The Man Behind Mumbai’s Alcobev Retail Network: Udit Sethi’s Hops Cork Journey

Entrepreneurship for Udit Sethi never meant creating something from nothing. Rather, it involved using something that his family had developed over decades and giving it some relevance in the eyes of a modern consumer.

The tale starts with the year 1984 when Udit’s father Sanjiv Sethi joins the liquor retail business in Mumbai. While growing up around the industry, Udit got a taste of it but chose not to join in until he came back to it with a fresh perspective after leaving it.

Udit pursued his studies in Hospitality Management at Scotland specializing in Beverage Control and completed a Masters in International Digital Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Udit also gained experience with IHG Hotels in Scotland as a Duty Manager. It helped him understand hospitality-based service approach that would come in handy in the future.

Once back to Mumbai, Udit realized how dominant the product had become in an industry that did not pay enough attention to the retail experience. It made him reevaluate what liquor stores can be all about.

In his time at the helm, the company Hops Cork has expanded into a network of 15 liquor stores around Mumbai and specialized retail formats for wines and beers. Industry press has featured the family business with 15 liquor stores as well as the contribution of Hops Cork to the changing picture of the alcobev retail industry in Mumbai.

One of the signature actions of Udit was the creation of a luxury wine and beer boutique which sought to go beyond the normal counter retailing. This concept emphasizes discovery, product knowledge, and premium retail experience. Hops Cork has also created its brand of craft beers called the Storytellers that can be served in 1-liter growlers.

For Udit, modern retail is not only about offering many more products but assisting customers in making informed decisions.

This approach has been reflected in Hops Cork's treatment of its teams. Staff training, product knowledge and customer relations have become an important part of the process. The industry press on the changing alcobev retail industry in Mumbai has pointed out Hops Cork's emphasis on the customer experience, staff training and special knowledge.

Technological advancement has also been another significant tool that has been used by Udit to improve the operations of his business. As opposed to treating technology as an administrative tool, Udit has used it to enhance the operational framework of the company. Hops Cork has created an in-house retail software system for real time sales, inventory and operational reporting.

Such a blend of hospitality, technology and retailing has been a reflection of the broader entrepreneurial vision held by Udit. That conventional businesses have to transform rather than be revolutionized.

Transformation can also be seen in the newer retail models of Hops Cork. In Hops Cork Xpress, there is a model where consumers get to conveniently carry home their chilled beer and wine bottles as the demand for convenience is equally high in today’s consumers.

The business has also expanded from regular retail to catering large beverage needs at events such as weddings and private celebrations in Mumbai. Such expansion has also helped him gain insights beyond just retailing of the bottles but rather the event, the consumer and the occasion.

His journey has also been recognised within the evolving Indian alcobev retail ecosystem. Hops Cork was listed among the top retailers in Greater Mumbai at the 2025 India Drinks Retail Awards, while Udit has increasingly emerged as a voice associated with the new generation of Indian liquor retail.

For Udit, however, the biggest opportunity may still lie ahead.

As Indian consumers become more informed, experimental and willing to explore premium beverages, liquor retail is gradually moving from a purely transactional model towards one built around experience, discovery and trust.

Udit Sethi’s journey reflects that transition. He inherited a business with a four-decade legacy, stepped outside it to learn from global hospitality and returned with the ambition to build something distinctly contemporary.

At Hops Cork, the objective is no longer simply to stock a shelf. It is to create a retail experience that understands where the consumer is today—and where the industry is headed next.