Way too much coffee. But if it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.
David Letterman
We can only agree with Howard Shultz when he said “I Can’t imagine a day without coffee, I can’t imagine! “, isn’t it?! Most of us thrive through our day only because of coffee (Copious amounts of it!). Heck the best thing about our day for most of us is having that first cup of coffee early in the morning( ‘early’ is used here subjectively). Though coffee was grown only in Arabia (Yemen), It found its way to India and now India is the third-largest producer and exporter of coffee in Asia, and the sixth-largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of coffee in the world (According to IBEF).
In the recent years many young Indian entrepreneurs noticed that the best quality coffee is exported off and sold at very steep prices abroad, whereas, In India people were mostly using instant coffee. They took it upon their shoulders to teach and reach out to the young generation of the country about various kinds of roasts and farming techniques of Coffee. The below five made-in-India Coffee brands prove that they have succeeded in finally bringing the best Indian coffee to Indians.
#1 BlackBazaCoffee
BlackBazaCoffee was founded in 2016 by Arshiya Bose, a Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from University of Cambridge. During her study at the time of her research she felt the need to start BlackBazaCoffee in order to “reconstruct marketplaces such that coffee as a commodity is re-embedded in place, people and ecology”. BlackBazzaCoffee intends to answer three questions through their products;
Why should small growers be denied access to fair and transparent markets?
Why should small growers be denied the capacity, training and means to grow specialty coffee?
Why should you, the coffee drinker, consume a coffee that destroys rather than protects forests?
See!!This is why we love BlackBazzaCoffee, it is not just for their coffee but also for their sense of responsibility towards both their farmers and the ecology surrounding their coffee. More brownie points to woman entrepreneur Arshiya for being an inspiration to many woman who hesitate to step into a male dominated business domain.
#2 BLUE TOKAI
Blue Tokai was founded by Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana in 2012. They are hell bent on bringing the coffee farming estates and the coffee lovers closer like never before. They offer wide range of coffees based on where they are produced, roast level, type and brewing method. They have also opened cafes at 30 locations in 7 major cities across India. Blue Tokai was an early bird in the artisanal coffee market in India, they have since made their mark in people’s hearts and are also setting benchmarks for other players in the market.
#3 DOPE COFFEE
DOPE COFFEE was founded in 2017 by Rizwan Amlani, A trained Chef from New York’s Culinary Institute who started Dope Coffee with the sole purpose of making Indian Coffee popular across the globe. You can shop for their coffee based on estates they are sourced from, Indian, International or Limited edition. Also checkout their Gifting section, Undoubtedly It is the best place to buy gifts for that coffee lover in your circle. Not to mention, Their design sensibilities are as DOPE as their coffee!
#4 COUNTRY BEAN
Country Bean was founded in 2017 by Aditi Somani. Like most of us Aditi spent a good chunk of her pay cheques on relishing the best coffees. In her own words “I just wanted something that was delicious, easy-to-make and didn’t contain sugar. So I made my own – Country Bean.” And that is exactly what Country Bean is; delicious, authentic and for the variety and quality it provides, it doesn’t burn a hole in your pockets. Along with Instant coffees like vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, Cocoa Mint and Berry, they also have Gifting options, Coffee Spreads, Hot Chocolate and last but not the least their Milk frother. Country Bean not only impresses you for their coffee but also the woman entrepreneur Aditi standing behind it. Kudos to her for daring to give up a well paying job and taking the path less trodden.
#5 SLEEPY OWL
Sleepy Owl was founded by Ashwajeet Singh, Ajai Thandi and Arman Sood from Singh’s parent’s Delhi apartment in 2016. It is their love for coffee that made them give up their cushy jobs and take the plunge into entrepreneurship and looking at the success that Sleeping Owl has been, it is safe to say that they have made the right decision. Though their USP is cold brew coffee bags, they also offer Hot brews, Filter coffees, Ready-To-Drink, Gifting options, uber cool mugs and subscriptions that can be paused or cancelled at any time. Their Assorted coffee choice for a monthly subscription is a steal!
** P.S., : This isn’t a final and exhaustive list but just our current favourites that we are obsessed with.
