Youngsters throng the social medium to suggest flavours of coffee that they would like to try. And coffee houses are happy to indulge in them, says Manjari Singh
First there was Koffee with Karan, then there was Deepika Padukone gyrating for a cuppa. Next came Priyanka and Shahid who went all coochie-coo with their steaming cup. The coffee culture in India has evolved and has become a hot trend rather than being just another beverage.
It all started when Indian brand Café Coffee Day opened its first outlet in 1996 in Bangalore and since then there had been no looking back. Barista, Costa, Gloria Jeans , Tea leaves and Coffee Beans and the latest Starbucks — even foreign players have made India their home.
“It is an interesting trend and we are hoping to cash in on the hype. Coffee stops too have evolved. look at the menu card and you know it is no longer just about having a sip of hot steaming coffee. Coolers and other drinks with a coffee base have also struck a chord with the young and the old,” K Ramakrishnan, president marketing, Café Coffee day, tells you.
The chain recently launched Crunchy Frappe, a chocolate drink with crushed Oreo biscuits, a drink that has been around for some time in India.
A cup of coffee at these cafes can cost you anything between Rs100 to 350 but that doesn’t stop the young and restless raiding their favourite adda more than often.
“Youngsters remain our target group and we keep introducing new flavours to retain our customers,” Ramkrishnan says, adding that such is the hype of the coffee that people have taken to the social networking site to suggest their flavour. “How can we ignore what our customers want,” Krishnan concludes.