Gulab partners with Madras Coffee house to offer its specially made snacks

Union Artisan Coffee, the internationally acclaimed artisanal coffee chain hailing from Malaysia, proudly unveils its inaugural café in India, situated in the prestigious locale of Worldmark, Aerocity, New Delhi. 

Spearheaded by Village Food Concepts as the master franchise, this momentous launch marks a significant milestone for the brand as it extends its reach into the vibrant Indian market.

"The journey of Union Artisan Coffee from Malaysia to India is a testament to our dedication to sharing our love for coffee with diverse communities around the world. We are thrilled to partner with Union in this venture, bringing their unparalleled expertise and commitment to quality to the Indian market,” shared Suraj Arora, Managing Partner, VFC.

Embodying the core values of Union Artisan Coffee, the new outlet in Aerocity epitomizes the brand's commitment to excellence in coffee craftsmanship and fostering a sense of community. With a dedication to sourcing the finest beans and showcasing the artistry of coffee making, each cup tells a story of passion and expertise.

In addition to its signature artisanal coffees, Union Artisan Coffee in Aerocity introduces a delectable array of culinary offerings, spanning from breakfast to dinner. From a live pasta bar to freshly made sandwiches, patrons are invited to embark on a gastronomic journey curated to tantalize their taste buds. Collaborating with Le Clairé Patisserie, the café presents an assortment of exquisite pastries and desserts, further elevating the culinary experience.

"Our entry into India marks an exciting chapter in the Union Artisan Coffee story. We are delighted to introduce the Indian community to our unique blend of coffee culture, complemented by an inventive and diverse menu of culinary delights, enriching every experience for you,” added Tham Lih Chung, Group CEO of Incite Innovations.
 

Coffee chain Tim Hortons, a division of Restaurant Brands International, Inc, has announced an exclusive master franchise and development agreement with WeEat Company, which will launch Tim Hortons brand to Thailand. WeEat Co is part of the Wattanavekin family group of companies.

Alex Macedo, President of Tim Hortons, said, “We are very excited to grow the Tim brand in Thailand as part of our broader global growth strategy. Thailand has a thriving coffee market and our partner has a deep understanding of the Thai market, which we believe will position us well for success in the country.”

Last fall, Tim Hortons announced plans to launch over 1,500 restaurants in China over the next 10 years as part of an exclusive master franchise joint venture agreement with Cartesian Capital Group, L.L.C. In recent years, the company also introduced the Tim Hortons concept in Spain, Mexico, Great Britain and the Philippines.

Founded as a single location in Canada in 1964, Tim Hortons is one of North America’s largest restaurant chains operating in the QSR segment. At present, the company has more than 4,800 systemwide restaurants located in Canada, the United States and around the world.

Bengaluru-based Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) and Mumbai-based Afoozo have won the franchise bid for running and expanding the Coffee Board-owned India Coffee House. In July 2018, the Coffee Board invited bids to establish and operate the outlets.

Presently, with 15 outlets across India, directly operated by the Coffee Board, the proposed public-private model is targeted at giving the India Coffee House a facelift, turning it into a full-service franchise.

Srivatsa Krishna, CEO of the Coffee Board, said, "Afoozo and CCD won the bid. We have just awarded the contracts and currently, we are undertaking location visits and will take four-five months to start working on it."

"Both companies agreed to the same upset price (franchisee fee). Since the tender provides for multiple franchising, we will split the locations," he added.

As per the franchisee model, Afoozo and CCD will be allowed to use the brand name and trademark of the Coffee Board's 'India Coffee House'. They will also be offered with a complete business system, including branding and communication guidelines, however, no sub-franchising will be permitted according to the terms of the contract.

US coffee giant Starbucks has launched its first "signing store" in northeast Washington, the United States (US). The outlet is opened near the campus of Gallaudet, an institution that caters for students who are deaf or have partial hearing loss.

At the newly-launched store, all staff members, most of them deaf or hard-of-hearing themselves, are required to communicate with customers using sign language. The café is modeled after the outlet that started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2016.

The initiative is aimed at bringing diverse communities together. The store has many specific features designed to embrace and celebrate deaf culture.

Rebecca Witzofsky, a 20-year-old deaf student at Gallaudet University, said, "It gives deaf people space off-campus, a place to come to and socialize, eat food with other deaf people and meet other deaf people as well, and the deaf employees." 

"When I go to a normal Starbucks, I either talk or hope they can hear me and understand, or I show them my order on my phone. Here, your name appears on a screen, which I really, really like, because when they call my order I don't have to try to hear it, it's right on the screen," she added.

Café Coffee Day has partnered with PowerSquare, a wireless power solutions provider, to install wireless charging network at their cafes across India. The Bengaluru-headquartered café chain has introduced around 300-plus wireless charging spots across 100 outlets in leading cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

This network will be supporting all smartphones enabled with wireless charging. The facility will be soon expanded to 350-plus cafes in other metro cities.

By launching wireless charging, the café chain is strengthening its digital technology to keep its customers connected at all times. The company's aim is to eliminate the hassle of carrying charging cables.

The charging modules will be installed on café tables for customers to wirelessly charge their phones.

Venu Madhav, CEO of Café Coffee Day, said, "We pioneered the café culture and introduced the Indian youth to international coffees and unique coffee brewing techniques. We have also led the way with technological innovations based on consumer needs and trends. From introducing high-speed Wi-Fi at our cafes to being the first to try out digitized tables, we have believed in investing in digital technology to enhance the in-café experience for our young customers."

कॉफी बोर्ड ऑफ इंडिया के सीईओ और सचिव श्रीवास्त कृष्ण ने कहा कि बोर्ड को अपने 13 इंडिया कॉफी हाउस (आईसीएच) आउटलेटस के सुधार के लिए दो प्रमुख खिलाड़ियों, कैफे कॉफी डे और अफूज़ो प्राइवेट लिमिटेड से बोलियां मिली हैं।

कृष्णा ने कहा, "हम अपने कॉफी हाउस को शानदार कैफे नहीं बनाना चाहते। हम एक आरामदायक लाउंज का अनुभव देना चाहते हैं और एक कप कॉफी की कीमत 30 पर रखना चाहते हैं। "

उन्होंने कहा कि आईसीएच के सुधार और नए आउटलेट खोलने से कॉफी की खपत बढ़ेगी।

कॉफी खपत को बढ़ावा देने के लिए अन्य इनिशिएटिव में, बोर्ड भारतीय कॉफी बेचने के लिए फ्लिपकार्ट, वॉलमार्ट, अमेज़ॅन और दुबई मल्टी कमोडिटीज सेंटर (डीएमसीसी) के साथ जुड़ने की प्रक्रिया में है।

कॉफी बोर्ड के आंकड़ों के मुताबिक, भारतीय कॉफी के पास वर्तमान में वैश्विक कॉफी बाजार का लगभग 5.5% हिस्सा है।

"एक कप कॉफी जिसे अंतिम उपभोक्ता को $ 2-3 में बेचा जा रहा है, एक भारतीय किसान को पांच सेंट मिलते हैं। हम इसे बदलना चाहते हैं और हमारी नई साझेदारी, जैसे कि अमेज़ॅन और वॉलमार्ट, का साथ हमारे किसान को मध्यस्थों के बिना उपभोक्ताओं और व्यवसायों को सीधे भारतीय कॉफी बेचने में सक्षम बनाएंगे। " ऐसा कृष्णा का कहना है।

Srivatsa Krishna, CEO and Secretary at the Coffee Board of India, said that the board has received bids from two major players, Cafe Coffee Day and Afoozo Private Limited, for a revamping of its 13 India Coffee House (ICH) outlets.

Krishna said, “We don’t want to make our Coffee Houses into luxurious cafes. We want to give the feeling of a casual lounge and cap the price of a cup of coffee at Rs 30.”

He stated that the revamp of ICHs and opening of new outlets will boost coffee consumption.

Among other initiatives to promote coffee consumption, the Board is in a process to tie up with Flipkart, Walmart, Amazon and Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) to sell Indian coffee.

According to data from the Coffee Board, Indian coffee currently has around 5.5% share of the global coffee market.

“For a cup of coffee that is being sold to the end-consumer for $2-3, an Indian farmer gets five cents. We want to change that and our new partnerships, such as the ones with Amazon and Walmart, will enable our farmers to sell Indian coffee directly to consumers and businesses without middlemen,” said Krishna.

Coca-Cola is buying Costa Coffee, world’s second largest coffee shop chain, from Britain's Whitbread Plc for an enterprise value of $5.1 billion. The acquisition will give Coca-Cola almost 4,000 coffee outlets in the UK and across Europe.

The deal has been agreed unanimously by the Whitbread board as in the best interests of shareholders. Whitbread had been in the process of demerging its coffee business from its hotel chain.

Costa was acquired by Whitbread in 1995. At that time, it had only 39 shops.

The acquisition will help Coca-Cola to move away from fizzy drinks towards healthier options for increasingly health-conscious consumers.

James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, said, "Hot beverages is one of the few segments of the total beverage landscape where Coca-Cola does not have a global brand. Costa gives us access to this market with a strong coffee platform."

For Whitbread, the deal will reduce debt and contribute to the pension fund. It will further expand its hotel chain Premier Inn in the UK and Germany.

Alison Brittain, Chief Executive of Whitbread, said, "The announcement represents a substantial premium to the value that would have been created through the demerger of the business and we expect to return a significant majority of net proceeds to shareholders."

Swiss food giant Nestle has sealed a $7.15 billion deal to market products of US coffee giant Starbucks globally. The deal grants Nestle perpetual rights to sell Starbucks products outside of the US company's coffee shops.

Mark Schneider, Nestle’s CEO, said, “With Starbucks, Nescafe and Nespresso, we bring together the world's most iconic coffee brands. The outstanding collaboration between the two teams resulted in a swift completion of this agreement, which will pave the way to capture further growth opportunities."

The $7.15 billion deal will significantly boost Nestle's portfolio in North America. It will also result in shifting of about 500 Starbucks employees in the United States and Europe to Nestle.

Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, said, "Bringing together the world's leading coffee retailer, the world's largest food and beverage company, and the world's largest and fast-growing installed base of at-home and single-serve coffee machines helps us amplify the Starbucks brand around the world while delivering long-term value creation for our shareholders."

With its outlets gaining profits in the Indian market, US-based casual dining chain Hard Rock Cafe is planning to expand its presence in the country.

The brand will open one cafe each in Chennai and Chandigarh by the end of this year, said Sanjay Mahtani, co-founder and Executive Director, JSM Corporation, the master franchisee for Hard Rock Cafe in India and Nigeria.

The restaurant chain aims to invest Rs 30-70 crore for the development of these outlets over the next two years.

 “We are keen to expand in India, especially considering the positive response the brand has garnered here,” said Mahtani.

The casual dining chain is looking to explore a variety of models to expand its presence. While JSM Corp will set up some outlets by itself, it will also explore the joint-venture model.

 “Our Kolkata property does quite well in terms of revenue,” Mahtani said.

For expansion, Hard Rock Cafe will now look at cities that fall within the “tourist circuit,” and this could include a place like Goa. “The tourist profile in India is changing, and we will accordingly take a call on the cities where we can have new restaurants.”

One thing will, however, remain constant he said, “There will be only one Hard Rock Cafe in a city. Multiple outlets in a city dilute the brand proposition, Mahtani added. Mumbai, so far, has been the only exception to this rule.”

At present, there are two in Mumbai, and one each in Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata taking the total count to eight. This apart, JSM runs one cafe at Nigeria.

With cafes in over 32 countries from Malaysia to Australia to Dubai, International coffee chain Papparoti has now opened doors in Mumbai and according to the spokesperson; the huge potential in Indian market makes it a perfect fit especially because of the culture of "bun and tea".

Nitin Jethwani, co-founder of the brand in cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune Chennai and Bengaluru said “We see huge potential for the brand to be successful in India primirily because it identifies with our culture of bun and chai. Also we would see a lot of Indians at Papparoti cafe in Dubai and thought why not give them the taste of Papparoti in their city. Indian is the second highest consumer market globally and if one connects with a brand there seems to be no limit. Indian F&B has evolved drastically in the past few years. We see so many international QSRs who have been well received in India. In the next quarter we plan to target cities like Chennai( scheduled to open in late January 2018 and Bengaluru. We are also in talks with airports of various cities for our brand”.

Launched first in Malaysia in 2003, the brand has a presence all over the world, with 407 outlets and kiosks across Malaysia, Dubai , Indonesia, UK, Australia,China, Vietnam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bangladesh and now in India.

Nestle announced its second small coffee acquisition, buying Texas-based Chameleon Cold-Brew as to bolster its world-leading coffee business. Maker of Nescafe and Nespresso said Chameleon is the No.1 organic cold-brew brand in the United States.

Nestle, which took a majority stake in Blue Bottle Coffee in September, is trying to reignite slowing sales by snapping up small independent brands that appeal to younger consumers.

Nestle, also faces a specific threat from JAB Holding, a private investment company that has grown fast through a string of coffee deals in recent years, from mainstream players such as Douwe Egberts and Keurig to higher-end artisanal brands Stumptown and Intelligentsia. Speculation that JAB could acquire Dunkin Brands resurfaced this week, sending shares of that coffee and doughnut chain operator to record highs.

Packaged food rivals across the sector, from Campbell Soup to Unilever, are taking similar steps as health-conscious and brand-savvy shoppers shun traditional big brands while social media helps start-ups to grow faster.

Following criticism for being too slow to react to consumers' changing habits, Nestle is taking steps to improve its performance under new CEO Mark Schneider.

Coffee output in India, Asia’s third-largest producer, is estimated to climb to a record high this year, the state-run Coffee Board said. Production may increase 12 per cent to 350,400 metric tons in 2017-18 from a year earlier, the board said on Tuesday. The figure includes 103,100 tons of Arabica and 247,300 tons of the Robusta variety.

The rise in the estimate is mainly due to the officials surveying new areas under the crop in traditional growing regions, the board said, without elaborating.

The government’s prediction compares with an estimate of 300,000 tons output in the year that started on Oct. 1, made by A.L.R.M. Nagappan, chairman of the coffee committee at the United Planters’ Association of Southern India, in August. Nagappan saw production falling to an eight-year low on prolonged dry weather in key growing areas.

India’s four-month rainy period, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country’s annual precipitation, missed a normal rain forecast this year. Showers totalled 841.3 millimetres or 95 per cent of the 50-year average in the season, according to the India Meteorological Department. A monsoon is defined as normal when rain is between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of the long-term average.

Blue Tokai Coffee, a retailer of roasted beans and operator of a cafe chain known for its brewing techniques and variety of flavors, is set to open an outlet on MG Road in Gurgaon this month, its first outside New Delhi and Mumbai.

Rhea Sanghi, community manager at Blue Tokai said “Gurugram was selected because it is a hub of young urban professionals along with a large population of Korean and Japanese nationals with the habit of consuming good coffee, said. We already have a strong customer base in Gurugram from our online business, so opening up a physical cafe in the city was the next logical step. We recently conducted a brewing class in Gurugram, which attracted people from different backgrounds. Blue Tokai notched up Rs 5 crore of sales in the past year and invested about Rs 40 lakh in the Gurugram cafe”.

Since starting in 2012, Blue Tokai has been providing beans from coffee estates located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It supplies coffee not just to corporate offices, but also to home brewers and cafes in Gurgaon.

The company, started by Matt Chitharanjan and his wife Namrata Asthana, is trying to broaden the coffee experience for customers by introducing modern barista techniques such as weighing espresso shots, offering a variety of brewing methods and getting their baristas to engage with customers to explain what they do.

Sanghi said a wide range of customers who had embraced its brewing techniques and roasted coffee beans were the sole reason for Blue Tokai’s growth. The company plans to open more outlets in Delhi and Mumbai and is looking at starting its third roasting unit in south India next year.

Swedan based Wheelys, a first of its kind 'Cafe on wheels', is making its foray in India with its first organic coffee chain here.

Founder Evan Luthra told "Wheelys is based on the idea that we have to be absolutely different from other chains in every way possible. For example, the coffee chains already present offer chemically treated food products whereas we offer organic coffee. We are quite excited about our expansion. We are launching in five locations this month and plan to open five more every month. Our goal is to have 100 locations running before the end of 2018. Its about providing a healthier option to our consumers instead of just burgers and fries.

He also said "All our coffee and drinks are 100 percent organic. I personally like the waffles with different flavours and waffle infused shakes. We keep introducing new products. Recently we added homemade cookies and cold pressed fruit juices. Even the local delicacies are being introduced in healthier avatar like wheat momos and baked goods instead of fried. I believe the success mantra of Wheelys is the product range and low cost of franchise because of which Wheelys has expanded in over 40 countries in just two years”.
The brand is launching its first outlet at DLF Mall of India in October.

Barista Coffee, an international coffee operator, has planned to open outlets in Maldives, the Middle East and Europe in the coming months, all in all 500 outlets by the end of five year.

Sanjay Chhabra, Chairman of Rollatainers, the parent company of Carnation Hospitality, said, "We aim to be 500 stores in the next five years, primarily through a franchisee route."

Currently Barista has 190 stores spread across the nation, it is planning to target mainly the smaller cities like Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Pune, where it can open the most outlets.

The size of the organised café market is projected to grow to Rs 151 billion by 2020 from Rs 67 billion in 2014, according to a March 2015 report by Technopak Advisors Pvt.

New Delhi-based Rollatainers has signed up a franchisee partner in the Maldives, where it plans to open four stores in the next six months.