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The Subko Story | The Hard Copy

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Rooted in the subcontinent’s cultural depth, Subko is scaling beyond Mumbai. We talked to founder, Rahul Reddy and designer, Aniruddh Mehta, to understand what went into creating the speciality food and hospitality brand. Subko resists easy categorisation. The brand is rooted not just in India, but in the subcultures of South Asia. It is defined not by a conventional brand strategy, but by a cultural statement. Subko’s first outlet in Bandra, Mumbai, was notoriously hard to find. The obscurity wasn’t accidental; it was symbolic. Much of this comes from founder, Rahul Reddy’s perspective as a diasporic South Asian. Reddy grew up in the USA and worked in Europe as a development economist, before returning to India.  “From yoga to chai, the traditional symbols of South Asia’s contribution are well-recognised globally,” he says, “We asked ourselves how we can make this cultural identity relevant for a new generation.” Subko opened its doors in 2020 in Mumbai, with specialty coffee and craf

Subko resists easy categorisation. The brand is rooted not just in India, but in the subcultures of South Asia. It is defined not by a conventional brand strategy, but by a cultural statement. Subko’s first outlet in Bandra, Mumbai, was notoriously hard to find. The obscurity wasn’t accidental; it was symbolic. Much of this comes from founder, Rahul Reddy’s perspective as a diasporic South Asian. Reddy grew up in the USA and worked in Europe as a development economist, before returning to India. “From yoga to chai, the traditional symbols of South Asia’s contribution are well-recognised

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