By, Cherryh Butler, Gourmet coffee isn't new to India, but American coffee chains are just now starting to brew there. As Starbucks closes in on a deal with Indian coffee company, Tata, Dunkin' Donuts is preparing to open the first of its 500 locations planned for the world's second most populated country. The two major coffee peddlers may have a bit of catching up to do, however; Café Coffee Day and other European chains, including Barista
and Costa Coffee, have been supplying India residents with their caffeine buzz for several years. "The coffee shop craze has been quite active in India for a while now, and arguably the U.S. majors are joining the party a little late," said Sandeep Malhotra, a project manager with Technomic. The Indian demand for coffee beans has more than doubled in the last 10 years as overall domestic coffee consumption rose to 108,000 metric tons in 2010, up 80 percemt over a decade, according to Zacks Equity Research. Although analysts have been writing all week about Starbucks taking on India, the company hasn't made an official announcement – yet. "We are excited about the great opportunities that India presents to Starbucks and look forward to offering high-quality coffee, handcrafted beverages, legendary service and the unique Starbucks experience to customers in India," John Culver, president of Starbucks China and Asia Pacific, wrote in an email to FastCasual.com. "Early this year we signed a MoU with Tata Coffee for sourcing and roasting high-quality green coffee beans. We are moving forward with MoU discussions and planning, and hope to make an announcement soon." Read Full: Coffee chains to battle over India market share | QSRweb.com
