BBC
Coffee is gradually gaining popularity among the historically tea-drinking population of North India.
“It’s not just about making a great cup of coffee, but also about creating a deeper connection with customers.”
It was this thought that led Harmanpreet Singh to leave the family bakery to open a specialty cafe in the northern Indian city of Jalandhar.
It was an unexpected move: Coffee has always been popular in the southern states, traditionally served strong and frothy in a steel glass. But it's still not the drink of choice in the vast expanses of northern India, where tea drinking is an integral part of the culture.
For Mr. Singh, the journey began in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he saw a growing demand for specialty coffee, especially among the city's youth and overseas residents who returned home at that time.
Realizing this change, he moved to the southern city of Bangalore to learn brewing techniques. “I studied everything – from how coffee is served to the role that elements like decor, cutlery, music and even packaging play in the overall experience,” he said. declared.
Three months later, Mr. Singh put his knowledge to the test and opened Buland Café in Jalandhar.
Today, the cafe has 40 outlets across the city and has become a favorite place for the city's young people, who come here to relax or work over a good cup of coffee.
The beans, roasted in various blends, come from the famous coffee plantations of Karnataka. Mr Singh says he has personally trained his staff on how to make the perfect cup of tea and maintain the coffee machine.
“It’s a thriving scene,” he says.
AFP
Coffee culture took shape in the 1900s when Indian Coffee Houses became a meeting place.
Mr. Singh is part of a generation of young entrepreneurs who are riding a wave of specialty coffee consumption in small towns across northern India.
India has had a vibrant coffee culture for years, but it is largely limited to big cities where local specialties and international coffee chains dominate the market.
However, post-Covid, several second-tier cities are also seeing a boom in demand for such spaces, with people adopting practices such as remote working and looking for new places to meet friends and family.
Cafe owners say more Indians are now willing to pay more for coffee roasted in smaller batches and customized to their preferences.
“Customers are more aware of the roasteries and are interested in the origins of their coffee,” explains Bharat Singhal, founder of Billi Hu Roasteries.
In fact, more than 44% of India's population now drinks coffee, according to a 2023 report from CRISIL, a marketing analytics firm.
Although much of this coffee comes from domestic consumption, the growing demand for specialty coffee in small towns plays an important role, says Bhavi Patel, a coffee consultant and dairy technologist.
Roastery owners say the growth is also reflected in the numbers. “Subscription orders jumped 50% in one year,” says Sharang Sharma, founder of Bloom Coffee Roasters. “Customers have moved from French presses to pour-over or espresso machines, adopting more sophisticated brewing methods.”
While India is often associated with tea, it also has a long history of coffee consumption.
The culture took shape in the 1900s, when Indian cafes became a meeting place for the intellectual class and elite. Housed in colonial-style buildings, these cafes served English breakfasts with hot coffee and provided a space to discuss politics and mobilize support during pivotal periods in history.
A shift came in the 1990s when economic reforms opened India to the world, allowing entrepreneurs to open private cafes frequented by young people, who saw it as a hip experience.
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The arrival of global giant Starbucks in India in 2012 boosted the rise of local coffee brands.
Café Coffee Day (CCD), opened in 1996, quickly became one of the most popular and widespread coffee chains in India. At its peak, CCD had more than 1,700 outlets, serving as a popular gathering place for students and young adults. But growing debt, management problems and the untimely death of its founder led to the closure of most of its outlets in India.
In 2012, the arrival of international giant Starbucks spurred the rise of local specialty coffee brands such as Blue Tokai Roasters, Third Wave Coffee and Subko Coffee.
Mr. Singhal says that while big cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Bengaluru still dominate the scene, smaller cities are fast catching up.
However, it is not just the change in palette that drives consumption. “A lot of times it’s social media,” says Mr. Singh. “People want good coffee, but they also want to be in a hip space that they can post online.”
Nishant Sinha from Lucknow city is among those who caught the trend early.
Its Roastery Coffee House offers a hip vibe, free Wi-Fi and comfortable seating as well as a range of coffee roasts. Although the beans come from southern coffee plantations, the food is typically North Indian.
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Café Coffee Day opened in 1996 and quickly became one of India's most popular coffee chains.
Others, like Jatin Khurana in the northern city of Ludhiana, are experimenting with flavors.
At his Urban Buhkkad café, Mr Khurana serves 'Shadi Wali Coffee' – a wedding favorite in the 1990s, which became famous for its blend of instant coffee, milk, sugar and a pinch of chocolate powder.
But instead of coffee powder, Mr. Khurana uses freshly ground beans, available in different roasts and varieties, to enhance its flavors. “The idea is to capture the essence of the drink that many Indians drank growing up,” he says.
It’s an exciting time to work in the sector, but growth comes with its own set of challenges.
“Demand is increasing, but small cafe owners tend to cut corners, whether by opting for lower quality machines, serving lower doses of coffee or hiring inexperienced baristas,” says Singhal .
And running the business is not always profitable given the high price of coffee and the infrastructure costs involved in operating such spaces.
When Neha Das and Nishant Ashish opened The Eden's cafe in Ranchi in 2021, they wanted to create a safe and relaxed space for young students to come together in the city.
Today, their hazelnut coffee and cold brews have become a favorite of many.
“It took time, but longevity requires more than profit,” Ms. Das says.
“It’s about dedication, creating local flavors and understanding customers, even if it means working with low profit margins in the long term.”
