Airline professionals turned coffee roasters
Jasneep and Kabir are bootstrapping Ikkis, a coffee roasting company
The Bootstrappers
Jasneep and Kabir are bootstrapping Ikkis, a coffee roasting company
Every coffee lover’s dream is to start a cafe someday. As soon as Jasneep dreamt about owing a cafe, she started working on it. Instead, she set up a coffee roasting business. Jasneep and her husband Kabir fell in love with a cafe in Bali. They love to travel. They decided to start Ikkis Roasters, a coffee roasting business in Chandigarh.
Jasneep is an airlines professional and a hospitality trainer. Kabir is a commercial pilot. She had shifted to Chandigarh from Delhi after the marriage.
After they had invested their savings in starting Ikkis, Covid-19’s first wave happened. It became difficult to source coffee beans from the plantations. They reduced the scope of their business. They did not give up. After a year of waiting, Jasneep launched Ikkis roasters in June 2021.
I spoke with Jasneep over phone. Later Kabir also joined Kabir is as much a coffee lover. He pitches in with new ideas and discussing new roast profiles, when he is not flying.
I asked them when was the first time they thought of running their own business?
Jasneep and Kabir have the hospitality background. She always wanted to own a business. They visited the cafe in Bali. It struck to Jasneep that coffee business is one such business. Their background could also help them.
I asked them about their background? Where did they grow up and study? Jasneep is a Delhi girl.
After schooling she joined airlines as a cabin crew. She went on to lead the team. After she stopped flying she became a trainer. Her husband Kabir grew up in Mumbai, and joined a hotel management school. Later he joined a flying school to become a pilot. Both met and settled down in Chandigarh.
How did they prepare?
They enrolled for a course by Coffee Board of India. It gave them insights about the size of the market and the future opportunities.
Later they did advanced courses in Vietnam by Speciality Coffee Association. They learnt to grade coffees and roast them. It requires practice. Different coffees require separate handling.
In 2019 they started hunting for great coffees. They ordered a commercial roasting machine along with espresso machine and other coffee equipment. They leased a place.
What were the encouraging insights about the coffee industry?
Kabir shared that there are more than 50 independent roasters in India. Pandemic has increased in home consumption of coffee. There is space for everyone.
Jasneep shared that Indian palette is different from the rest of the world. We do not go for the balance. Our food ingredients are competing for the attention. However, Jasneep is getting better with understating the flavour nuances.
What went behind the planning for starting Ikkis after the training?
As soon as we placed the orders for the equipment and machinery, the first wave hit the country. The off line experience centre did not come up.
They pivoted to a smaller operation. They couldn’t visit the growers. Sourcing was more difficult due to restrictions. They also innovated as they did not have the luxury of the cash flow. Kabir invented a DIY colour meter and density meter.
Both decided to source the highest grade coffees, with the score of 82+. Coffees scoring above 80 out of 100 are specialty coffees. They cupped coffees from various farmers.
Why did they name Ikkis? What did they do next?
Jasneep laughed and shared that the name Ikkis has nothing to do with Sector 21 in Chandigarh. It’s about how two of them love doing the same things such as coffee, traveling and cooking. Also, it’s a lucky number for them.
After setting up the operations and deciding upon the name, they set about building a website and presence on social media platforms.
How do you reach your customers? How do they reach you?
At present they are selling to home brewers. Restaurants and cafes would be next. Word of mouth and social media are two key channels to reach customers.Online works best. They have stayed away from the coffee aggregators such as Beandeck and Sixteen Grams. They do not advertise.
Who is the boss?
Kabir says that Jasneep is the boss. Jasneep runs the operation and also roasts the beans twice a week (Monday and Thursday). Rest of the days are for cupping, packaging and shipping. Kabir helps her when he is not flying. He brains storms about the new coffee beans and helps her out with the customer care.
How do you plan for the future? Have you thought out year wise plan?
Both aim to build a small and profitable business. But, they are not looking at overnight explosive growth. The focus is on good product and consistent service. The aim is to break even by selling more than 300 packets of coffee per month.
Who do you admire in the world of business?
Jasneep admires JRD Tata. She also admires Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC. Kabir admires Blue Bottle Coffee ( from a coffee cart to INR 5000 cr business), one of the pioneers of the third wave coffee culture. He recommends reading Eat Your Greens for marketing.
Do you require any help with regards to marketing, finance, HR or any other field?
Kabir is looking out to understand marketing for their local and independent business. He wanted to connect with a marketers, who could prioritise what are the top most things an upcoming bootstrapped businesses should look at.