Bhava Coffee - A Tribute to Our Local Coffee Culture

Whether it’s calming those frazzled nerves before a Monday morning meet or savouring some peace and quiet on a lazy weekend—a lot (of magic) can indeed happen over coffee. Bharath G.B, an interior designer based in Bengaluru, would often think, ‘isn’t a bad day with coffee much better than a good day without one’? It was a similar train of thought, fuelled clearly by a deep and abiding love for South Indian filter kaapi, that served as the impetus behind Bhava Coffee – Indian coffee with a global appeal, Bharath explains in an interview with Global Indian. Founded by Bharath and Prashanth Nayak, a data science engineer who is also a former office-colleague-turned-homie, Bhava Coffee offers a range of curated brews and artisanal blends. The company, based in Bengaluru, is gearing up for an official launch in the UAE, where it currently already offers some of its brews.

A tribute to our local coffee culture

As an Indian chef, every step has been a learning experience, Bharath says.  Apart from being united by their love for the beverage, Bharath and Prashanth’s partnership was strengthened by their desire to merge technology with product innovation, one of the founding ideas of Bhava Coffee.

“Prashanth (co-founder) and I have always believed in the quality of the coffee we source from multiple good farmers. Our entry into the market is with the Indian brewing method (filter coffee). It is not that we don’t like other type of coffees. We have consciously taken a decision to enter the coffee market mainly with a focus on filter coffee as a tribute to our traditional coffee culture,” says Bharath, a true-blue Bengalurean who aims to straddle both local and global markets with equal ease. “Research-driven product innovation is at the core of it all,” he explains.

Working towards satiating a global palate

While the Indian brewing method remains the brand’s USP, the intent is to go big and go global. “With the onus of changing the perception of coffee the world over, we are currently also working on blends that suit international palates and multiple associations. We aim to go global in 2023,” Bharath says. Some of the blends currently on offer are: Anandam, Dainika, Asmita, Yuga and Vanilla!

Finding opportunity in adversity

Unlike most businesses, Bhava Coffee arrived with a bang in the midst of the pandemic. “The Covid-19 outbreak threw open a volley of opportunities,” Bharath remarks. “There were shortcomings too but we look at the challenges in the market as an opportunity to grow. The pandemic era has shifted the focus on to e-commerce and consumers’ buying patterns have also changed a lot. We now have the opportunity to focus more on that line and improvise our reach,” he says.

The future is bright, though, he believes. “The current trends of coffee are quite positive in Indian Cuisine. We are happy, there is a lot of awareness among consumers currently in terms of their coffee needs and what they are looking for in the market.”

Collaborations of a lifetime

Colleagues-turned-business partners, Bharath believes his rapport with Prashanth makes a world of difference as far as working amicably and learning from each other is concerned. On an off week, travel keeps them occupied. “Both of us like to travel. That’s definitely something important we have in common. As my other firm requires me to travel a lot, it has been a part of my work and personal life. I also like to keep myself updated with tech and a lot of current global trends. That leads to a lot of heated debates,” he laughs.