Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters raises $30 million in Series B round led by A91 Partners

Launched in 2013 as a roastery, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters is India’s largest and fastest-growing specialty coffee brand, with its headquarters in Gurgaon, India. It aims to make specialty coffee more accessible to consumers through its cafés, brewing classes and website and so far, has roasted more than 1 million kgs of coffee and served over 4 million cups, making it a customer-favourite.

Matt Chitharanjan, Co-Founder and CEO, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters said, "We are excited to have A91 Partners as our newest investors and join us on this journey of making Indian specialty coffee accessible to coffee-lovers globally. Their deep understanding and expertise in the Indian consumer sector makes this a great partnership as we embark on our next phase of growth along with our existing investors. We are focused on growing our presence across all of our channels, including our own cafes as well as our B2C and B2B offerings."

In the coming 3 years, we plan to showcase the work done by ~100 new specialty coffee producers, thus enabling a far more diverse product offering at Blue Tokai. New products, services and farm-level interventions that will further transform the coffee-drinking preferences in the country are making their way to you soon!," Chitharanjan added.

"Blue Tokai is a rare combination of relentless product passion and focus coupled with excellent execution. This in the context of the massive coffee led QSR market opportunity is a compelling partnership opportunity for us," said Abhay Pandey of A91 Partners.

"India is moving towards coffee as their beverage of choice, and we are looking forward to further building this category with Blue Tokai as the largest specialty coffee brand in the country," added Prasun Agarwal of A91 Partners.

Shivam Shahi, Co-Founder and COO, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters said, "We are thrilled to welcome A91 Partners to the Blue Tokai family and have continued support from all our investors. This investment round is a testament to our strong market position and growth potential as we step into our next decade with like-minded investors. This round will fuel our mission of bringing the best coffee experience to our customers and highlighting the uniqueness of Indian specialty coffee."

"Over the next 3 years, we plan to add 200 new stores, taking our overall count to well over 250 cafes. We will also be investing in our B2B arm, bringing new technology for our partners through our machine offerings. We look forward to taking India’s finest coffee experience to many more consumers in the coming years and what better way than 10 years of Blue Tokai to welcome more people into the fold of specialty coffee," Shahi added.

"Blue Tokai has been at the forefront of the specialty coffee movement in India. As early investors, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with Blue Tokai as they continue to revolutionize the Indian coffee industry. This $30MM raise is a testament to the strength of their brand and the quality of their products. We believe that Blue Tokai has enormous potential and look forward to supporting their journey as they continue to innovate and expand on their path to an IPO," said Vikram Chachra, Founding Partner, 8i Ventures.