Deepika Padukone's family office invests in coffee brand Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters
Deepika Padukone's investment entity Ka Enterprises joined Blue Tokai's Series B fundraise which includes investment from A91 Partners, Anicut Capital, and 8i Ventures.
Actor Deepika Padukone-owned Ka Enterprises has invested an undisclosed amount in specialty coffee brand Roasters as part of its Series B funding round.
The Gurugram-based company raised $30 million in a Series B funding round led by A91 Partners in January. White Whale Ventures and existing investors including 8i Ventures, Grand Anicut Fund, and leading family offices also participated in the round. The speciality coffee brand completed 10 years in the industry this year.
At present, the brand operates in India and Japan with four roasteries and over 80 physical outlets across major Indian cities and regions including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Blue Tokai also has business-to-business partnerships with retail outlets, luxury hotels and restaurants, and co-working spaces.
"... We have followed the brand’s growth very closely over the past decade and observed their vision and commitment to quality and innovation and are therefore thrilled to partner with them on their journey of making Indian specialty coffee accessible, delivering unparalleled coffee experiences and putting it on the global map," Deepika Padukone, actor and Founder of Ka Enterprises, said in a statement.
“We are glad to welcome Deepika and Ka Enterprises to the Blue Tokai family! Their thorough understanding of the D2C space and strategic investments are a testament to their strong business acumen and we are excited to have them join us on our next phase of growth," said Matt Chitharanjan, Co-founder and CEO, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters.
Blue Tokai had said in June that it would use the fresh funding to scale its business further and expand its presence in specialty coffee markets worldwide.
It is also working towards launching a slate of new fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products, strengthening its customer experience, and support small-scale independent farmers.
"In the context of the massive coffee-led QSR market opportunity, this is a compelling partnership opportunity for us," Abhay Pandey of A91 Partners, had said.
(The story was updated to correct a factual error.)
Edited by Kanishk Singh