The 200th café opening was marked by teams across the organisation as a moment of collective pride—built, as many within the company describe it, on passion, discipline, and a strong commitment to craft.

From Roastery to a Pan-India Presence

Founded in 2013 by Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana, Blue Tokai began with a clear mission: to make high-quality, traceable Indian coffee accessible to a wider audience. By working closely with coffee growers and focusing on education around beans, brewing methods, and origins, the brand helped introduce many Indian consumers to specialty coffee.

Over the years, Blue Tokai has expanded its café footprint across 50+ cities, covering metros as well as emerging Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets. Its network includes neighbourhood cafés, high-street locations, and the more experiential Origins format, where provenance and brewing techniques take centre stage.

Building Consistency at Scale

Reaching 200 cafés has been a measured journey rather than a rapid sprint. The company has steadily invested in roasting infrastructure, training programmes, and operational systems to ensure consistency across locations. The Mohali café reflects this approach, reinforcing Blue Tokai’s craft-led positioning even as the brand operates at national scale.

Backed by Long-Term Capital

Blue Tokai’s growth has been supported by institutional capital from marquee investors, including A91 Partners and Sequoia Capital India (now Peak XV Partners). According to market sources, the company’s most recent funding round valued Blue Tokai in the $250–300 million range. The capital has been channelled into café network expansion, strengthening backend and roasting capacity, investments in technology, and building leadership and frontline talent.

A Culture Anchored in People

As the network expanded beyond early adopter metros, Blue Tokai’s leadership has continued to emphasise a people-first culture—from baristas and café managers to city and regional operations teams. This focus on training, internal progression and shared values has emerged as a key differentiator, helping the brand maintain quality and identity while scaling.

Steadily Becoming Part of Everyday Urban Life

Crossing the 200-café mark places Blue Tokai among India’s largest café chains by footprint, while still retaining its specialty roots. The next phase is expected to focus on deeper penetration in Tier 2 cities, improving store productivity and widening engagement with new consumers. Rather than aggressive overseas café expansion, the brand is also likely to extend its reach through packaged coffee, partnerships and retail channels.

As India’s coffee consumption continues to rise and more consumers trade up from instant to craft, Blue Tokai’s 200th café milestone reflects a broader shift underway in the market. Specialty coffee is no longer niche—it is steadily becoming part of everyday urban life across the country.

The post Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters Brews a Milestone: 200 Cafés Across India appeared first on Business of Food.

“Origins is where everything we’ve been building over the last decade comes together — the coffee, the craft, the community, the partners. It’s not just a larger café; it’s a space to slow down, try something new, and reconnect with what you love about coffee, alongside the warmth of a live bakery and an artisanally crafted menu with locally sourced ingredients. Every detail, from the brewing bar to the live bakery, has been designed to deepen the experience of connection and flavour,” said Shivam Shahi, Co-founder, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters.  

Spread across 2,000 square feet, Origins is designed as a sensorial, layered space that deepens Blue Tokai’s promise of craft and transparency. Guests will find experiences curated to highlight the process and people behind every offering. 

Set apart from the main coffee counter where espresso-based drinks are served, Origins features a dedicated manual brewing station called the Play Bar. With the most extensive selection of manual brewing techniques ever introduced in a Blue Tokai space, coffee lovers can now taste their way through seven distinct methods, including the Chemex, Syphon, Slow Drip, and more. Each method brings out unique facets of coffee, from the body to the acidity, and is explained by trained baristas. 

Adding to this experience is the Nitro Cold Brew tap, serving chilled, nitrogen-infused single-origin cold brew, crafted using the Baby Hardtank, a patented technology that extracts a wider range of flavour compounds. 

At the Play Bar, some of Blue Tokai’s rarest lots, frozen at peak flavour, are preserved in a temperature-controlled space called The Coffee Cellar. The selection includes some of Blue Tokai’s highest-scoring coffees, including lots that are shared as part of their coveted Producer Series. These are brewed exclusively as Pour Overs using tailored recipes to bring out their best. 

A standout part of the Origins experience is the live, glass-walled bakery, run by Suchali’s Artisan Bakehouse. From smell to sight, the bakery adds a warm, sensory layer to the space. Here, visitors can witness the process of craft baking, unfolding live. Hand-shaped sourdough loaves, twice-baked croissants, cookies, and beyond are crafted here from scratch. 

The artisanal breads baked here are slow fermented using natural cultures. They are also available for customers to take home, fresh off the rack.  

The menu is designed in collaboration with Chef Auroni Mukherjee, one of India’s most celebrated young chefs, known for his flavour-first approach to modern Indian food. It blends warmth and technique, reflective of the brand’s own identity, rooted in mastery; without losing its accessibility to its wide audiences. Think: 

• Handmade pasta with flavour twists like the Chilli Crunch Carbonara. 
• Gourmet club sandwiches and open-faced toasts built on signature sourdough breads by Suchali’s Artisan Bakehouse. 
• Dishes made using farm-sourced produce from trusted partners like Krishi Cress and Shroomery. 
• A selection of desserts by Suchali’s Artisan Bakehouse, featuring familiar comforts and sweet surprises like the classic Tiramisu and a light-yet-decadent Coconut Berry Lamington. 

It’s food that feels familiar, but with depth, balance, and an attention to detail you can taste. 

Throughout Origins, visual storytelling highlights the people and processes behind the brand — from the farms Blue Tokai sources from to the story of Suchali’s Artisan Bakehouse. Walls, installations, and little details create an unfolding narrative for guests to engage with at their own pace. 

Blue Tokai Origins is designed to evolve with its community. In the months ahead, the brand will host producers, run interactive workshops on brewing and baking, and curate sensory experiences that help customers see coffee in new, meaningful ways. 

The post Blue Tokai Launches ‘Origins’, a Space Celebrating Craft and Its Roots appeared first on Business of Food.

Since its founding in 2013, Blue Tokai has been a pioneer in India’s specialty coffee scene, known for roasting high-quality Indian coffee beans to perfection. The new Blue Tokai Café at World Street offers a spacious, modern ambiance where patrons can savor a wide range of freshly brewed, artisanal coffees, each capturing the unique flavors of Indian beans.

Jatin Goel, Executive Director of Omaxe Group, expressed his excitement “We are pleased to welcome Blue Tokai Café to World Street by Omaxe. This location offers an ideal setting for coffee lovers in Faridabad to enjoy artisanal coffee and create memorable experiences. The addition of Blue Tokai further enhances World Street’s offerings, and we look forward to introducing more culinary options to the region.”

The post Blue Tokai Coffee Expands with New Outlet at World Street by Omaxe, Faridabad appeared first on Business of Food.