As Caf? Coffee Day (CCD) is expanding the business in the valley over the last three years, coffee fever is fast gripping the locals. But CCD isn’t the only player. To satiate the thirst of coffee lovers, many existing coffee houses do exist in Kashmir valley. Bilal Handoo reports.
Valley’s first Coffee Cafe Day outlet at Sonwar is abuzz. Background music, chit chats and steaming coffee fill the wintery ambiance. Hanging out at coffee shops is a trend in the city.
Thrown open in 2009, the rush is reluctant to die down here even in this supposedly off- season. Espressos and Cappuccinos served here are hard to resist. “I have been coming here with my friends since last two years now,” says a hippie-styled youth, Kaisar Shah. “It is fun to discuss things over a cup of coffee.”
As the rush swells, men in red uniform breathlessly take orders, keeping the sales escalating. “Daily sales stagger around Rs 25,000 – 27,000 in winters,” informs the acting manager of CCD Sonwar, Nayeem Ahmad. This young manager says the sales shoot up to Rs 40,000 daily during summers. “We prefer serving quality over quantity which is perhaps the reason behind our popularity.”
CCD is a division of India’s largest coffee conglomerate, Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd. (ABCTCL) that operates 1400 plus outlets across India. It is the largest producer of Arabica beans in Asia. It is one of India’s leading coffee exporters with clients across USA, Europe and Japan.
Currently there are four CCD outlets operating in Valley. Other than the one in Sonwar, outlets are located at Boulevard Road, Sara City Complex and the latest one has been thrown open in Naseem Bagh campus of University of Kashmir. The fifth one is planned at Srinagar Airport.
“For the first four months, sales were little but as the word of mouth spread, the business saw no looking back”, says Arif Ahmad, supervisor of CCD outlet, Dalgate. From humble daily sale of Rs 5000, the sales touch Rs 50,000 in summer especially. The account here is ticking!
CCD, that serves 17 different types of coffee – seven types of hot coffee and 10 types of cold coffee, is a Bengaluru-based coffee venture that was founded by its director VG Siddhartha in 1996. The revenue of the company is 45 million U.S dollars, with more than 5000 employees working for it. The first CCD outlet was set up on July 11, 1996, at Brigade Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
CCD outlets that are spread across 28 states of India offer a cup of coffee for Rs 50 onwards. CCD outlets also exist in Karachi, Vienna, Dubai and Prague. CCD has won several awards and recognitions. It was named as “the most popular hangout joint amongst youth” at the 3rd Global Youth Marketing Forum in 2011. The Indian Hospitality Excellence Awards also named it “India’s most popular coffee joint” in 2011.
CCD at Srinagar’s Sara City Centre is busy. “We don’t sell coffee here,” says the supervisor of this outlet, Sajad Wahid, “We sell time and space that keeps the rush pouring in.” This outlet has a daily income of about Rs 16,000, being new, he adds.
CCD at the Kashmir university campus started this year. Two restaurants are serving coffee already on the campus but students are finding CCD more attractive owing to its brand name.
Besides CCD, Cafe Robusta Lounge and Coffee Arabica are known coffee houses in Srinagar. Both the houses are busy but does CCD suppress their market? “I don’t think so. We have our own customer base,” says Sajad Ahmad, personal assistant to managing director of Coffea Arabica, Amit Amla. The sales in this coffee shop are around Rs 40,000 daily that reaches around Rs 1 lakh during peak season.
Caf? Robusta is another famed coffee house in Srinagar. Situated in first floor near Polo Ground, this spacious coffee house is an apt place to have a conversation. The manager, Tanvir Ganaie says sales reach Rs 10,000 – 12,000 daily and the place remains abuzz with people.
Coffee culture is not new to Kashmir. There used to be a Coffee House at Regal Chowk in late 1980s run by government where officials, journalists, businessmen held endless discussions over a cup of coffee that would sell for 75 paise. The Coffee House was closed in 1990 and it came up in Jammu after situation worsened in the valley following armed rebellion .Most of the staffers migrated to other states and after its closure, the Coffee House space remained closed. It was later thrown open for exhibitions.
