India’s abCoffee launches in Bengaluru, opening seven stores in two days

abCoffee currently operates 57 outlets across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram and Uttar Pradesh | Photo credit: abCoffee

Fast-growing Indian coffee chain abCoffee has expanded to Bengaluru, dubbed the Silicon Valley of India, opening seven new stores across the city between 6-7 August 2024. 
 

Mumbai-based abCoffee said its small-format stores and speed-of-service will suit the fast-paced lifestyle of Bengaluru’s ‘tech-savvy’ population. Outlet growth will focus on tech hubs and business parks in the city, with Prestige Tech Park, Brigade Magnum and Sunriver, Embassy GolfLinks included in the initial rollout. 

“We are thrilled to bring the abCoffee experience to the tech city of Bengaluru with the launch of seven new outlets. Bengaluru, with its vibrant IT and start-up crowd, provides the perfect backdrop for abCoffee’s model for to-go specialty coffee beverages and quick eats enabled by efficient and technology-powered interfaces,” said Abhijeet Anand, Founder and CEO, abCoffee. 

Launching in Bengaluru – India’s third most populous city with over 14 million residents – is a key step in abCoffee’s expansion plans – which include an ambitious goal of operating 10,000 stores across the South Asian country within the next 10 years.  

Founded in June 2022, abCoffee reached 50 outlets last month after opening four new sites in Mumbai. The business, which also operates across Delhi, Gurugram and Uttar Pradesh, retails coffee beverages from Rs 77 ($0.92) – making it one of the most affordable branded coffee chains in the country. 

India’s domestic specialty coffee segment is becoming increasingly competitive, with mid-size chains and ambitious start-ups both seeking to gain market share. 

Bengaluru-based Third Wave Coffee and Gurugram-based Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters raised $35m and $30m respectively last year to build upon their 110 and 102-store footprints.  

Jaipur-based café chain Nothing Before Coffee, which retails beverages from RMB 98 ($1.17), is planning to scale from 64 stores in India to 400 by 2026. The franchise operator made its international debut in Portugal in April 2024 and is also seeking to open 100 outlets in Europe over the next 18 months. 

Other domestic brands seeking to significantly scale their footprints in India include three-store specialty coffee start-up First Coffee, which is seeking to open 30 sites by the end of the year, and franchise chain Tan Coffee, which plans to grow from seven stores to 20 by the end of March 2025. 

In July 2024, New Delhi-based tea chain Super Chai announced plans to launch its own value-focused coffee chain, Super Coffee, in September 2024 and expand the concept to 25 sites by April 2025.