Starbucks, Pepsi in talks to bring coffee products to India
World-weary consumers may notice upon arrival in India that something familiar is missing — no green and black signs offering the world's most famous coffee.
Starbucks has never been able to make inroads in India, depriving India java freaks of Seattle's most famous export.
But under a proposed distribution deal reported Tuesday in the Economic Times, PepsiCo and Starbucks have signed a deal to bring Starbucks' ready-to-drink products to international markets that don't have Starbucks outlets, including India. The two American companies already have a distribution alliance in the United States.
The deal may delay, or scupper, plans to bring Starbucks outlets to India. The newspaper reported that Indian retail mover and shaker Kishore Biyani was attempting to launch outlets in the subcontinent, but that those talks have been called off.
In the meantime, Indians will have to console themselves with the pre-made stuff.