Global coffee retailer Starbucks which had set shop in India in joint venture with the Tata Group, is keen to send more of Indian coffee blends, which it sources from around Coorg, to its stores in the US and other Asian countries.

“We have taken two very popular blends from India, to the US and Asia Pacific markets. India is a very long term market for us and we see such initiatives only growing in the future,” said Avani Davda, chief executive officer, Tata Starbucks.

The one blend, Indian estates blend, sourced from various plantations around Coorg and processed at the company’s roasting facility at Kushalnagar in Karnataka. Launched only in September, the blends may see a pick up after the US Autumn season.

In the two years of its presence in India, the Nasdaq listed Starbucks has set up 58 stores. Davda was in Hyderabad on Tuesday to set up their first store in the city. “We wont grow to prove store count. There have been a couple of international players who tested waters and shut down. But Starbucks is an iconic and respected brand and are here to understand the Indian consumer,” she said.

According to her, the coffee joint would customise itself to local tastes, even as the changes may not appear on the menu. “We look at social trends and it is definitely about coffee. We are not focused on the Indian competition but on how well we could weave a customer centric coffee experience,” she said.

The coffee retailing space is growing at around 12-15 per cent every year.

trushnaudgirkar@mydigitalfc.com

source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com / mydigitalfc.com / Home> My Brand / by Trushna Udgikar / Hyderabad – September 30th, 2014