As India experiences a significant shift in its beverage preferences, moving from a predominantly tea-driven culture to embracing a dynamic coffee scene, Franke Coffee Systems is poised to make its mark. Known globally for cutting-edge Swiss-engineered coffee solutions, Franke’s entry into the Indian market signals an exciting chapter for the country’s growing coffee culture. Leveraging its innovative product portfolio and the strong local presence of its sister company, Faber, Franke aims to redefine premium coffee experiences across various segments of the hospitality industry. In an exclusive interview with Asmita Mukherjee, Stefan Niederberger, Vice President – Asia Pacific, Franke Coffee Systems explaines Franke Coffee Systems’ strategic vision for India, the competitive advantages it brings, and how it plans to collaborate with local stakeholders to capture the evolving preferences of Indian consumers.
What motivated Franke Coffee Systems to venture into the Indian market, and how do you see the current landscape as an opportunity for your brand?
India with its huge population and growing coffee culture is a market of very high interest to Franke. We want to be the easiest company to work with when it comes to developing a coffee program and we aim to achieve this with our unique local footprint. With our sister company Faber we are able to offer the most complete range of fully automatic professional coffee machines in the industry, this with a local Indian presence.
With established success in markets like Japan, China, and Australia, how does India contribute to Franke’s overall growth strategy in Asia, and what competitive advantages does the brand bring to the Indian market?
We want to be present in all key markets in the world, wherever there are consumer wanting to have a premium coffee experience, Franke should be the first brand that comes into mind. We are providing the most complete and most modular coffee portfolio of the industry. Our Swiss made machines can cater from low to high consumption, from just coffee to a whole range of beverages, this at the touch of a button. We bring, quality and flexibility and can tailor our solutions to almost every needs.
India is evolving from a tea-dominated market to one embracing coffee. What factors are driving this shift, and how does Franke plan to capture this growing interest?
We see this shift operating in several tea-dominated market in Asia. As more Indian people are travelling, becoming more international and experiencing the various coffee cultures around the world, they also want to be able to experience this in India. Coffee is a bit like wine, this is not just a beverage, it is a lifestyle. A coffee can be enjoyed in so many ways, and as added bonus, it gives you energy to go about your tasks for the day. Franke plans to capture this growing interest by proposing the best ecosystem in the industry.
Could you elaborate on Franke’s investment and market entry strategy in India? How do you plan to collaborate with local stakeholders to ensure a robust footprint?
We are leveraging the strong footprint of our sister company Faber to provide a fully dedicated coffee team in India, we have our headquarter for India in Delhi where we have now established our showroom. As India is a very big country, we have also leveraged Faber’s platinum stores across the country, you can already see and experience outstanding coffee at several of those locations. We also plan to develop partnership with key local players in order to propose the best offer in the industry, be it in terms of developing a coffee program, service or purchase.
Franke Coffee Systems is synonymous with cutting-edge Swiss-engineered technology. What unique features of your coffee machines make them particularly appealing to hospitality businesses in India?
We have a very complete and modular portfolio that can evolve with the customer needs. Our ecosystem is very versatile and once you start investing in the Franke brand, you can rest assured that Franke will always have a solution for your evolving coffee program. Among our technologies, I would like to highlight our iQflow technology, which works like AI in the brewing process and ensure in real-time extraction monitoring for the best consistency in the industry. Our IoT connectivity makes it also a breeze to streamline your operations, and update your coffee menu to all your machines estate in a few seconds at the touch of a button and from wherever you might be. Franke has always been an innovator and we continue year after year to bring new game changing technologies.
Which segments of the Indian hospitality industry, such as quick-service restaurants, luxury hotels, or boutique cafés, show the most potential for Franke’s offerings?
Our machines can cater to all segments of the industry, be it self-serve or serve. Our very flexible user interface enables our customer to tailor the consumer’s experience to match their brand’s equity. We are successful worldwide in every segment and are looking forward to supporting the growth of the coffee industry in India.
Is Franke exploring opportunities to tailor its products with India-specific features or customizations to cater to local preferences and operational needs?
The strength of Franke is that you can mix and match various features of our versatile portfolio in order to match local preferences. For instance, using our flavour station or powder hoper, you can make delicious Matcha Latte in Japan while in India you can make delicious Chai or Cardamon Coffee. Having said that, Matcha latte can also be enjoyed by Indian consumers.
We will therefore be able to deliver not only the perfect Italian espresso or cappuccino but also develop more tailored drinks matching current and future taste preferences of Indian consumers.
