After exiting the cafe shop business in August by selling its Barista chain to Carnation Hospitality, Italian coffee roaster Lavazza is now keen on making India one of its key markets in the world, by focusing only on business-to-business segment.

“Our target is on the away-from-home coffee market, and there is a huge opportunity for us,” said Silvio Zaccareo, Managing Director, Lavazza India. As of now, India accounts for less than three per cent of Lavazza’s global business. Refusing to give the brand’s market share here, Zaccareo said the company closed the year 2013 with a turnover of close ₹150 crore.

Thanks to the distribution strength of Fresh and Honest Café, “we are one of the major players in the country touching almost all star hotels and major corporate premises”, he said. The coffee market in India is pegged at one lakh tonnes. And around 20 per cent of this is consumed away from home. Value estimations for this market are not readily available because of the complexity of ascertaining the end prices at different levels of the value chain, he explained.

However, according to him, the company is yet to make profits in India. “We are here with a long-term view,” he said.

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