Winning the World over Coffee!

What happens when two friends stumble upon an idea? Do they follow their dreams or forget about them? Here is one such story of two Ranchi boys, Ayush Bathwal and Anirudh Sharma. The duo has been friends ever since second grade, the time when they studied together at St Xavier’s School, Ranchi. They had always dreamt of starting their own business, creating their own brand after they had retired, and had enough resources to do so. How did the journey with coffee begin?

The two dwelled into the world of coffee during their school life in Ranchi. Ayush reminisces the old days saying, “I remember the first Café Coffee Day outlet that had opened on the Main Road near the Capitol Hill. Anirudh and I were in 10th grade when we used to visit the café during our board exams. Having a cappuccino of Rs.38 at that time, filled our hearts.’’

While the childhood friends remained in touch, Ayush moved to the United States to pursue a course in Computer Science and from there on got a job in the IT sector in San Diego.  Anirudh completed his graduation in hotel management to become a trained chef, and help his father, Mr. Niranjan Sharma in his business of restaurants in Ranchi. The Sharmas run the famous New Rajasthan Kalewalay at Lalpur Chowk in Ranchi.

If they were willing to settle in their designated life, Anirudh and Ayush would not be where they are today. Eureka moment occurred when Ayush visited a specialty coffee café in San Diego. Ayush adds, “It was life changing to see that a cup of coffee could not just taste bitter but has the essence of Guava fruit.’’Ayush instantly fell in love with specialty coffee, a concept undiscovered in developing countries like India.

This was the moment when Ayush introduced Anirudh to the world of specialty coffee and the two friends decided that this was the right time to invest in their dreams, which eventually came into existence as The Third Wave Coffee Roasters in Bengaluru.

The duo toured the markets of Rajasthan where their ancestral roots lie. They toured from street to street, looking for the specialty that markets of Rajasthan possessed that attracted customers from all over the world; a culture and an experience.

To set forth the third wave coffee and launch their own trademark café, The Third Wave Coffee Roasters in Bengaluru, was no cakewalk. The duo faced a lot of hurdles along the way. Anirudh recalls, “I belong to the fourth generation of my family who was supposed to take care of our restaurant business.” Anirudh’s father MrNiranjan Sharma who has handled the lineage of 50 year old chain of family restaurants and recently opened the Jalebi Junction sweetshop has created his own mark in Ranchi. “I wanted Anirudh to join our family business initially but he wanted to create his own mark. He has always valued his customers and many of them love The Third Wave Coffee Roasters.’’ Ayush on the other hand had to quit his job in San Diego and return to India. MrsArunaBathwal, Ayush’s mother works for various NGOs in Ranchi and has her own kinder garden school in Ranchi called The Playhouse. Being a single parent MrsBathwalresponded, “Like any other mother I was worried, but Ayush has always been a self-made man. He put his savings into good use and the result is for us to see. I’m proud of both the kids.” The adversities that followed the two when they set foot in Bengaluru on the 3rd of September 2015, was cumbersome.

Initially the two faced basic operational problems like that of proper water and electricity supply. It took them almost a year to set up a resource and development unit in a small garage. The process also involved touring across the country to various farms, learning the ins and outs of coffee beans harvest, how it is produced and the calamities involved. Internship at numerous firms and working overtime helped them gather all the tricks of the trade. All this lead of the opening of their first ever store in the city on the 24th of September, 2016.

The outcome of slogging for almost 18 hours a day in order was to ensure that the coffee batches that produced have Q grade specialty. Anirudh and Ayush have not only managed to pursue their dreams, but attain success as well.

The Third Wave Coffee Roasters, is the first outlet in Bengaluru to provide specialty coffee. They initially started with only four members, now have extended their family up to 64members, with four outlets in Bengaluru. The two have not only created ripples in India with specialty coffee but also represented their trademark internationally at the World Barista Champion, in association with World of Coffee, held in Amsterdam this year.

This isn’t the end of it for the two dynamic duo. They plan to open Third Wave Coffee stores in Pune and Hyderabad too, this year. The two do not want to limit their product to a certain demographic, but build a global brand. “Specialty coffee isn’t just a beverage for us but an experience which we want to serve our customers with’’, declares Anirudh.

Ayush speaks solemnly, “People like Anirudh and I who belong to small cities like that of Ranchi don’t take little things for granted and make the most out of it. If we can reach where we are today, anyone can.’’

Asked if they have any plan to open their outlet in their hometown, Anirudh replied right now Ranchi doesn’t have a market for it. “We are taking it step by step and focusing on the metro cities first,” said Ayush.

Such is the success story of Anirudh Sharma and Ayush Bathwal, as if  bringing Paulo Coelho’s words from The Alchemist back to life: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it’’. Yes, opportunity when seized, never goes to waste.