http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/starbucks-opens-in-india-with-pomp-and-tempered-ambition/
This blogpost about a starbucks opening in india got me thinking along two lines. If I was opening a starbucks in India, what coffee would I serve, would it be nicaraguan, guatemalan, brazilian, coorg or nilgris. The choice between a local and international blend is quite the moot point. I would stick with the coorg simply because you can get it fresh, its local and quite rich. Of course, if you charging me 85rs for a cuppa coorg, I would call you a looter and go to the local darshini for my favourite filter coffee for under 10rs depending on which locality you are in. Of course the competition comes in the form of the delectably delicious flavours of coffee. The latte, frappuccino and other espresso variants. The "coffee" as a black brew is totally burnt at starbucks, if there were other unburnt cheaper options I would definitely say "suck it" to starbucks.
Now again, the lattes and frappuccinos have been around for a while with the coffee days and baristas, so what's the big deal. Starbucks needs to offer something special, to be able to cut the mark. It also depends on which crowd you are catering to. Hailing from bangalore, I have seen the India coffee house/airlines crowd and the coffee day crowd. They are both fashionable, in regards to their standing in the society and their own pompous ego. The ICH folks are generally sitting around for a long meeting or with a newspaper. The coffee day crowd on the other hand is generally more young and are at the coffee shop for a round of the gossip and chatters or a very quick meeting. You get the picture, the holy crap we are going to discuss the world over coffee versus man did you hear what happened to katrina kaif. Starbucks being the esoteric nuthead that it is, offers me that clean hangout and workplace sewn together. I wonder how it looks back home.
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