Bengaluru-based Levista Coffee registered a 42% growth in its Topline during FY 2020-21 battling odds against the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, Levista had established its fourth warehouse in Coimbatore, after Kushal Nagar (in Coorg, within its factory), Chennai and Bengaluru, a release said.
The significant growth can be credited to its growth strategy (among many others), which enabled the distribution ecosystem thereby reducing the distance between the brand and its consumers and leading the brand to success.
The strategically located Coimbatore warehouse currently caters to 30 districts across Tamil Nadu from Hosur in the north to Tirunelveli in south, which are the largest coffee consuming states in the country.
The company has strengthened its store presence in Karnataka by three times and in Tamil Nadu by 2.5 times.
The distribution strength has been increased by 50% to reach 450 active Partners across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry, Goa, Trivandrum, Nellore and Chittoor Districts.
Apart from building robust distribution system, the brand was equally focused on brand building throughout 2020. Levista has been investing on advertising & marketing ever since its launch but during the past FY, they changed their approach.
On the advertising front the brand shifted its focus to the prominent vernacular news channels which had witnessed a significant jump in their viewership.
Levista Coffee Vice President S Shriram said, “Call it despite Corona or due to Corona. We have grown our retail presence, share of shelf in kitchens and sales by leaps and bounds during the past 11.5 months.”
During the current financial year, Levista Coffee increased its fulltime manpower by 75%, to oversee the impending growth for the upcoming FY 21-22 during which the company aims to reach Rs 100 crore in turnover.
The brand has also witnessed a strong surge in demand in the online space. Levista grew around 3x on Big Basket as consumers moved away from store visits to digital shopping. This increase has further propelled the brand to launch its own e-commerce division on its official website www.Levista.in and plans to garner 1% of its FY 21-22 Sales to come from the own portal.
SLN Coffee
SLN Coffee has a history in coffee plantations for over 60 years. The company is among the Top 10 coffee exporters of India and has been packaging readymade coffee for several companies and brands globally for over two decades. Headquartered at Kushal Nagar, Coorg in Karnataka, the company employs over 1,000 people directly and indirectly.
The company ventured into ‘forward integration’ with its own label Levista, thanks to its experience in coffee cultivation and curing works over the past two decades and launched Levista Instant Coffee in Dec. 2017 followed by Levista Filter Coffee in 2018.
The privately held company is run by siblings, N Sathappan and N Vishwanathan, natives of Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu. The Group also runs ‘Purple Resorts’, a luxury resort in Kushal Nagar, Coorg, apart from other business interests in education and real estate.
SLN Coffee Pvt. Ltd. recently appointed S Shriram as Vice President for its flagship brand Levista Coffee in January 2020. Shriram oversees business operations including P/L for Levista including Sales and Marketing, Branding, SCM, HR, Finance Controlling and the overall Business Strategy.
