KOCHI: When Geethu Sivakumar was 19, she launched an IT company called ‘Pace HiTech’. But the young entrepreneur yearned to make a tangible product. Six years down the lane, Geethu has ventured into the consumer brand industry by launching ‘Ricardo Coffee’, a premium coffee brand. Released this year, her joy knew no bounds when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sent her a personal mail appreciating the initiative.
“The idea brewed in my mind while I was part of the digital marketing and branding teams for different brands. Eventually, I decided to zero in on coffee powder. The south-east Asian market has always been tea-oriented. However, the arrival of franchises like Cafe Coffee Day and Starbucks has created a growing interest in coffee. There is ample growth potential for coffee now,” says Geethu.
Ricardo’s filter coffee and instant coffee powders stormed the market recently. “The production is based in Salem,” she says. The filter coffee powder is available in strong and classic variants. “The strong variant has a higher presence of chicory. Learning about various types of coffee powder and its production have been a novel experience as my background was rooted in IT,” says Geethu.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s mail was a real morale booster. “Sincere appreciation is an encouragement for all entrepreneurs. It is my New Year gift,” she says. While the coffee powders are available on Flipkart and Snapdeal, they will be sold on Amazon too. “Initial stock was sold out immediately. The filter coffee powder is in high demand,” she says.
She plans to launch instant coffee powder flavours like chocolate, cardamom, almond, and hazelnut in the next two months. Also, Thiruvananthapuram residents will soon have an in-store experience.