Barista Coffee Company Ltd is planning to launch a sub-branding exercise, which would see the brand entering diverse portfolios including smaller outlets, take-away format, ground coffee etc. This comes as part of the company’s drive to be a mass class brand, appealing to a wider range of customers. As part of the plans, Barista will enter institutions like schools, colleges, universities and airports, possibly through a smaller outlet format. Speaking to FE, Barista head marketing strategy and corporate communication Brotin Banerjee said: “We are looking at increasing the out-of-home coffee consumption in the country through different formats.” 

The company is planning to offer ground coffee under the Barista brand and would also look at other product extensions under the brand, he said. 

South remains a key focus market for the brand, as its current presence in the region is lower compared to markets in other parts of India. Out of its 70 new outlets due to open this year, 20 to 25 per cent would be in the South, including metros like Bangalore and Hyderabad and mini-metros like Kochi and Mysore. 

“We are also planning to try out different retail formats for the new outlets with a major focus on malls.” 

Bangalore is one of the cities where the company has the largest number of customers and at least 20 per cent of the current sales in Bangalore come from the recently-launched ‘smart card’ scheme. Barista will shortly roll out the scheme in other markets also, he added. 

The 120 Barista outlets in India currently has a foot fall of 13 lakh per month. The age group of clients vary between 20 and 36. “We want to attract a wider range of customers, an age group between 17 and 40 and cater to their varied needs,” Mr Banerjee added.