the US where she completed two degrees at Columbia and Tulane and held high powered positions in investment banking and retail. Upon her return to India on an assignment with an American retail giant she found that authentic terroir-driven wines were surprisingly hard to access. Going by instinct, she decided to take the plunge and become a ‘winepreneur’ and share her gusto for wine.
Her original plan was to specialize in the sourcing, marketing and education of wine and leave the distribution to the experts. However, the usual lack of support from the local trade, excise and customs, and specially, for a woman wanting to do “a man’s business” determined her even more. She went full-throttle on independently learning the business ground up--leading her to set up the first of its kind temperature-controlled customs and excise bonded warehouses in her hometown, Kolkata.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The bureaucracy around Excise licenses was excruciating and involved Kadambari camping out at the Excise Department repeatedly for hours on end. FSSAI, which became an issue nationally much later, had already started a pilot project in Kolkata in 2009. When her first container arrived, there was a deadlock with the local officials who did not have the training to undertake FSSAI clearances. These were frustrating times and she made use of the down-time by completing her WSET Level 3 and planning the launch of her first portfolio of wines from the historic Portuguese house of José Maria Da Fonseca.
Kadambari had chosen to enter the difficult and tightly regulated alcohol industry with low appetite for wine where then, as is now, a few players dominate. Her pitch of being the first importer of a full Portuguese portfolio including the first single serve bottles at Rs. 299 gave her a foot in the door. The response to Gusto’s launch in Kolkata was gratifying and she set her sights on scaling Gusto to a national level.
Over the last 7 years, Gusto has stayed true to its mission of bringing quality wines to India. The portfolio is compact, choosing only one statement producer from each iconic terroir, and building the brands and the markets over the years by focusing on service, storage, and consumer delight. The wines range from entry level to Grand Crus but they all share the common attributes of authenticity, drinkability, balance and value. The portfolio was amply recognized at the first India Wine Awards where 16 wines were awarded, winning the highest number of medals in the wine-only category (excluding food-wine matches).
Kay hopes to continue to expand Gusto’s offerings and presence. Juggling a fast-growing national business, along with the demands of raising two very young children, has made her a master at organization, team-building and multi-tasking. She and her husband are passionate about wine travel and gastronomy and make it a point to visit a new terroir almost every year. The name Gusto came about on one such trip through the Basque Country in search of the elusive Txacoli (pronounced ‘cha-coli’). The name’s meaning across three languages (in Italian – taste; in Spanish – to like; in English – zest) sums up the company’s philosophy of ‘Share Your Gusto..’
We are happy to welcome her to the 3rd edition of delWine of Top Ten WOW in India 2017.
Subhash Arora
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