The consumption of coffee in the non-south regions have grown phenomenally with the northern States contributing to more than 50 per cent of the growth at the rate of 40 per cent year on year, said Mr Jawaid Akhtar, Chairman, Coffee Board.

“Coffee, one of the most consumed beverages in the south of India, has made its presence felt in the NCR and other Northern States in India. Domestic coffee consumption has increased from 70,000 tonnes in 2003 to 1,00,000 tonnes in 2009 of which more than 16,000 tonnes is contributed by the non-conventional coffee drinking regions (north, west and east),” he added.

In order to strengthen the gains in north India, Coffee Board has facilitated in setting up India Coffee Trust.

India Coffee Trust

“The trust, for domestic coffee consumption drive has chosen New Delhi to be the venue for the next India International Coffee Festival (IICF) slated to be held in January 18-20, 2012,” said Mr Akhtar.

“This strong trend in domestic market provides avenues for enterprise development through value addition while simultaneously contributing to creation of skill-based job creation particularly in non-conventional coffee drinking areas on the consumer end,” he added.

To facilitate Entrepreneurial Development, Board has been holding trainings on coffee roasting, brewing etc. This vertical is complemented by providing support for setting up of the roasting units. The growth of demand is facilitated through promoting awareness of coffee/consumption of pure coffee through generic promotion campaigns.

According to Mr Akhtar during 2010-11, Kaapi Shastra training was imparted to 215 participants through eight trainings at Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and as a facilitator for the industry as a whole the Coffee Board provides all the technical and logistics support to this flagship event, India International Coffee Festival, being organised by the India Coffee Trust.”

Announcing the launch of the India International Coffee Festival 2012, Mr Anil Bhandari, President, India Coffee Trust and Member, Coffee Board of India said that the prestigious three-day festival will host some of the most sought-after names in the coffee industry and will connect the entire coffee industry through a series of educative, business and networking and also festive events.

“We felt it was the right time to spread the coffee footprint to North especially since the new cutting edge and affordable processes equipment are becoming increasingly available. There is an audible coffee buzz in the north and hence the reason to get the India International Coffee Festival 2012 to Delhi. The festival will be an opportunity for the industry to unveil outstanding coffees and blends apart from showcasing cutting edge products and services of every aspect of the coffee industry,” he said.

anil.u@thehindu.co.in