Looking at cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Bhopal and Indore

Mumbai-based The Indian Bean, the online coffee store, which sells gourmet coffee produced in the estates of Coorg in Karnataka and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, is looking at selling its products across India and is tying up with logistics companies to facilitate its expansion plans.

The company has been selling premium and grounded coffee powder in Mumbai only to date, offering a free delivery service. From July, it plans to spread to cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Bhopal and Indore.

Launched in October 2012, the online stores’ focus is only on single-estate filter coffee produce. Speaking to Hospitality Biz, Kunal Ross, Founder and MD, The Indian Bean, said, “A great quantity of good coffee is produced in India but most of it is exported and we are left with secondary quality produce. And this motivated us to launch a niche portal, which will cater to the coffee aficionados. We were successful with the concept in Mumbai and all set to introduce pan-India.”

Ross sources coffee beans directly from farmers in Kodaikanal and Coorg. The coffee beans are stored at an outsourced storage unit in Mysore where it is roasted, packaged and sent back to the startup. These coffee beans are also sent to a laboratory in Bengaluru to test parameters of quality. Currently, his product catalogue has three varieties—Appa’s, Coorg; Frowner’s coffee, Kodaikanal and Watapi, BR Hills, Mysore. The company is also looking at adding seven-eight coffee estates from the coffee-producing region of Chikmaglur in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and few more regions.

The company is already in talks with coffee shops in Mumbai and big hotel brands like Oberoi to market the brand. Leaping Windows at Versova, Coffee shop at Kalaghoda in Mumbai, and the Monkey Bar in Bengaluru, offer The Indian Bean’s coffee powder.

source: http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com / HospitalityBizIndia.com / Home> Newstrack / by Preeti Swaminathan, Mumbai / Wednesday – June 05th, 2013