Café & Business

📊 Results

The steps (tick as you finish)

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Equipment categories to plan (no brands)

• Brewing: espresso machine, grinder(s), filter or batch brewer, kettle, scales, timers
• Water: filtration or treatment suited to your local water and your machines
• Cold chain and storage: refrigeration for milk and food, airtight storage for coffee
• Service: counter, billing system, cups, cleaning supplies, waste handling
• Power and safety: electrical load, ventilation, fire safety

Money: rules of thumb to question

This site gives no cost or profit figures because they vary by city, size and model. Plan for a period before the café covers its costs, keep a cash reserve, and test every assumption in the planner with your own quotes.

Official links

• FSSAI FoSCoS (licence application)
• FSSAI
• GST portal

From farm to cup: who is in the chain

• ITC describes a chain that runs from growers (often through a cooperative or exporter) to merchants and importers, then roasters, cafés and consumers. Some chains are shorter, for example when a cooperative or farm roasts and sells locally.
• ITC notes that power, profit and resources are not shared equally along the chain, which is why traceability and fair pricing are debated topics.

How Arabica prices are quoted (ICE "C")

• ICE describes its Coffee "C" futures contract as the world benchmark for Arabica. It is for washed Arabica in physically deliverable green beans, traded in lots of 37,500 pounds.
• A "differential" is a premium or discount set against the basis price: the contract assigns them by growth (origin), by delivery port, and by quality, so better-judged coffees earn premiums and inferior ones discounts.
• These differentials change when ICE revises them, so we do not list their sizes. Read the current contract specification.
• Many other coffees, including Robusta and specialty lots, are priced by their own benchmarks or by negotiated differentials. Ask your buyer which reference applies.

ICO minimum quality rule for exports (Resolution 420)

• ICO Resolution 420, approved in May 2004 and applying from 1 June 2004, sets minimum standards for coffee marked "S" on the ICO Certificate of Origin.
• Arabica should have no more than 86 defects in a 300 g sample, and Robusta no more than 150 defects, using the stated counting methods.
• Moisture should be between 8 and 12.5 percent, but traditionally higher-moisture specialty coffees such as Monsooned may still be marked "S".

Indian coffee types named by the Board

• The Board says the best grade in monsooned coffee is Monsooned Malabar AA, made only from dry-processed beans; Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold is a washed Arabica specialty; and Robusta Kaapi Royale uses Robusta Parchment AB.
• The Board's annual report quotes auction prices for Arabica Plantation "A" and Robusta Cherry "AB". We do not list those prices because they change and we want you to read the current figure at source.

Registrations and local licences: where to start

• Udyam Registration is the Ministry of MSME's portal for registering a micro, small or medium enterprise. The portal states that registration is free and warns that no private party is authorised to handle it for you, so beware of look-alike sites.
• The National Single Window System (NSWS) is a government platform that guides investors to identify and apply for approvals.
• Local trade or shop-and-establishment licences are issued by your state and municipal body, so rules and portals differ by place. India's National Portal lists state government services; ask your local municipal office which licences a café or roastery needs.
• We give no fees or thresholds here because they change; read each portal's current page.

Certification schemes: what they check

• Fairtrade: an independent body, FLOCERT, audits producers, traders and companies against Fairtrade Standards covering social, economic and environmental requirements, including checks that producers receive the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Premium; unannounced audits can be used when risk is higher.
• Rainforest Alliance: independent auditors check farms and companies against its standard, covering areas such as environmental protection, labour practices, farm management and traceability.
• Organic in India: the Government of India runs the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), which covers accreditation of certification bodies and production standards; APEDA's page describes it.
• A label tells you which standard was audited, not that a product is "best". See the Sustainability section for how to question claims.

Official links

• ICE: Coffee "C" futures (contract details)
• ICO Resolution 420 (minimum quality)
• ITC: understanding the coffee market
• Fairtrade: how certification works
• Rainforest Alliance: certification
• APEDA: organic products and NPOP
• Udyam Registration Portal (Ministry of MSME)
• National Single Window System (NSWS)
• National Portal of India: state government services
• FSSAI FoSCoS: kind-of-business eligibility table (updated 01.04.2026)

Where official market information lives

• Coffee Board of India has pages for market information, export information and coffee statistics (see the links below).
• The International Coffee Organization (ICO) publishes world coffee market information.
• For prices, use official market pages and ask several suppliers for written quotes. Never rely on one number.

Green, roasted, or roasting yourself?

• Buying roasted coffee from a roaster is simplest, but you depend on that supplier for freshness and consistency.
• Buying green (unroasted) coffee and roasting it needs equipment, skill, space and the right food licence category. Ask FSSAI which category applies to you.
• Curing (processing parchment into green coffee) has its own licence on the Coffee Board site.

Questions to ask any supplier (tick as you go)

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Selling or exporting coffee from India

• The Coffee Board site lists exporter registration, export permit and trade enquiry services. Start there.
• An Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) is issued by DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade).
• Rules, fees and documents change. Confirm each step with the office itself and consider a qualified trade adviser.

Official links

• Coffee Board: Market Info
• Coffee Board: Export Info
• Coffee Board: Coffee Statistics
• Coffee Board: Trade Enquiry
• Coffee Board: Exporter
• DGFT
• FSSAI FoSCoS
• ICO

What a franchise is

You (the franchisee) pay to operate a business under another company's (the franchisor's) brand and system. The agreement decides most of your rights and duties.

What the law says in India (per a legal comparative guide)

• India has no franchise-specific law and no franchise regulator.
• General laws apply, for example the Contract Act, Trade Marks Act, Consumer Protection Act, Competition Act, and tax and stamp laws.
• There is no specific pre-sale disclosure law, so ask for information in writing and keep it.
• Franchisor registration with a regulator is not required, but registering the trademark is advisable. Lease transfers need a properly stamped, registered deed.
• Arbitration and mediation are commonly recommended for disputes.

Terms to read very carefully (tick as you go)

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Red flags

• Promises of guaranteed profit or a guaranteed payback time
• Pressure to pay quickly, before you can read or take advice
• Unwillingness to let you speak to existing franchisees
• Verbal promises that are missing from the written agreement

Before you sign

Have a lawyer read the agreement, and a chartered accountant look at the numbers. Visit running outlets and speak to franchisees without the franchisor present. You can also compare with opening an independent café (see Café Academy).

Official links

• Comparative guide: Franchising in India (Mondaq)
• Trade Marks Registry (IP India)

🌾 Farmer / Planter

Grows and harvests coffee.

Skills: Crop care, pruning, harvest timing, record keeping.

Learning path: Learn on the farm, then extension advice and field days.

Training: Ask the Coffee Board and CCRI for current advisories and training.

Your summary