How this D2C coffee startup is bringing home café-like experience

Kolkata-based Country Bean has seen 200 percent growth compared to pre-pandemic sales. But competing with venture-backed D2C coffee brands and FMCG biggies is going to be a challenge.

When Aditi Somani Satnaliwala returned home after finishing her undergraduate course from the University of Warwick, England, in 2013, the one thing she missed about her stay abroad was her morning flavoured coffee. 

“A good cup of coffee is so important for me and it was so accessible while I was studying abroad. In India, flavoured coffees were not easily available. Even if it was, a common person could not afford to have it every single day because of the prices,” Aditi tells YourStory.

She then started contacting a few suppliers in the UK, who would let her become the supplier of their flavoured coffee. “But that didn’t work out. Many didn’t trust me due to the lack of experience in the import and export field,” she says.  

Aditi resorted to experimenting by adding flavours such as caramel and coconut to her instant coffees, and that’s where the wheels for Country Bean started rolling. 

Launched in 2017, the Kolkata-based brand offers coffee flavours like caramel, hazelnut, and coconut. Recently, the startup has added more flavours like cocoa mint, berry, and cardamom to its portfolio. 

“Some variants, including caramel and vanilla, are our permanent flavours. But we experiment a lot with different flavours during festive and other seasons of the year. Last year, during monsoon, we launched cardamom flavoured coffee, and our customers liked it so much that we ended up putting it on our permanent menu,” says Aditi. 

After close to a year of the launch, Aditi’s husband Aneesh Satnaliwala, a former investment banking analyst from Goldman Sachs and founder of multiple startups, joined the direct-to-consumer (D2C) coffee brand as the co-founder. 

The business

The startup gets almost 90 percent of its sales from online channels, including its own website, and ecommerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart, among others. The remaining 10 percent comes from selling through retail channels such as Future Group’s gourmet grocery store Foodhall. 

Country Bean claims to have seen 200 percent growth in business from pre-pandemic levels, with its customer base reaching 2.5 lakh till date from 50,000 customers in the initial days of the business. However, the bootstrapped startup did not reveal the amount invested in the business so far. 

Growth during the pandemic

The pandemic has been extremely beneficial for D2C brands as a whole. Locked in consumers had no choice but to shop through online channels, making new brand discovery much easier. 

The sector leaders saw improved bottom lines, including cosmetic D2C brand Sugar, which saw its highest sales in November 2020, and D2C baby and mother care brand MamaEarth, which reached a valuation of $300 million after reaching a revenue run rate of Rs 700 crore. 

Another Kolkata-based D2C skincare brand Dot and Key, which was launched in 2018, saw 30x growth in the last three years of the business. 

Country Bean also saw its repeat purchases reaching 25 percent during the pandemic, and the average order value reaching between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. 

The brand has already started expanding its offerings with Hazelnut Latte and Dalgona spreads, and coffee accessories like milk frother and coffee mugs.

The market and competition

According to Statista, the Indian coffee and tea market grew to Rs 420 billion in 2017 from about Rs 252 billion in 2013.  

Country Bean’s proposition might be a unique one, but the brand is operating in a space where the competition is growing consistently. 

The flavoured-coffee brand sees competition not just from Rukam Capital-backed Sleepy Owl, Fireside Ventures-backed Slay Coffee, and Blue Tokai Coffee Roosters, but also from FMCG giants. 

To capitalise on the increasing online shopping of niche brands, Tata Consumer Pvt. Ltd. launched a premium coffee brand called Tata Sonnets last year for high-income consumers. 

While Aditi claims she does not take too much pressure about keeping strict product launch targets, the brand keeps working on five to six products at a time and aims to launch two to three products every quarter, with three to four potential products always in the pipeline. Currently, the brand is working on a few products, including coffee flavours and spreads to launch in the upcoming quarters. 

The only way Country Bean can stay ahead in this crowded market is by keeping its offerings fresh and unique. 

source: http://www.yourstory.com / Your Story / Home> Start Up / by Prasannata Patwa / July 10th, 2021

Film stunt director Fayaz Khan wants to set up institute in Kodagu

Film stunt director Fayaz Khan wants to set up institute in Kodagu
Film stunt director Fayaz Khan wants to set up institute in Kodagu

HIGHLIGHTS

Fayaz Khan who has directed stunts and acted in 1,560 films in various languages wants to set up an institute to train youths in the art in his native Kodagu district.

Madikeri:

Fayaz Khan who has directed stunts and acted in 1,560 films in various languages wants to set up an institute to train youths in the art in his native Kodagu district. As small boy in 1980s, he sold peanuts in cinema halls to support his family in Gonicoppa, a small town in Kodagu district. Sounds like a film story? But it’s true. Fayaz Khan who directed stunts for 1,560 films till now once sold peanuts in cinema halls and never studied beyond class III.

Born in a poor family and fond of films, Fayaz Khan left home in 1985 and landed in Bengaluru in search of his dream. He came to Gandhinagara and begged film directors for a chance and got a small role in Tamil film Idiyadagam. After seeing his performance, many directors gave him a chance. However, his passion lay in stunts. Later he became a stunt artiste and worked for 1,560 films in various languages including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Fayaz started his own stunt artists association and trained more than 1100 artists since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Apart from being a stunt master, he acted with such stalwarts like Dr Raj kumar, Vishnuvardhan, Rajanikanth, Salman Khan, Akshaya Kumar, Mammootti, Mohan Lal, Chiranjeevi, Punit Raj Kumar. Speaking to this reporter, Fayaz said that there is a good environment for films in Kodagu. “There is a lot of employment potential in film industry for youths from the tourism district if we train them properly,” he said and expressed his wish to open a film training institute in Kodagu to tap hidden talent.

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> State> Karnataka / by Coovercolly Indresh / Hans News Service / July 09th, 2021

Kushalnagar Formally Gets Taluk Status Amid Fracas

Madikeri:

Six months after issuing a final notification for the formation of Kushalnagar taluk, the taluk was officially dedicated on Tuesday by Revenue Minister R. Ashoka. The State Government had notified the taluk on Jan. 1 this year and a new taluk was formed adding to the list of existing four taluks — Madikeri, Virajpet, Ponnampet and Somwarpet.

The taluk was created bowing to public pressure and years of struggle as residents were forced to travel 27-km to Somwarpet to get their work done. Cauvery Taluk Horata Kendriya Samiti spearheaded the agitations.

However, Tuesday’s inauguration became chaotic as office-bearers and members of the Samiti alleged that though Kushalnagar taluk was their baby, they had been ignored during the inauguration ceremony, making it an all-BJP affair. They shouted slogans as soon as Minister Ashoka rose to speak. However, they were evicted out forcefully. 

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Somwarpet MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan and MLC Veena Achaiah were present on the dais. Minister Ashoka praised Appachu Ranjan for his efforts to form the taluk. “He visited my office 20-30 times urging me to accord the taluk status,” he said. 

Ashoka noted that Tahsildar and 12 posts have been created and Rs. 50 lakh had been released for necessary works and assured that all necessary support would be provided to the newly-developed taluk in a phased manner. 

In his address, thanking Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Ashoka, MLA Appachu Ranjan said that a Mini Vidhana Soudha was necessary to house all Government offices. 

Samiti alleges side-lining

Before Ashoka spoke, members of Cauvery Taluk Horata Kendriya Samiti alleged that the BJP had hijacked their efforts to form the taluk for 20 years. Horata Samiti leader and Zilla Panchayat former member K.P. Chandrakala said that Samiti Chairman V.P. Shashidhar’s name was deliberately dropped from the list of guests in the invitation.

“The event has been converted into a BJP event,” she said, as the Samiti members including Shashidhar shouted slogans against the BJP Government. This irked BJP followers and they too shouted pro-BJP slogans. This led to a fracas where both sides accused each other. Some were even pushed around.

Though Pratap Simha tried to calm down the agitated crowd, the fight did not stop and the Police tried to send Shashidhar and other activists outside the hall. Then a fight broke out with Inspector Mahesh. Later, the Police evicted the Samiti members out of the hall. 

Meanwhile, Appachu Ranjan said that he had supported the efforts of all organisations in the formation of Kushalnagar taluk. “When Siddharamaiah was the CM, I led a delegation to Belagavi and Bengaluru. When V.P. Shashidhar had launched a hunger strike, it was I who stood behind him when the then Kodagu District Minister M.R. Seetharam did not care. All this must be remembered by the Samiti,” he added.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 08th, 2021

Krishi Thapanda goes online to teach orphans in Coorg

Krishi Thapanda, who was involved in organising COVID relief through the pandemic, has taken on a new responsibility now.

Along with four other like-minded friends, Krishi is part of a core group that is working on teaching homeless children at government-run childrens’ shelters in Coorg. “While children in cities have access to the best teaching methods, those in rural areas often don’t have access to laptops or phones to enable online learning. So, they haven’t had any kind of learning in the past year and a half owing to the pandemic,” points out Krishi.

The actress and her friends identified three government-run shelters that were in need of help and set up a programme that will look into their educational needs. “The idea is to give them basic knowledge. The age group of children is from six to 18, who have been divided into three categories. Volunteers have signed up for it and they will teach the kids various subjects.

We have got permission from the authorities to hold two hours of class on week days and we want to make the most of it. As of now, we are in the process of gathering pre-loved laptops and phones to give these children and teach them basic English, so that they find it easier when they step into the real world to earn a livelihood in their later years,” shares Krishi, who will be teaching them acting, dancing and some other art forms too.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies / by TNN / July 01st. 2021

Bees Scare Away Wild Jumbos In Kodagu!

KVIC’s RE-HAB project yields success 

Gonikoppa:

Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant – Human Attacks using Bees) aimed at thwarting elephant attacks in human habitations using honey bees, seems to have yielded success with jumbos taking alternative routes to avoid coming into contact with bees.

With a view to reduce human-elephant conflicts in the country, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched a unique project of creating “bee-fences” to address this burning issue in several States including Karnataka. 

The pilot project has been launched at few locations in Kodagu. These spots on the periphery of Nagarahole National Park are known to be human-elephant conflict zones. Total cost of project is Rs. 15 lakh.

Reality check has revealed that the wild pachyderms were maintaining a safe distance from bee boxes. Locals say this has reduced the elephant menace by 70 percent. Bee boxes have been placed at Kutta including Choorikaad and Tithimathi ranges. Jumbos were not seen in these places in the last 25 days. Villagers opined that elephants may have found alternative route. 

In fact, the jumbos had damaged bee boxes near Kodange Haadi near Nagarhole recently. Since then, they have not come back. There are instances of young elephants straying into these fences. The cameras have captured the hesitancy of jumbos crossing the fence fixed with bee boxes and also taking de-tour within 27 seconds. 

KVIC has set up 15-20 interspersed bee boxes at selected locations. The bee boxes are set up in the passage ways of elephant-human conflict zones to block the entrance of elephants to human habitations. The boxes are connected with a string so that when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug or pull causes the bees to swarm the elephant herds and dissuade them from progressing further. Bee boxes have been placed on the ground as well as hung from the trees to block the passage way of elephants. High resolution, night vision cameras have been installed at strategic points to record the impact of bees on elephants and their behaviour in these zones. The collective buzz of the bees is annoying to elephants that force them to return. Elephants, which are the most intelligent animal and carry their memories for long, avoid returning to the place where they have encountered honey bees.

Nearly 500 people die every year due to elephant attacks in India. This is nearly 10 times more than the fatalities caused by big cats across the country. From 2015 to 2020, nearly 2,500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks. Out of this, nearly 170 human fatalities have been reported in Karnataka alone. On the contrary, nearly one-fifth of this number, that is nearly 500 elephants have also died in retaliation by humans in the last 5 years.

In the past, Governments have spent crores of rupees on digging up trenches and erecting fences to dissuade elephants. Also, hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent on compensation for loss of human lives. These trenches and barbed wire fences have often caused the deaths of elephant calves and thus rendering these ideas largely impractical.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 05th, 2021

Dragon fruit cultivation on the rise

Vijay Angadi showing a Dragon Fruit plant on his terrace in Hassan.  

People in urban localities, who lack sufficient space, can take up cultivation on the roof

The cultivation of dragon fruit is picking up among farmers. In Hassan, the fruits are grown on the roof as well.

Vijay Angadi, an agriculture expert and programme executive at AIR in Madikeri, has grown the fruit on his terrace garden at the 2nd phase of Visvesaraya Extension in Hassan.

Mr. Angadi, known for popularising organic terrace gardens, planted a dragon fruit sapling two years ago. “The plant grew well. We got a few fruits in the first year. In the second year, the number of fruits has gone up and I added a few more plants,” he said.

The fruit has antioxidants, vitamin C, is rich in fibre and low in calories. Given its taste, medicinal value and demand in the fruit market, many farmers are taking up cultivation in a big way. Those in urban localities, who lack sufficient space, can take up cultivation on the roof.

“The plant belongs to the Cactaceae family and is a drought-resistant variety. It can survive in high temperature as well,” said Vijay Angadi, a post-graduate in Agriculture Studies.

He suggested that people interested in earning money by selling dragon fruit can take up cultivation on the terrace. “On the roof of a house built on a 30×40 sqft area, one can grow 30 plants. Within two years, one gets the yield and can earn up to ₹30,000 a year, depending on the price in the market. Besides this, the grower can also sell plants. It adds to the family income,” he said.

As a programme executive with All India Radio, Mr. Angadi has produced hundreds of programmes for radio on farming. He has inspired many people in Hassan to take up terrace farming.

“I have around 100 pots on my terrace. I grow vegetables, green leaves and fruits in my garden without using chemicals,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hassan – July 05th, 2021

Legendary India hockey player BP Govinda recalls his equaliser in Bronze Medal match in Munich Olympics

File photo: BP Govinda (second from left)

New Delhi :

With less than 30 days to go for Tokyo 2020, the Olympic fever is slowly gripping the entire sporting world. While the Indian athletes are leaving no stones unturned and carrying out high-octane practice sessions, it’s time for hockey fans to relive the memories from the triumphant Olympic campaigns in the past through Hockey India’s Flashback Series.

In this article of Hockey India’s Flashback Series, the fiery centre-forward BP Govinda went on a nostalgic trip, fondly talking of his hay days as an iconic figure with a distinctive headband. “Our Coach KD Singh Babu made me play as outside-left in the Bronze Medal match against the Netherlands,” recalled the stylish striker.

“All through the tournament in Munich, I had played as centre-forward, but our Coach insisted I change my position for this match, and it so happened that I scored the equaliser and then Mukhbain Singh scored the winning goal through a penalty corner which helped us win the match 2-1,” recalled Govinda, who was drawn to hockey from his school days in Somwarpet in Coorg.

Having won a Bronze Medal in 1968, India had fielded a young team in Munich which saw stalwarts like Michael Kindo, Ashok Kumar Dhyanchand and BP Govinda make their Olympic debut. But the campaign didn’t go as expected despite a good start against teams like the Netherlands (1-1 draw), Great Britain (5-0 win), Australia (3-1 win), Poland (2-2 draw) and Mexico (8-0 win). India had also beaten New Zealand 3-2 to make the cut for the semi-final.

“But we lost 0-2 in that match. I think we played particularly well in the second half. Almost the entire 35 minutes, we were in their D and we were attacking with all our might, but it was so disheartening that we couldn’t convert a single goal. All our shots would go near the goal mouth, and we would miss. It was as though we were jinxed,” explained Govinda, who is also part of Hockey India’s National Selection Committee.

The former India skipper who led the team to a Silver Medal at the 1978 Asian Games rued missing an opportunity to play for the World XI side at the Munich Games, but the match was called off due to the Palestinian terrorist attack on Israeli athletes. He said, “West Germany had beaten Pakistan in the Final to become the new Olympic Champions and the organisers had planned an exhibition match between World XI and the Olympic Champions. I was chosen from India to play for the World XI side but due to the Black September incident, they called off that match. Though there was no safety concern for us within the village, our contingent was quite close to where this incident happened.”

Another instance Govinda regrets to this day is the penalty stroke he missed against Pakistan in the 1973 World Cup in Amstelveen. “I had scored the only goal (in the 62nd minute) against Pakistan in the semis and that goal of mine took India to the Final against the Netherlands. I had become an instant hero back home but unfortunately; I couldn’t replicate that in the Final. Surjit Singh had scored two goals and the score was level at 2-2 when we earned a penalty stroke towards the dying minutes of the match.”

“Barring Harmik Singh, Ajitpal nobody was coming forward to take the penalty stroke. I told (teammate) MP Ganesh, no one is going so shall I go? I went voluntarily. Before taking the strike, I had decided I will hit the left corner of the goalkeeper but when I lifted my stick, it went underneath the grass, and the ball didn’t connect properly to the stick. My shot didn’t even reach the goalie. We lost the opportunity, and the match went into extra time, and we eventually lost,” recollected Govinda.

However, he fondly remembers from his playing days is his formative days when he played for Mohun Bagan. “That’s where it all began for me. In 1967-68, we won the first division and the Beighton Cup. I was very fortunate and lucky to have played with greats like Gurbux Singh and Vece Paes. I got my first call up for India in 1970,” he said.

Consistent India team stand great chance to finish on podium in Tokyo 2020

Speaking of the current Indian hockey team led by Manpreet Singh, Govinda said, “They have been playing consistently in the past two years, and they have shown a lot of promise. But my advice to them is to take it match-by-match and their first aim should be to make the Quarterfinals. I would say, once they have crossed that hurdle, it is anybody’s game in the Semis and Final.” “This team has been doing well under Graham and have shown that they are capable of beating big teams like Australia, Netherlands, Belgium and even the Olympic Champions Argentina. I have no doubt that they can perform well in Tokyo,” he added.

Source: HI Release

source: http://www.mykhel.com / My Khel / Home> English> Hockey> News / by Avinash Sharma / July 01st, 2021

Kozhikode Corporation to join hands with IISR for spice street project

Kozhikode Mayor Beena Philip has said that the corporation was willing to cooperate with the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) for the proposed spice street project.

Inaugurating the foundation day programme online at the IISR here on Thursday, she said the emerging farming scenario enhanced the social and scientific relevance of institutions like ICAR- IISR in the wake of the pandemic.

She also emphasized that the spice economy was important for the farming sector. However, the ability to maintain and enhance spices production needs to be anchored on improved cultivation practices and research advances, she said.

Presiding over the session, Dr. A.K. Singh, Deputy Director-General, ICAR, New Delhi, said the spices sector had witnessed significant changes in the recent past, and that the country was poised to make gains in production and trade in spices in the coming years.

Dr. Athulya G. Ashokan, Associate Professor, Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, delivered the foundation day lecture on ‘Management of post-COVID syndrome’. The IISR also launched the e-commerce platform for sale of good quality spices from verified sources and products from incubatee entrepreneurs associated with the institute.

In a new initiative aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs, the institution has entered into an agreement with the Kozhikode District Kudumbashree Mission to provide support for development and marketing of value-added products, production of quality planting materials, and delivery training services.

The IISR also executed two technology commercialisation agreements for the turmeric variety IISR Aleppey Supreme and black pepper micronutrient mixture.

Marking the occasion, the institute conferred spices excellence awards on Kanthraj K.M. from Kodagu district in Karnataka and Rajesh E.M. from Kozhikode. R.L. Innovative Agri Pvt. Ltd., an agri-startup company, was also honoured with the award.

The staff recreation club of the institute donated 10 mobile phones and tablets to support online education of students from under-privileged sections as part of its outreach activities. The institute released five extension folders and three technical bulletins on various aspects of spice cultivation to mark the foundation day.

Dr. J. Rema, Director, ICAR-IISR, and Dr. Vikramadithya Pandey, Assistant Director General, ICAR, spoke.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Special Correspondent / Kozhikode – July 02nd, 2021

Rohan Bopanna-Sania Mirza pair wins historic all-Indian Wimbledon match

File photo of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna. | Photo Credit: PTI

It was the first time in open era that two Indian teams competed against each other at a Grand Slam tournament.

The experienced pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza defeated the brand new combination of Ramkaumar Ramanathan and Ankita Raina 6-2 7-6 (5) in the historic all-Indian mixed doubles first round match at the Wimbledon here on Friday.

It was the first time in open era that two Indian teams competed against each other at a Grand Slam tournament.

The contest finally brought a Grand Slam debut for Ramkumar, who has made 21 attempts to qualify for the singles main draw of a tennis major.

While the first set ended quickly in favour of the veterans, Ramkumar and Raina presented a good fight in the second set, which even they led for a brief period with a break of serve.

Bopanna was clearly the best player on the court with his powerful serve and solid ground strokes from the baseline as well as the ability to execute a superior net game.

On expected lines, Ramkumar served big while Raina gave her all after growing in confidence.

Mirza’s serve is still not at its best and would improve as she plays more matches.

Mirza has moved has also moved to women’s doubles second round with Bethanie Mattek-Sands while Raina and her American partner Lauren Davis lost in straight sets to the US pair of Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula on Thursday night.

The 14th seeds disposed off the challenge from the Raina-Davis pair 6-3 6-2 in 70 minutes.

Bopanna and Divij Sharan are already out, having lost their men’s doubles opening round match.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Tennis / by PTI / London, July 02nd, 2021

Khelo India centre to come up in Ponnampet: Minister

Minister for Youth Empowerment, Sports and Planning K.C. Narayana Gowda during an inspection in Madikeri on Thursday.   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Narayana Gowda asks officials to make use of funds set aside for youth activities for improving sports infrastructure in Kodagu

Minister for Youth Empowerment, Sports and Planning K.C. Narayana Gowda on Thursday told his department officials to take up works for developing sporting facilities like stadiums from the funds set aside for annual youth activities which cannot be organised this year in the light of COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds earmarked for the activities centred on youth can be made use for the development of sporting infrastructure in Kodagu, he suggested.

Mr. Gowda said the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel at Ponnampet in Kodagu has been chosen for Khelo India Centre for encouraging local sporting talents and training them.

Speaking after reviewing the progress of his department in Kodagu district at a meeting in Madikeri, the Minister said ₹1.50 crore had been sanctioned for development works in Government Sports School, Kudige, and a sum of ₹50 lakh for the upgradation of a stadium at Virajpet and also General Thimayya Stadium, Madikeri.

He said sporting activities have come to a standstill in the wake of COVID-19. Therefore, the incomplete works for developing sporting infrastructure in Kodagu should be completed at the earliest and asked the officers to send proposals, if any, on developing any more facilities for encouraging sports.

He said a committee headed by the Commissioner of Youth Empowerment and Sports Department would be visiting Kodagu soon and meet the elected representatives of the district on what needs to be done for developing the existing infrastructure for nurturing sporting talents in Kodagu.

Sunil Subramani, MLC, told the Minister that the hockey stadium work at Somwarpet was not being carried out scientifically and urged him to look into the matter in the wake of complaints about the work.

The MLC said the department officers must ensure construction of retaining walls around the stadium besides completing drainage works.

The Minister assured the MLC that the deputy commissioner will look into the matter and take necessary measures.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – July 01st, 2021