Tata Coffee Ltd (formerly Consolidated Coffee), a subsidiary of Tata Tea and one of Asia's largest plantation company cultivates coffee pepper, oranges, paddy, cardamom and other plantation and agricu
...
ltural products. The company's estates are at Coorg in Karnataka, at an elevation of 3000 ft. It also supplies manure and other estate requirements.
As Forward Integration the company set up a cofee curing works at Kodagu, Karnataka in 1983-84. The company by acquiring Glinlorna Tea Estate at Kudige diversified into Tea. Further the second diversification into manufacture of Mechanical time-pieces is made with the acquisition of bombay based Sifco, a JV company between Favre-Leuba, Swiz and Jaz, France and a time-piece manufacturer in 1988. The company became a subsidiary of Tata Tea when the latter acquired around a 52% stake in the company in 1990.
The last decade of 20th Century witnessed the company actively engaged in branded/ packaged cofee business. It launched Coorg Coffee, a 100% pure coffee, in Karnataka and neighbouring states, in Apr.'93. Further it has also launched instant coffee bags for the north-Indian market which is not familiar with south-Indian filtered coffee. The company has the advantage of being able to use Tata Tea's distribution system. Its main advantage lies in the fact that it is a plantation company and is thus able to hold the price line if it so desires, unlike multinationals which pay market prices for their raw material.
During 1999-2000, Asian Coffee (ACL), Coffee Lands (CLL), Charagni (CL) and Veerarajendra Estates (VEL) amalgamated with the company. Brand Equity Business Promotion Agreement (BE-BP Agreement) was executed by the company with M/s Tata Sons.
The company acquired a coffee estate in Kodagu, Karnataka. Further during Nov. 2003 the company has finalised an agreement to acquire High Hill Company India Pvt. Ltd., which owns an 3600 MT Instant Coffee facility at Jeyamangalam in Theni District of Tamil Nadu. The amalgamation of Conscofe Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company with itself was completed with the approval of the arrangement by Hight Court of Karnataka.
During 2004-2005, the process relating to acquisition of Highhill Coffee India Private Ltd was completed and consequently Highhill Coffee India Private Ltd became a Whollyowned subsidiary of Tata Coffee with effect from 23rd November, 2004. The Company divested its entire stake in Barista Coffee Company Ltd, to the Sterling Group.
During 2005-2006, the company acquired 5 Tea estates and 1 Coffee estates located in the Anamallais region in Tamil Nadu and Kerala from Tata Tea Ltd. The Instant Coffee Facility at Theni, Tamil Nadu acquired by the company has started normal operations during the year. The company during the year entered into an agreement with E&E Varfahrenstechik GmbH, Germany for supply, installation and commissioning of a state of the art Freeze Drying Plant capable of producing 2000 MT of a Freeze Dyed Coffee. The Civil works has commenced and the first shipment of the equipment is expected to receive shortly. The trail production and commercial production is schedule to commence by November 2006 and January 2007 respectively. The project is set up on companies own land adjacent to the Instant coffee manufacturing facility at Theni. The liquid concentrate manufactured at the companies existing facility at Theni will be used as raw materials for Freeze dried coffee.
During 2006-07, the new Freeze Dried Coffee Plant was inaugurated in Theni, Tamil Nadu in March, 2007. This is a state-of-the-art, Plant supplied by E&E Verfahrenstechnik GmbH, Germany and one of the only three plants in the world with a seven belt dryer. The Freeze Dried Coffee segment should help the Division improve its margins going forward, with focus towards manufacture of higher value added products like Freeze Dried Coffee and Agglomerated Coffee with the objective of insulating the Division from commoditization of instant coffee. The Division is also exploring the possibility of launching a Freeze Dried Coffee brand in Russia and CIS Countries.
During the year the Company entered into a Joint Venture arrangement with Beeyu Overseas Ltd., and acquired a 51% equity stake in a Joint Venture Company viz. 'Alliance Coffee Limited' consequent to which Alliance has become a subsidiary of the Company. It signed an agreement with CICB-Chemicon Pvt. Ltd. The project would be eligible to carbon credit in view of the resultant reduction in emission of green house gases which cause global warming.
During the year, the Company signed a Definitive Agreement to acquire Eight 0' Clock Coffee Company ('EOC'), U.S.A. from Gryphon Investors for a total acquisition price of US$ 220 million.
During the year, Alliance Coffee Limited, Consolidated Coffee Inc, USA, Eight O' Clock Holdings Inc, USA and Eight O' Clock Coffee Company, USA became subsidiaries of the Company. Eight 0' Clock Holdings Inc. got merged with Eight O' Clock Coffee Company in April, 2007.
In 2010-11, the Company purchased entire 49% shareholdings of Beeyu Overseas Limited and its Associates in Alliance, following which Alliance became a wholly subsidiary of the Company with effect from 1st May, 2011. During the year 2011, the foodservice business of the Company merged into the Empirical Group.
In year 2013, Company's overseas subsidiary in the U.S., Consolidated Coffee Inc. (CCI) acquired 100% stake in newly floated subsidiary
EOH, which currently holds the entire stake in Eight O' Clock Coffee hitherto held by CCI .
During year 2013, a Joint Venture Agreement was signed into by Holding Company, Tata Global Beverages Ltd with Starbucks
Inc., USA. The Company commissioned a state of art coffee roasting facility at Kushalnagar established by Tata Starbucks in India and to the Starbuck's supply chain in South-East Asia. During the year, Eight O'Clock single serve K-Cups were launched through Keurig and quickly gained a 6% market share of the single serve market.
During the year 2013-14, Board of Tata Coffee merged the Company's Subsidiary, Alliance Coffee Ltd. for which necessary petition has been filed with the Bangalore High Court for amalgamating Alliance with the Company with effect from 1st April 2013.
During the year 2015, the Honorable High Court of Karnataka approved the amalgamation of Alliance Coffee Ltd (ACL) - the Company's wholly owned subsidiary with the Company with effect from 1st April, 2013; consequently the Assets and Liabilities of ACL stand vested with the Company from the effective date and ACL stands dissolved without undergoing the process of winding up and consequently ceased to be a Subsidiary of the Company. Tata Coffee Grand was launched in 2015.
On 19th December 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company approved setting up of a Freeze Dried Instant Coffee facility in Vietnam of 5000 MT capacity per annum through a Subsidiary Company, with an estimated Project Cost of Rs. 350 Crores. Pursuant thereto, the Company infused an amount of Rs. 38.77 Crores in 'Tata Coffee Vietnam Company Limited', which is a Wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company.
In May 2019, Tata Coffee Vietnam Company Limited (TCVCL), wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, commissioned a Freeze-dried Coffee Plant in Vietnam. During the year 2020, Company launched a limited edition, 1868 blend comprising the best of washed Arabicas Tata Coffee.
Sonnets by Tata Coffee', a range of Edition Coffee produced from high quality Arabica coffee beans was launched in February 2021, which is distributed and marketed by the Holding Company viz., Tata Consumer Products Limited.
On March 29, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Company, approved a Composite Scheme of Arrangement between Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL), the Company and TCPL Beverages and Foods Limited (TBFL), and their respective shareholders and creditors for demerger of the Plantation Business of the Company into TBFL, (subsidiary) as well as amalgamation of the Company with TCPL (holding company of TBFL).
Read More
