Coffee drinkers in India will have reason to rejoice, but may have to wait just a little longer as Tata Starbucks, the joint venture between the world’s largest coffee chain, U.S.-headquartered Starbucks, and Tata Global Beverages, announced that it would open its first store in India by end-October.
A statement from the company said that the first store in India would open in the Horniman Circle area of south Mumbai. The Mumbai store will be the first Starbucks location to have espresso sourced and roasted locally from India through the coffee sourcing and roasting agreement with Tata Coffee, the statement said.
“Being able to use the highest quality espresso, sourced and roasted in India, is an important part of delivering a locally relevant experience to our customers in the market,’’ John Culver, President, Starbuck China and Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
“The joint venture is in line with Tata Global Beverages’ strategy of growing through strategic alliances in addition to organic growth. We are excited about the opportunity to innovate in the retail space and bring new beverage moments to more consumers,’’ Harish Bhat, CEO, Tata Global Beverages, said in a statement. Tata Starbucks also announced the appointment of Avani Saglani Davda as the CEO of the joint venture company. She worked for Tata companies for more than a decade, and, most recently, worked in the Vice-Chairman’s office for Tata Global Beverages where she was responsible for driving and facilitating key strategies and initiatives for the company, the statement said.
