Coffee: Conquering hearts

By Sreekumar Raghavan

It is black like the devil, hot like hell, and sweet like a kiss, and it is spreading its aroma cross the world now. The finest organic suspension ever devised in the world COFFEE is steadily conquering the taste buds of millions of people irrespective of caste creed or colour. The case in India is not different. The concoction made from the coffee beans is minting money for several coffee bar chains in India.

No wonder then coffee outlets are sprouting in amazing numbers all over the country. Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Co Ltd (ABCTL), which owns the largest chain of coffee bars Café Coffee Day, has 485 full service cafes in 84 cities and plans to expand it to 100 more cities very soon. Barista, a distant second with 172 cafes, and several others are in the race. The 'Undercover Economist', a recent bestseller by Tim Hafford, quoted a Financial Times report saying that few companies are making money in the UK coffee bar market.

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