Instant Coffee, Distant Success
Kishore Biyani ,CEO of Future group and V.G. Siddhartha , Chairman of Amalgamated Bean coffee café chain, have tied up possibly to bring another private label in otherwise state wise culture sensitive Indian coffee market. This will be retailed across Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar besides CCD outlets.
State wise India differs the way coffee is looked upto. Gujarat essentially is tea drinking state and West Bengal too.Southern part of country has too many small but popular (read affordable) local brands.
I have a view from the windowsill. The coffee label is still going to be CCD so there is no possibility of re-positioning the brand. However, Mr. Siddhartha is largest individual coffee plantation owner in Asia; CCD is not known for great coffee.
The recent re-branded CCD is yet to show up and sink in.It is yet to get a tag of YUP thingies. Young Urban Professionals look forward to jazzy places like Costa Coffee, Gloria Jean’s to make an impression, or even if it is budgeted affair, the old conventional places win easily. Every city has them with silent music of nostalgia playing in the background.
I am yet to see CCD hygiene standard matching an up class market segment. The menu hardly offers anything excitingly new. Most of the times service is drab and jaw clenching for a restless person like me.
To build it the way it is dreamt to be, India needs a culture of coffee drinking and brand positioning of the label has to be better. Starbucks probably is the best example so far ,of a dream come true empire’s rise and plateau hit. Nevertheless, hope that Kishore Biyani’s usual Midas touch laced with great strategy works here too.
“It happens only in India.”
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