Deepika Padukone’s Ka Enterprises Backs Blue Tokai Coffee in Series B Round
Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, a homegrown coffee brand, has raised an undisclosed amount in its ongoing Series B funding round from Bollywood star Deepika Padukone’s investment entity Ka Enterprises.
Earlier in January, the homegrown coffee brand raised $30 million in a Series B round led by A91 Partners, along with participation from White Whale Ventures and existing investors Anicut Capital and 8i Ventures.
Blue Tokai Coffee | Specialty Coffee Brand
Co-founded by Shivam Shahi, Namrata Asthana, and Matt Chitharanjan in 2013, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters sells specialty coffee as well as runs standalone cafes and roasteries.
At present, the homegrown coffee brand operates in India and Japan with 4 roasteries. It has over 80 physical outlets across major Indian cities and regions. These cities include Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Mohali, and Pune, as well as regular pop-ups in Tokyo.
Matt Chitharanjan, Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, said,
“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.”
As per Chitharanjan, this year, the coffee brand is taking experimentation, quality, accessibility, and convenience a notch higher, underscoring that the current growth metrics are a true indication of the success to follow.
The homegrown coffee brand claims to have strong B2B partnerships with the country’s marquee retail outlets, luxury hotels & restaurants, top corporates, and co-working spaces, amongst others.
Statement from Deepika Padukone
Commenting on the development, Deepika Padukone, Founder of Ka Enterprises, stated that she is immensely passionate about homegrown brands and deeply values authenticity and transparency, making investing in Blue Tokai an evident choice.
Padukone added,
“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.”
Over the years, not one or two, but there has been increased participation from Bollywood stars in the Indian startup ecosystem. Last week, actress Parineeti Chopra invested in a Hyderabad-based jewellery startup, Tritiyaa Fine Jewellery. Other Bollywood stars who have also invested in Indian startups across categories include Anushka Sharma, Malaika Arora, Alia Bhatt, and Sonu Sood.
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