Tata Coffee is looking to transform itself into a premium specialty coffee company from a commodity player with an aim to tap the growing specialty coffee market. The company has been consistently moving up the value chain in both its plantations business as well as its instant coffee business.
The company has 19 coffee estates spread over 18,224 acres situated in the Western Ghat at different altitudes that have highly conducive micro-climates.
Tata Coffee, a subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages, is a fully integrated coffee company with its own coffee plantations, coffee curing factories, roasted and ground (R&G) coffee facility and instant coffee production plants.
source: http://www.money.livemint.com / Live Mint / Home> Company News / E-paper / Mumbai – August 03rd, 2015
Coorg is synonymous with quaint coffee estates, lush falls and serene greenery. But did you know that it also houses a mini-chocolate factory, handled completely by a woman? Ever since the quiet town of Coorg started seeing the abundance of homestays, many women started to see themselves in a new light – as entrepreneurs. One such woman is Ketolira Fancy Ganapathy from the tiny village of Yavakapadi near Kakkabbe in Kodagu district.
What initially started as a hobby has now become a full-fledged business for this confident woman. Right from her childhood, Fancy had the desire to make delicious chocolates. She first learnt the art of making chocolates in high school. When she sent over pickles to her friends in Chennai, she got lessons in chocolate making as a return gift. Soon, she started making them for small-time functions and social gatherings in and around Kodagu. When the coffee market in the district started to fluctuate, she resigned from her lecturer’s post and turned her hobby into a full-time business.
Her chemical-free chocolates are widely loved for their delicious taste and have found many regular takers over the past three years. She has a farm where she grows pineapple, orange and passion fruit which she utilises as ingredients for chocolate. She sources dry fruits and fruits like mulberry from outside. She sells chocolates at Rs 1200 per kg while her input costs are around Rs 800-900 per kg. She is helped by her family and friends in this arduous task.
Most of the times, her produce is exhausted by consumers within her locality. In fact, a nearby resort buys products worth Rs 5,000 from her every week. Based on the orders received, Fancy also ships her chocolates to Bengaluru and Chennai. “Everyday, we prepare eight kg of chocolates. It’s a lengthy and exhaustive process. We have some assistants for paper cutting, labelling and have got an affiliation from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, thanks to our excellent quality standards,”
explains Fancy.
Through Nalaknadu Flowers and Foliages Association, Fancy is encouraging women in rural areas to produce goods right in the comfort of their homes. She aspires to start an organic co-operative society that markets locally produced chocolates, pickles, and wine.
What more, she is also the only chocolate manufacturer in Karnataka who has tied up with the postal department to market her produce. In order to enjoy her goodies, all you have to do is to place a call to the postal department and you will get her home-made goodies delivered to your doorstep. This service is presently active in Mysuru, Bengaluru and Mangaluru postal departments. What more, you can also enjoy fresh coffee powder supplied from the Coffee Planters Club through this service.
“We prepare a large variety of chocolates and they are in good demand locally. Thanks to this arrangement, we are now supplying our produce to select cities, reaching out to thousands,” says Fancy.
“Fancy Ganapathy makes flavoured chocolates which are very tasty. She enriches the glory of coffee, cardamom, pepper and ginger which grows in coorg,” says planter Suresh Chengappa of Honey Valley Estate. Every week, he buys 5-6 kg of her chocolates for the visitors who stay in his resort.
Fancy is also working on a chocolate exhibition in her estate, which is nearing completion. She is also planning to organise a chocolate tour for the tourists and has converted her vintage bungalow into a chocolate showroom, where her visitors can learn how to make chocolate.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by C S Suresh / August 04th, 2015
Joshna Chinappa today upstaged second seed Line Hansen in straight games to win the USD 15,000 Victorian Open squash competition for her 10th WSA title.
Third seed Joshna beat the Dane 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 in the final of the WSA event. It was only last week that Joshanalost to Line in Kooyong.
The Indian’s last triumph had come in the Richmond Open in April last year.
Known for mixing strokes and accuracy in the placements, the Joshna held the upper-hand right through, though she admitted, it was a “hard game” particularly after Line fought and brought the score to nine-all in the third game.
Coming as it did soon after her recent success in the National Championship, she was happy with her current form.
With the Australian Open to start in a few days and the venue being the same, the Joshna is looking forward to more success.
“I am so happy it will be at the same centre,” she said.
The title in the men’s section went to Australian Ryan Cuskelly who beat Greg Lobban of Scotland 12-10, 13-11, 11-9.
Meanwhile, India went down 0-2 to top ranked and title-favourite Egypt in the quarterfinals of the girls’ event of the WSF-world junior squash championship in Eindhoven.
Debutant Nikita Joshi, who played first, tried her best but Salma Hany Ibrahim was far superior. The Egyptian won 11-5 11-6 11-2 to give Egypt the lead.
Adya Advani was pitted against the top player Habiba Mohamed and it proved a tough task for the Indian. Habiba won easily 11-3 11-5 11-3 to give Egypt the win and a place in the semi-final.
India now will play for the 5th to 8th place matches
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by PTI / August 02nd, 2015
The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include India’s women’s badminton doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the ambitious Target Olympics Podium (TOP) scheme under the National Sports Development Fund for providing necessary support to the potential medal winners for the Rio Olympics to be held in August 2016 in Brazil.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Siddaramaiah said, “Badminton is one of the disciplines identified under TOP Scheme.
The Indian shuttlers, including the doubles specialists, are among the top–ranked potential medal winners at the 2016 Olympics.
However, it is unfortunate that the top-ranked doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the Canada Open Women’s Doubles title recently, is not part of the TOP Scheme.
“It’s unfortunate that the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the Canada Open title recently, is not part of the TOP Scheme,” the CM wrote.
“On the basis of their recent form and their Badminton World Federation (BWF) Rankings, the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa has the potential to earn medals at the Rio Olympics. Hence, I request you to direct the concerned to include Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa under the TOP scheme”.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao has also written a similar letter to the Prime Minister Modi requesting him to include both Gutta and Ponnappa in TOP scheme.
TRS MP from Nizamabad and KCR’s daughter K Kavitha has initiated the demand for inclusion of the doubles pair. Speaking to media, she said, “Jwala and Ashwini are capable of earning a medal for India at the Rio Olympics and I want the PM to personally intervene in this matter.”
Karnataka chief minister’s staff member KV Prabhakara said that Siddaramaiah is personally following it up with the Prime Minister.
Here’s the letter sent by the Karnataka CM to the Prime Minister’s Office:
source: http://www.ibnlive.com /IBN Live / Home> Sports / by IBN Live Sports / July 17th, 2015
Kind Coffee’s staff includes, from left, Lily Tomasula-Martin, Lea Rodderick, owner Amy Hamerick, Megan Davis and Margery Dunkle. (Debbie Holmes / Estes Park Trail-Gazette)
by Debbie Holmes / Trail-Gazette
One of Estes Park’s best kept secrets is Kind Coffee, which is independently owned by Amy Hamrick. She started her coffee house journey 17 years ago.
“I like to think that many of the worlds problems are being solved right here in Kind Coffee,” said Amy. “It’s so wonderful to see friends, and even high school kids, here supporting my business. I’m proud to have established a place where locals want to come.”
Amy’s journey started in 1998 as the Estes Park Coffee Company, which was located in Ed’s Cantina. Amy was instrumental in starting, running and building the roasting business in that location before Ed’s went through ownership and remodeling changes, which opened up the opportunity for Amy to move into the current location where Kind Coffee has stood since 2004.
Even though Kind Coffee doesn’t roast its own coffee beans anymore, the recipes are the shop’s own, and it continues to use only organic, fair trade coffee beans.
“We continue to live up to our name. It’s important to me that my business is environmentally and socially responsible,” Amy said.
Kind Coffee’s philosophies also have morphed into being community-oriented and supportive. Amy enjoys developing various flavors of coffee for organizations and community needs. Following the 2013 flood, Kind coffee produced “Flood Mud” coffee which continues to raise money for flood recovery.
“Being able to do things for the community is so important to me,” Amy added.
She says that building her business hasn’t been as hard as she had thought, “when it’s from the heart, decisions are easy. It’s been fantastic to have opportunities. All opportunities, good and bad.”
Amy mentioned that she has always had the most amazing staff to help her along this journey.
“I was so thankful for the support of her staff, friends and community members during those tough months after the 2013 flood. There were probably 100 people here helping us during the flood and for months after,” Amy said. “It really touched me when I saw people out in the community and they’d ask me when we were going to open, because they missed us so much.”
Being an independent coffee shop has its draw backs at times.
“It’s important that all independent coffee shops continue to provide and be the best so that our industry stays strong and visitors don’t walk past us to visit one of the big-chain coffee shops,” explained Amy. “It makes us have to step up, work hard and always do the best that we can.”
Amy is proud of what Kind Coffee has become and enjoys going to work every day. Kind Coffee, 470 Elkhorn E. Ave., is open every day at 6:30 a.m. During the summer it closes around 8 p.m. The shop will close at 6 p.m. in the winter and spring.
Along with their delicious coffee and full menu of drinks and food items, Kind also has other fair trade items for sale. Check out the shop’s website at www.kindcoffee.com for more information.
source: http://www.eptrail.com / Estee Park Trail Gazette / Home> Story / by Debbie Homes, Trial-Gazette / July 29th, 2015
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