Starbucks (SBUX 1.00%) and Tata Coffee inaugurated a new coffee plant in Kushalnagar, India, today. The companies aim to roast and package high-quality and locally sourced beans to Starbucks stores in India and, over time, in select global markets.
Split into three parts, the 8,258-square-foot facility contains a green coffee storage and handling section, a roasting section, and a packaging and dispatch section. It has an installed capacity of 375 metric tonnes.
Starbucks and Tata see the plant as a vehicle for social responsibility and agricultural sustainability. Already, Starbucks and Tata have developed the Indian Espresso Roast to highlight the quality of locally sourced coffee in Starbucks' Indian stores. (The company opened its first store in New Delhi this week.) The companies say they will help train local farmers, technicians, and agronomists. In addition to improving coffee growing and milling skills, they want to engage in social projects that could positively impact the immediate community and region.
As a subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages, Tata Coffee is Asia's largest coffee plantation company and the third-largest exporter of instant coffee.
