From filter coffee to viral blend: Annapoorna steams up headlines

Sreenivasan raised concerns about the different GST rates for sweets, savouries, and bakery products during an interaction of Sitharaman with MSMEs and Chamber of Commerce in Coimbatore

For Tamil Nadu, filter coffee is more than a beverage — it’s an emotion. If you find yourself in Coimbatore and wish to savour this aromatic brew, Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowri Shankar is the place to go. Locals even dub it the “Pride of Coimbatore”.

Recently, the restaurant chain has gained nationwide attention, not for its coffee but due to a controversy involving its owner, D Srinivasan. A video of Srinivasan apologising to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman went viral. On Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled its Singanallur mandal President, R Sathish, who allegedly recorded and shared the video on social media.

Srinivasan had raised concerns about differing goods and services tax (GST) rates for sweets, savouries, and bakery products during a meeting between Sitharaman and micro, small and medium enterprises and the Chamber of Commerce in Coimbatore last Wednesday. He pointed out that while a plain bun is GST-free, a cream bun attracts an 18 per cent GST, prompting customers to purchase bun and cream separately to create their own cream bun. The video of Srinivasan apologising to the finance minister faced harsh criticism from Opposition parties.

Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowri Shankar is a familiar name across the country. The chain currently operates around 19 branches mainly in Coimbatore and the rest of Tamil Nadu, plus two sweet stalls in Tirupur and Erode. With over 1,500 employees, it is renowned for its filter coffee and keerai vada (spinach fritter) throughout Tamil Nadu.

According to Tofler, Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowrishankar’s operating revenues range from Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore for the financial year ending March 2023. Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation has surged by 228.53 per cent from the previous year, and its book net worth has increased by 23.81 per cent.

How it all began

The story began in the early 1960s when four brothers — Damodaraswamy Naidu, Rangaswamy Naidu, Ramaswamy Naidu, and Lakshman Naidu — opened a shop opposite the famous Kennedy Theatre at the south corner of DB Road RS Puram in Coimbatore.

The shop’s success led the theatre owner to invite the brothers to manage a canteen inside the theatre. Thus began the famed combination of piping hot filter coffee and crispy keerai vada, cooked in fresh oil in Coimbatore. Within two years, the brothers were offered another canteen at the Central Theatre.

In 1968, the brothers opened a restaurant named after the Goddess Annapoorni, marking the start of their expansion. Today, the group’s business also includes pickles, ready-to-eat items, and various masalas.

The BJP state unit has entered damage-control mode, with state President K Annamalai apologising to Srinivasan and expressing regret for the “unintended breach of privacy”.

“I sincerely apologise for the actions of our functionaries who shared a private conversation between a respected business owner and the finance minister,” he said.