Coffee brands work slightly differently in the Southern states of India than the North. The target audience is large and covers most demographics. Coffee in the south is not seasonal but a daily part of the consumer’s lives. If there is any part of India that knows its coffee well, it’s the southern region - not only is it the place where most of the coffee is produced, but it also the biggest consumer.

The Asia-Pacific Ready to Drink (RTD) Coffee Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period (2022 - 2027), according to ResearchandMarkets.com

So, who are the big names here?

Cothas and Levista have been ruling the coffee market in the South for some time now.

A brand established in the late 40s, Cothas quickly turned into a go-to name for filter coffee with its first outlet in Bangalore. By late 60-70’s the popularity of Cothas coffee grew immensely. The brand opened 45+ Cothas experience stores in India. The coffee was produced and sourced from one the most popular coffee bean manufacturing regions of the country, Chikmagalur and Kodagu.

Cothas has their final product finishing at their state of art factory. The have mastered in providing different varieties of coffee powder based on the preferences of consumers and expanded globally across the years as their business continues to grow. They are expanding their products and have introduced decoction, cold beverage, snacks & coffee brewing apparatus. They are found in most of the South region in different vending machine and coffee brewers for corporates, institutions and hotels, along with super markets and original stores.

On the other hand, Levista is part of a larger coffee legacy called SLN, one of the pioneers of coffee companies in the country. Its roots are deep seated in Coorg, where coffee plantations are found in abundance. In Coorg, Levista will probably be the first of the brands that you will see in the hill station of Karnataka.

Rolled out in the year 2017, this brand ended up expanded rapidly with products ranging from filter to instant coffee. In 2021, the company said it plans to more than double the number of outlets in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka from 42,000 to one lakh units, besides increasing the number of modern trade outlets across the country from 1,000 to 5,000.