KOLKATA: Starbucks, which formed an equal joint venture (JV) with Tata Global Beverages in 2012 and since then has opened around 53 outlets in the country, is on a steady growth. 

“Starbucks is on a steady growth and we are very happy with the way the brand has been built and the experience of Starbucks is spreading across as a very premium cafe in the Indian context,” said Tata Global Beverages (TGBL) MD Ajoy Misra.

Also, the company, which is looking at the premium segment, agreed that at present it might not look at the mid-segment but hinted that going forward it may move that segment as well.

Tata Global Beverages chairman Cyrus Mistry in response to a shareholder’s query during the annual general meeting in Kolkata said that the company is looking at the premium segment and at this point of time not actually looking at mid-segment. “But that does not stop us from looking at this in the future,” he said.

“Tata Starbucks recorded strong growth and it continues to increase the number of stores. Today it is currently in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Poona, Bangalore and Chennai. The store count is currently 53 and continuously growing,” he added.

“We are a company that is in the branding business. We are a company that is talking about strengthening brands, creating brands, creating new products, strengthening the product formulation around the consumer needs,” said Misra while talking about the philosophy of the brand.

Globally, the world’s largest coffee chain, Starbucks, runs more than 20,000 coffee stores across 64 countries, serving more than 70 million customers per week.