Over the past years, Coffee Consumption has been more prevalent in South Indian markets as compared to North India. However, with the increased awareness of coffee, coffee consumption has slowly but steadily risen over the last 20 years, even in North India. Today, Hotels/Restaurants/Cafes serving liquid coffee are also on the rise both in the urban and rural areas. To add to this, numerous leading brands are opening up cafes in metropolitan areas and are providing unique experiences for coffee connoisseurs. Similarly, we have seen many coffee shops sprouting up in semi-rural and rural areas. All of these factors indicate that awareness of coffee has increased and is motivating consumers to consume more coffee regularly. With the coffee market being a quality-driven domain, Salem-based brand Nithara is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to new age demands of coffee lovers. As an acronym 'Nithara' stands true to its meaning of offering ‘Real Quality’.
Being positioned as a B2B and D2C brand in the market, Nithara sells coffee at wholesale prices to the HoReCa (Hotel/Restaurant/Cafes) Establishments and also to customers directly through its Brick and Mortar (Physical) branches situated in select cities across Tamil Nadu, along with sending coffee directly to its customers through its eShops. To add to this, all the products offered by Nithara are also available on leading e-Commerce websites as well.
Nowadays, most customers want their coffee blends as per their formula/requirements. In coming times, we will see the demand to customize coffee for each customer after understanding the kind of coffee they are expecting. For a newbie to coffee, we always have our standard blends which we would recommend trying for starters. Filter coffee when compared to instant coffee, takes more time and effort to brew. However, the filter coffee experience remains at the zenith as it is brewed and served freshly. Currently, the market is also becoming more aware of the different types of brewing methods available such as Moka Pot, Aeropress, and Siphon, which are a little different from the classical way of brewing filter coffee using the Stainless steel/Brass South Indian Filter. These different brewing methods have also invited the customers’ curiosity in trying differently brewed coffee. Hence, as a coffee grower/roaster, we are always on edge to ensure that the customer ultimately is happy with the coffee they are drinking”, highlights B. Nitish Harihar, Founder, Nithara Coffee.
Where Coffee Meets Taste
Most filter coffee consumers like fresh ground coffee which has a consistent taste to which they stick to all the time. While brewed coffee is not only expected to have Good Taste but also Good Aroma, and Consistency in every purchase. It is also known for its pleasant Mouthfeel and Lingering Aftertaste. Even for a hotelier/restaurant, these aspects are really important as coffee is usually the last drink consumed by a customer before he/she leaves the hotel premises. Hence it is important that the coffee is of good quality and should have a good lingering aftertaste. The taste must be a good balance of Sweetness, Sourness, and Bitterness.
To meet all the criteria, Nithara is known to procure coffee from its very own award-winning estates as well as other leading coffee estates from Chikmagalur, Kushalnagar, and Wayanad. Numerous quality checks are performed and cups tasting is conducted in the process. This is to ensure that the raw material is of good quality, post which, the coffee beans are roasted only on an orderly basis and a very bare minimum stock of roasted coffee is maintained at the premises to ensure that the coffee is processed just in time to maintain quality.
“Once the coffee is roasted at our premises it is transported to our company-run outlets where we grind the roasted coffee beans fresh and pack it in the presence of the customer. This ensures that the coffee retains maximum freshness before being brewed and consumed. We have invested in world-class imported roasting machinery and grinders which are used to process roasted coffee and powder. This ensures that there is no compromise in the roasting quality and grinding quality of the coffee powder. Our customers always request the same quality of coffee powder all year round. Hence, it is important to maintain consistency in the product being processed. The last and most important is Service. Coffee has to be freshly ground, packed, and delivered within short spans of time to ensure that the coffee delivered is fresh and flavourful. Hence, Our Mantra - Quality, Consistency, and Service!”, says Nitish.
Once the coffee is roasted at our premises it is transported to our company run outlets where we grind the roasted coffee beans fresh and pack it in the presence of the customer
A Gamut of Products to Choose from
Nithara has two segments of coffee. The first one is the Filter Coffee Blends and the second is Economy blends. Filter coffee blends have 'Superior/Signature Blends’, which are roasted and blended for our retail customers, that is, for those who brew coffee at home. "We maintain a minimum stock of coffee beans at our retail outlets and grind them only on a need basis when ordered by our customers. We give our customers options on the grinding size of coffee powder which depends on the kind of brewing equipment they use. These coffee powders are available both as pure coffee and also blended with 20 percent chicory. Our Pure Coffee is named - Nithara Coffee Classic PB (Perfect Blend) while our Chicory Blended Coffee (80 percent Coffee and 20 percent Chicory) is named 'Nithara Coffee Premium’,” shares Nitish.
In Economy Blends, the blends are blended and roasted in a way where the decoction can be stored for a longer time and may cater to the hotel/restaurant need, which is a good balance between quality and cup-page. Nithara offers pure coffee named ‘Nithara Coffee Unique’, 90:10 blend named ‘Nithara Coffee Best’, 80:20 blend named Nithara Coffee Perfect’ and 70:30 Blend named ‘Nithara Coffee Prime’.
The third category of coffee blends offered by Nithara is purely dependent on the wholesale/hotel customer. “We customize coffee blends for wholesalers and large hotel chains for their use. These blends remain unique to the buyer and they can maintain their own taste profile of coffee at their establishments”, adds Nitish.
Setting New Benchmarks for the Rest
The family of Nitish have their coffees estates in the Giri Side of Chikmagalur named Ramagiri and Krishnagiri Estates. Their Ramagiri Estate has been awarded as ‘The Best Among the Arabica – Bababudangiri Region’ in the ‘Flavour of India – The Fine Cup Award 2012’ Competition. Their Krishnagiri Estate has been awarded as ‘The Second Best Among the Arabica – Bababudangiri Region’ in the ‘Flavour of India – The Fine Cup Award 2011’ Competition. Nithara Coffee was also awarded as the ‘Food & Beverage Start-Up of the Year’ on August 17-18, 2021 by “Entrepreneur.com”
Starting from January 2020, today, Nithara’s R&G (Roast and Ground) outlets are available in Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, and Chennai. The firm is slowly moving into other cities of Tamil Nadu to widen its presence and improve its service. Nithara also couriers coffee powder to its customers who are not able to access their R&G Branches. “Our just in Time policy sets us apart from other competitors in the coffee segment. We aim to deliver the product to the customer within the shortest period of time to ensure that the coffee is fresh, fragrant, and tasty. This is the reason we have set up many stores in and around Tamil Nadu to cater to our customers' needs. Quality is the most important factor that we upkeep in the whole manufacturing process. Quality in the procurement of raw coffee beans, quality in processing equipment, quality in processing methods, and quality in service”, speaks Nitish.
For the years to come, the future roadmap for Nithara Coffee is to enhance its presence all over India, starting with South India. This is to ensure that their products reach the customers within the minimum time possible which then ensures the quality of the product. “We are also improving our production capacities and sales team to ensure that we are reachable for purchase of coffee products”, signs-off Nitish.
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