Starbucks India’s Picco to please local needs

One of the oft heard feedback from customers who visit cafes, is the portion size of coffee served. Cappuccino, Latte and other cold beverages which are prepared with the base of Italian styled espresso is usually quite large for a single serve for most Indians. To overcome this challenge and to draw newer consumers, Tata Starbucks (India) has launched a new portion size. The 6oz small cup size ‘Picco’ will be offered in 6 hot beverages including Cappuccino, Latte, Filter Coffee, Masala Chai, Elaichi Chai and Hot Chocolate

Sushant Dash, CEO, TATA Starbucks Pvt Ltd.said, “Our pilot where we introduced a range of familiar beverages and a revamped food menu yielded fantastic results from both new and existing customers, which gave us the confidence to expand and go national. As we look ahead, we remain dedicated to our vision of being the coffee destination of choice for customers in India. Our unwavering commitment to delivering personalized experiences has propelled Starbucks to become one of the most loved brands in India.”

The new offerings are headlined by a series of Indian-inspired new beverages including the delicious South Indian Filter Coffee, Masala Chai, ElaichiChai, and a range of exciting Signature Milkshakes.

A new food selection featuring bite-sized snacks, shareable food such as Hazelnut Triangle, Chicken Puffin, and Chocolate Éclair are on offer. The new food menu also offers a range of freshly assembled sandwiches that are inspired by the local cultural taste and regional favorites such as the Tandoori Chicken Panini Sandwich, Spiced Cottage Cheese Focaccia Sandwich, Herbed Chicken Focaccia Sandwich and more.

Starbucks entered India in October 2012 through a 50/50 Joint Venture with TATA Consumer Products Ltd and currently operates more than 341 stores in India across 43 cities through a network of over 3,800 passionate partners (employees).

The company has crossed ₹1,000 Cr turnover for the first time during FY 22-23. The actual revenue for the year stood at ₹1,087 Cr, a growth of 71% over the previous year. The company in its annual presentation said that is EBIT positive now, after a 10-year run in the country.

“We have had a great year in F23 with strong revenues and are now present in 43 cities of India. As we expand our presence in Tier 2 and 3 cities, we need to become a more familiar and accessible brand for our consumers. We recently celebrated 10 years of TATA Starbucks, and as we gear up for the next stage of growth in India, we continue to look at ways to elevate the Starbucks experience for customers in India,” added Sushant.

Once upon a time front runner Cafe Coffee Day, which operated at over 1,400 locations in 2019, currently manages around 350 cafes. Barista Coffee recently celebrated its 350th cafe recently while Costa Coffee announced the opening of its 100th location earlier this year. It must be noted that CCD and Barista began their operations in the late 90s while Costa entered the country during the mid-2000s.