Anugreh Raj revisited his coffee business idea years after first considering it in Class 12. With his 18-year-old sister Stuti Raj joining him as co-founder, the siblings have launched Brew Nest at Spectrum Mall, Noida, with plans to expand into bakery products, kiosks and franchising.
What happens when a business idea refuses to leave your mind, even after years of studies, career planning and job interviews? For Noida-based entrepreneur Anugreh Raj, the answer came in the form of a coffee business.
An idea that first crossed his mind while he was studying in Class 12 eventually became Brew Nest, a premium coffee venture he launched with his younger sister, Stuti Raj, who is just 18 years old.
Their first business is not starting from a home kitchen or a small roadside stall. The siblings have chosen Spectrum Mall in Sector 75, Noida, as the location for their coffee venture. Their proposition is straightforward: offer customers a premium coffee experience at prices ranging from Rs 99 to Rs 250.
For the siblings, Brew Nest is the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey that could eventually extend into bakery products, kiosks and franchise outlets.
Idea Started in Class 12
Anugreh interest in entrepreneurship began while he was studying commerce in Class 12. During that time, he started exploring business ideas and developed an interest in launching a coffee venture of his own.
The idea was appealing, but the practical questions were difficult to ignore. How would he start? What would the investment look like? Where would the business operate? And how would he manage it while continuing his education?
He began researching the idea, but the findings made him reconsider the timing. Rather than pursuing the venture immediately, he put it aside and focused on his studies.
His journey then took him through Chartered Accountancy preparation and, later, a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Amity University, Noida, which he completed in 2020.
Like many young graduates, Anugreh also explored employment opportunities. Job applications, interviews and career planning occupied his attention, but the idea of starting a coffee business kept returning. The business did not take shape immediately. Yet it remained an option he continued to consider.
Entrepreneurial Decision
Completing his degree did not automatically provide Anugreh with clarity about what he wanted to do next. He explored different possibilities, but the idea of building his own business continued to attract him.
Eventually, he discussed his business ambitions with his family. His father, who works as a teacher, initially encouraged him to focus on finding a job. Like many parents, he believed a stable career offered a more secure path than starting a new business without an established customer base.
But as Anugreh continued to express his commitment to business, his father became supportive of the plan. That support helped the idea move closer to execution.
Another family member also saw potential in the idea: Anugreh younger sister, Stuti Raj. Unlike the initial concerns about starting a new business, she believed the venture could grow and decided to support the plan from an early stage.
An 18-Year-Old Chef Joins Her Brother
Stuti was pursuing a Diploma in Culinary Arts when discussions about the proposed coffee business began within the family.
The idea appealed to her, and she decided to join her brother as co-founder.
Their professional interests also offered the possibility of combining business planning with culinary knowledge.
For Anugreh, his business was an opportunity to finally act on an idea he had carried since school. For Stuti, it was a chance to apply her culinary education to a business of her own at the age of 18.
The siblings then began working on a practical question: what kind of coffee outlet should they open?
Why They Chose Spectrum Mall in Noida
Finding the right location became an important part of their early planning.
Both siblings explored different formats, including an open café, a kiosk and a more conventional, theme-based coffee outlet.
They also spent months looking at locations across Noida, considering where the business might find suitable customers.
Their search eventually led them to Spectrum Mall in Sector 75.
Location gave them a starting point to build an offline retail business. Focus was on customers looking for coffee while shopping, meeting friends, working, or spending time outside their homes. The outlet was designed to attract regular footfall from people seeking a comfortable place to relax and socialize.
Rather than immediately pursuing a chain of outlets or entering several business categories, the siblings are concentrating on establishing their first venture.
The decision also reflects the importance of location in a café business, where customer footfall, accessibility and the overall shopping experience can influence sales.
Brew Nest Business Model
Brew Nest is currently focused on offline retail sales.
Its coffee offerings are priced between Rs 99 and Rs 250, according to Stuti. The aim is to provide a premium coffee experience without moving into a price bracket that makes the product inaccessible to a broader group of customers.
For a new café business, the challenge is to balance product quality, pricing and operating expenses. The price of a cup is only one part of the equation; the business must also manage ingredients, staffing, rent, equipment and other daily costs.
Currently I am pursuing Diploma in Culinary Arts, and during family discussions I found my brother's idea very appealing. We both thought that we could do something impactful together.— Stuti Raj, Co-founder, Brew Nest
Immediate focus for the siblings is to build a strong customer base and understand which products and price points work best at their location.
Brew Nest is at the beginning of that process, and its longer-term plans will depend in part on how successfully the first outlet develops.
Next Five Years
Over the next five years, they want to explore bakery products, expand through kiosk formats and eventually consider franchising. Each route offers a different opportunity.
Bakery products could complement coffee sales and increase the range of items available to customers. Kiosks could provide a smaller-format option for locations where opening a full café may not be practical. Franchising, if pursued, could allow the brand to enter additional markets through local operators.
However, these plans will require the founders to establish a repeatable operating model. Product consistency, staff training, procurement, customer experience and outlet-level economics will become increasingly important if Brew Nest expands beyond its first location.
For now, the siblings are focused on building the foundation of the business before taking those next steps.
Family-Supported Business
Brew Nest story brings together three key elements: an idea that started during school, a partnership between siblings, and a family that backed a young entrepreneur decision to start a business.
Anugreh did not immediately turn his Class 12 idea into a business. He pursued higher education, explored career options and returned to entrepreneurship when he was ready to take the next step.
Stuti, meanwhile, joined the venture while pursuing professional culinary training, bringing her own interests to the partnership.
Their journey also shows that starting a business does not always require founders to have every stage of their future mapped out. It requires them to turn an idea into an operating venture and learn from the market.
That does not guarantee success. A new café must still earn customer trust, manage its costs and compete in a market where consumers have plenty of choices.
But the siblings have taken the first step.
Classroom Idea to Coffee Counter
When Anugreh first considered starting a coffee business in Class 12, he did not yet have the answers to the practical questions that come with entrepreneurship.
Years later, with his education completed and his sister alongside him, that idea has become Brew Nest at Spectrum Mall in Noida.
The immediate goal is to establish the coffee outlet and build its retail business. The longer-term ambition includes bakery products, kiosks and franchise opportunities.
For Anugreh and Stuti, the journey is only beginning. Their next milestone will be to demonstrate that a family-backed idea can develop into a sustainable business and, eventually, a brand capable of expanding beyond its first location.
Sometimes, an idea needs years to become a business. For this brother-sister duo, Brew Nest is the point where that long-held idea finally meets the real world.
