Marking its fifth anniversary, Tata Starbucks has opened its 100th coffee shop, in Mumbai.
Tata Starbucks is a 50/50 JV between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages. Starbucks International group president John Culver says there will be further expansion to cities across India in the years ahead, starting with three stores in Kolkata early next year.
Tata Starbucks says it expects to double the number of its employees to 3000 over the next five years, including a boost in numbers of women workers to 40 per cent by 2022, up from the present 25 per cent.
“Our aspiration is to be the employer of choice in the market through the investments we make for our partners and by creating brighter opportunities for people across the country,” says Tata Starbucks CEO Sumi Ghosh.
Over the next five years, he says, Tata Starbucks will train 3000 young people who are facing barriers to employment.
Meanwhile, the group’s 100th store at Victoria (Kamala) Mills, a major commercial hub, features a carved wooden mural that honours India’s coffee heritage. It is the first Starbucks in India to serve Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew, a small-batch cold-brew coffee steeped overnight then infused with nitrogen.
Help for disabled youngsters
Takeaway bags at the new store are sourced from Srishti, an initiative that enables livelihood opportunities for young people with disabilities from the families of plantation workers.
To mark the store’s opening, Tata Starbucks has introduced India’s first You Are Here – Mumbai ceramic mugs inspired by landmarks such as the Gateway of India and Taj Mahal Palace, and featuring the iconic black-and-yellow Mumbai taxi.
Starbucks opened its first store in India at Horniman Circle in Mumbai in 2012. Today it has stores across six cities, including Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune.
Starbucks expects India to be among its top five markets in the future.
“We have 28,000 stores across 75 markets, and India is one of the most important,” says Culver. “We believe this because of the way Indian customers have embraced Starbucks.”
Starbucks introduced the Teavana brand in India in January, and Culver says the company will continue to make investments in tea.
Starbucks also has several joint initiatives in India along with Tata, including expanding the market of Himalayan Mineral Water and providing job skills training. Starbucks launched the mineral water in Singapore a year ago and has launched Tata Group’s single-origin coffee in the US.
The home market is largest for the Seattle-based company, followed by Canada, China, Japan and the UK.
