Barista Goes Eastward

Barista Coffee Company Ltd is foraying into the east by opening five espresso bars in Kolkata. According to Sunil Dutt, head (operations), the new outlets will come up in January.

The company will invest Rs 35 crore to open 12 more coffee pubs in the country, while also venturing into neighbouring countries.

"We will invest Rs 35 crore to open 12 more coffee pubs across the country before March. We will also open Barista joints in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh," Dutt said.

Most of the funds for the expansion would be met through internal resources and the company would tap the debt market only for a small amount, he said.

Further, Barista is also targeting hotels and corporates. "We plan to have a presence in a number of blue-chip companies by opening our outlets there. Besides, many hotels too have approached us," says Dutt.

The company also plans to get into branded merchandise such as coffee mugs and coffee beans by the year-end. "We will initially retail these through our espresso bars and then through other retail routes," said Dutt. As far as branded coffee beans are concerned, Barista will retail two brands: house blend and origin coffee range. The house blend range will be packaged in Barista's roasteries and the origin coffee range will come packaged from Italy. "Though we generally do not advertise, we may look at advertising at a later stage for the brand as a whole," said Dutt.

Barista has 60 espresso bars and shop-in-shop outlets which it plans to increase to near 80 by the year-end. Plans are also to increase the number of espresso bars to over 200 by 2002-03.

Till date, Barista has invested Rs 26 crore in 63 coffee shops across the country. The company is talking to a number of petroleum companies, including IBP and Indian Oil Corporation to open off premises joints.

Petro retails such as IOC and HPCL are converting their retail outlets in metros into conveno stores with restaurants, cybercafes and shopping malls.

"Initially, we were talking to petroleum companies. Now, talks are on with some information technology companies also to have our joints there," he said declining to name the it companies.