The journey often begins with a simple desire for coffee, leading many enthusiasts to platforms like Instagram. This social media site has emerged as a valuable resource for discovering quality coffee, especially through trending hashtags like #latteart.
Among the coffee start-ups leveraging this platform are Sleepy Owl Coffee and Blue Tokai. These brands have cultivated a strong online presence, showcasing their products through visually appealing images and videos that resonate well on social networks.
We recently ordered a box of Sleepy Owl’s cold brew coffee online and learned that delivery takes 24-48 hours. While initially disappointed by the wait, we couldn’t help but wonder about the unique name ‘Sleepy Owl’ for a coffee company.
According to Armaan Sood, one of the founders and a former lawyer, the name reflects an intriguing contrast. “People typically associate coffee with staying awake, especially at night when one might feel drowsy,” he explains. “The idea is that coffee, which is meant to energize you, comes from an ‘owl,’ a symbol of being awake when one would otherwise be sleepy.” While the explanation might require additional coffee to fully digest, the taste of Sleepy Owl’s brew was undeniably pleasant.
Cold brew coffee is gaining traction not only locally but also worldwide. The speed at which new coffee trends are adopted in India can be attributed to the availability of information through the Internet.
“Trends in coffee extraction and brewing methods spread to India incredibly fast thanks to online resources,” notes Abhijit Shetty, co-founder of Seven Beans Coffee Company in Bengaluru. The company operates as a bridge between Indian coffee farmers and Italian roasting techniques.
Shetty points out that emerging trends, such as bulletproof coffee and cold brew, quickly gain popularity in India as consumers become increasingly coffee-savvy. “Art and design have a shared language in coffee,” he remarks. “People need inspiration, and this applies equally to aesthetics in coffee.”
Shetty also emphasizes that the Internet has heightened coffee awareness in India, providing a platform for numerous start-ups to reach potential customers that might have otherwise gone untapped. These companies source beans from regions like Chikmagalur, then roast and sell their products online through their websites and popular e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.
At both Blue Tokai and Sleepy Owl, founders credit their businesses’ success to the rise of online shopping. “If Blue Tokai had launched six or seven years ago, we likely wouldn’t have thrived,” says co-founder Matt Chittaranjan. “There needed to be a significant consumer shift toward online ordering, which coincidentally occurred just as we began.”
Sood from Sleepy Owl shares a similar sentiment, explaining that the initial goal was to cater primarily to the B2B sector: “We envisioned offering our unique cold brew to restaurants and cafes, allowing consumers to enjoy it from their menus.” However, he found this approach challenging. “Building a brand is difficult if your focus is solely on B2B. To successfully connect with consumers, we realized we needed a strong online presence, leveraging social media to showcase our products visually. Now, we deliver coffee across Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida.”
That said, establishing a physical presence also plays a vital role in their strategy. “It can be tough to convey what sets our coffee apart through a website alone,” Chittaranjan suggests. “Having physical stores where customers can taste our coffee, interact with baristas, and witness the roasting process significantly helps in attracting those who appreciate high-quality coffee.”
