Australia's Di Bella Coffee signs Schematic for digital; seeks creative and media partners

Australia's Di Bella Coffee has hired Schematic Digital to manage its online and social media presence. It now is looking for a Mumbai-based creative and media partner as well. Agencies with prior experience of handling F&B (food and beverages) brand will be given preference.

The company is brewing India-specific plans, with foundation of its headquarters and wholesale as well as retail premises in Mumbai by December.

As a first step, Di Bella Coffee will set up retail coffee outlets and stores in four-five locations in Mumbai. At a later stage, the company plans to expand its presence to cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune.

Di Bella Coffee plans to explore a mix of online, print, outdoor and radio media in order to spread awareness about its offering.

The company is serious about the digital space and plans to launch an India-specific online store, DiBellaCoffeeDirect.in, where coffee lovers can order beans and have them delivered directly to their home or business premises.

Nishant Jain, Business Head, Schematic Digital, says, "Before arriving at the appropriate strategy for Di Bella Coffee, our team studied the challenges of a premium coffee chain and the customer experience associated with it. We figured that it's the taste and quality that the consumers associate with and we need to provide an essence of the same online. We intend to create desire through contests, special events, personalised communication and interactive menu cards."

Rahul Leekha, general manager, operations, Di Bella Coffee India, says, "Coffee retailing is a growing segment in India, which is now worth close to $ 441 million. The coffee retail market is expected to grow at an annual rate of more than 40 per cent, which signifies the ongoing evolution in the Indian Café culture."

Leekha believes that the same enthusiasm and innovation that put Di Bella Coffee on the map in Australia is sure to turn heads amongst the burgeoning 'Indian Café culture'. "We are here to offer Australia's ultimate coffee experience," he adds.

When probed about media spends, Leekha responds, "Di Bella Coffee Australia allocates 10 per cent revenue towards media spends per annum."

Di Bella Coffee was first established as a small coffee-roasting operation in the suburbs of Brisbane in 2002 by its founder, Phillip Di Bella. Currently, it wholesales to customers throughout Australia, with roasting warehouses in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and also retails through its online store, MyDiBellaCoffee.com. The company successfully runs more than 1,200 wholesale and retail outlets in Australia, New Zealand and China.

The company has recently taken on the booming Asian coffee market, establishing headquarters in Shanghai, China. The launch of operations in Mumbai, India is the next stage of Di Bella Coffee's international development. "We are in a country of equal opportunities and the market is always open to welcoming a brand that offers something unique. In India, we are looking to create a premium and niche segment in coffee retailing, which has not been categorically explored as yet," adds Leekha.

He mentions that more than 2.2 million cups of Di Bella Coffee are served throughout Australia and overseas every week. "We come to India with the same aggressiveness," says Leekha.

The Brisbane roster has also recently forayed into the instant coffee market. The product, Torq, is a preservative-free concentrate in liquid form, selling for $14.95 a litre.