As Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters opens its second flagship Origins store in Banjara Hills, co-founder Shivam Shahi reflects on a journey that began not with a business plan but with a simple habit and a growing curiosity for good coffee.
For many, even the name of the brand sparks confusion. Shivam laughs about it. “We wanted to do something that is 100 percent Indian. Tokai is a Malabari word which means the plume of a peacock. When you visit coffee estates, you often see peacocks there. So our logo is a peacock, our name is Blue Tokai. Everything is Indian and connected to the coffee estate,” he explains, adding that pronunciation varies depending on where you are in the country.
His own journey into coffee was far from deliberate. “There is no one day when I woke up and thought I would become a coffee entrepreneur,” he says. With a background in tech, Shivam initially set out to build something in that space. When that did not work out, coffee remained a constant. “In Canada, I picked up the habit. You cannot survive without three or four cups in -50 degrees. Back in India, even in struggling days, I would still spend on coffee,” he recalls.
That habit eventually led to a turning point. “I used to borrow money from my aunt in Delhi. One day she asked what I was doing with it. I said coffee. She told me if I am so into coffee, I should start something around it. That is how the idea started,” he says. None of the founders came from a coffee or food and beverage background, he adds. “We learned everything during the journey. And we are still learning.”
At a time when cafés seem to be everywhere, Shivam believes the market is far from saturated. “India’s coffee consumption is still very low compared to global standards. It looks crowded because earlier there were no brands. But if you compare globally, we are heavily under penetrated,” he says. He points out that in cities like Tokyo or Shanghai, the number of cafés far exceeds what exists across India. “Here, you still have to look for a café. Abroad, it is right in front of you.”
Hyderabad, he says, stands out for its evolving consumer base. “People here are not into commodity coffee. They are seeking better quality and better experiences. There is curiosity,” he explains. That curiosity is what led the brand to open two Origins stores in the city within a short span. “We have never done that before in any city. But the demand here supported that decision.”
The Origins format is designed to deepen that engagement. “Consumers should experience the journey of the beans, understand brewing methods, and see the transparency in what we do. You can walk into our kitchen, talk to baristas, and really understand the process,” he says.
For Shivam, specialty coffee is not just a buzzword but a defined standard. “It is high quality coffee. There is a global grading system. Anything above a certain score qualifies as specialty. It is not subjective,” he explains. The beans themselves come from across India. “Around 70% is from Chikmagalur, then Kerala, Araku, Tamil Nadu, and now even the Northeast. We work with many estates across regions.”
Scaling that quality, however, has taken time. “For the first eight to nine years, we were just learning. We opened slowly, one or two outlets a year. We built systems, training, and technology. Now expansion is about replicating those learnings,” he says. The brand currently operates over 250 stores and plans to add around 130 more this year, aiming to reach close to 400 outlets.
Despite the rapid growth, Shivam insists the focus remains on craft. “Nothing is automated. There is no push button machine. Beans are roasted fresh every day. It took time to scale this kind of approach, but that is what defines us,” he says.
Operating in Hyderabad has also brought new challenges and insights. “This is the farthest we have operated from our base in Bengaluru. It has taught us a lot about supply chain and product handling,” he notes.
For Shivam, the larger vision goes beyond expansion numbers. “We are already the largest Indian specialty coffee company. The aim is to build India’s largest coffee brand known for high quality produce,” he says. As the brand grows, Hyderabad continues to play a central role in that journey, driven by a community that is increasingly curious about what goes into a cup of coffee.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
