Barista to raise the bar at top hotels

HYDERABAD: Coffee shop chain Barista is brewing up plans to set up espresso bars in five-star hotels as it steps up investment for expansion. India’s second-biggest coffee shop chain after Cafe Coffee Day, Barista will spend about Rs 80 crore in two years, said Barista’s vice-president of marketing & product development, Rini Dutta.

Barista is owned by Italy’s largest coffee maker Lavazza, which acquired the chain from the Sterling Group in March. For the new owner, what figures big is expansion overseas and in smaller Indian cities.

“We are open to tie-ups with more corporate offices, malls and reputed five-star hotels. The plan is to have Barista Espresso Bars in reputed five-star hotels and we are in talks with a few stakeholders. Our focus is to expand in metros and Tier II cities,” Ms Dutta said.