Kopi Kenangan appoints Head of Business Development for India

Maini will focus on exploring new market opportunities and building partnerships to enhance Kopi Kenangan’s brand visibility | Photo credit: Kopi Kenangan

Indonesia’s Kopi Kenangan has appointed former Subway executive Dheeraj Maini as its Head of Business Development for the Indian market. 
 

The fast-growing coffee chain announced plans to launch in India in August 2024 and will open its first store at New Delhi’s Pacific Mall shopping centre in the first half of 2025.  
 

In a press release, Kopi Kenangan said Maini will lead its strategic expansion, with key focuses on exploring new market opportunities and building partnerships to enhance brand visibility. 

Maini joins Kopi Kenangan from QSR chain Subway where he served as Business Development Lead, responsible for the chain’s expansion across North and East India. He held similar positions at fast-food chain Burger King, Indian tea chain Chaayos, eyewear firm Lenskart and grocery store chain Aditya Birla Retail Limited. 

Founded in August 2017, Kopi Kenangan is one of the largest branded coffee chains in Indonesia with over 900 outlets across 60 cities. The coffee chain, which trades as Kenangan Coffee internationally, also has a presence in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. 

India has become a promising growth market for several international operators over the last few years, including Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons, UK-based coffee and food-to-go chain Pret A Manger, US chain The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and more recently, Greece’s Coffee Island. 

However, Kopi Kenangan will be among the first branded coffee chains from East Asia to enter the Indian market, following Malaysia’s Union Artisan Coffee, which made its debute in May 2024. Bubble tea chains CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice and Tealive, from Taiwan and Malaysia respectively, have also announced plans to open stores in India.