Deepika Padukone dips toe in specialty coffee with investment in Blue Tokai

Actress Deepika Padukone’s enterprise agency Ka Enterprises has invested an undisclosed quantity in speciality espresso firm Blue Tokai, the Gurugram-based firm mentioned on Friday. Ka Enterprises has joined Blue Tokai’s Series B spherical introduced in January this yr, wherein it raised $30 million at a valuation of round Rs 650 crore. A91 Partners led the spherical.

Other traders that had participated within the spherical embrace Anicut Capital, 8i Ventures, DSP Blackrock, Negen Capital, Mauryan Capital and White Whale Ventures.

“We have followed the brand’s growth very closely over the past decade and observed their vision and commitment to quality and innovation and are therefore thrilled to partner with them on their journey of making Indian specialty coffee accessible, delivering unparalleled coffee experiences and putting it on the global map,” Padukone mentioned in an announcement.

Padukone’s Ka Enterprises has beforehand backed startups corresponding to Atomberg Technologies, BluSmart, Purplle, Epigamia and Bellatrix Aerospace.

“The coffee industry in India is in an extremely interesting phase right now, and with Blue Tokai leading the specialty coffee movement, we’re experiencing a remarkable shift in consumer preferences,” mentioned Jigar Shah, the funding agency’s head of funding.

Blue Tokai competes within the crowded specialty espresso house, which incorporates firms corresponding to Third Wave Coffee Roasters, which final yr raised $20-25 million from WestBridge Capital; Slay Coffee, backed by Fireside Ventures, Alteria Capital and Rebel Foods; Sleepy Owl Coffee; Hatti Kaapi; and Rage Coffee.

These startups compete with established chains corresponding to Starbucks, Cafe Coffee Day and Barista.“We are glad to welcome Deepika and Ka Enterprises to the Blue Tokai family. Their thorough understanding of the D2C space and strategic investments are a testament to their strong business acumen and we are excited to have them join us on our next phase of growth,” mentioned Matt Chitharanjan, cofounder and chief government of Blue Tokai.

“This year, we are taking experimentation, quality, accessibility and convenience a notch higher and the current growth metrics are a true indication of the success to follow,” he added.

Blue Tokai operates by three foremost verticals: bodily cafe shops, ecommerce and market channels, and B2B, by which it leases out espresso machines to company workplaces and sells espresso merchandise to resorts, eating places and cafes.

Currently, Blue Tokai operates in India and Japan with 4 roasteries and over 80 bodily retailers throughout Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Mohali and Pune, along with common pop-ups in Tokyo.

At the time of its Series B fundraise in January, Chitharanjan had advised ET that the corporate plans so as to add 200 new shops over the following three years. In January, Blue Tokai had 60 shops and three roasteries in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

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