CCL Products is the world’s largest private-label instant coffee manufacturer - a behind‑the‑scenes giant that makes the soluble coffee inside many of the best‑known global coffee brands. Founded in 1994 by a technocrat who had already built India’s first non‑multinational instant coffee venture, the company has spent three decades turning a single‑location factory in Andhra Pradesh into a three‑continent manufacturing network. The recurring approach is simple: it runs a volume‑driven, cost‑plus processing engine that turns volatile green coffee beans into stable margins, then uses that cash flow to move closer to the end consumer - first through private‑label bulk exports, then through its own branded retail business in India and Europe. # Business segments A single global coffee‑processing engine that powers two go‑to‑market channels - B2B private‑label exports and a domestic branded business - plus a small kiosk and snacks operation, all built on the same manufacturing backbone. ## 1. Instant coffee manufacturing and B2B exports: the factory that fills the world’s coffee jars **The company makes soluble instant coffee in bulk for other coffee brands, operating on a cost‑plus model that keeps processing margins steady no matter where green coffee bean prices go.** - **Paid for processing, not for beans** - the core business runs on a “cost‑plus model,” meaning the company earns a processing spread on top of the raw material cost, so its margins are designed to be stable even when coffee bean prices swing wildly. - **Three continents, three jobs** - the flagship plant in Duggirala, India, makes spray‑dried, agglomerated and freeze‑dried coffee; a second Indian plant at Kuvvakolli adds more freeze‑dried capacity; a Vietnam plant in the heart of coffee‑growing country produces both spray‑dried and freeze‑dried for East Asian and Latin American clients; and a Swiss unit agglomerates and packs for premium European private‑label customers, so each facility is placed where it gives the biggest sourcing or distribution advantage. - **One roof, every format** - the company is one of the few manufacturers that can supply all types and forms of coffee from a single location, which gives it a price edge over brands that have to import different formats and pay duties on them. - **Volume is the engine** - the business is built on scale, with the Vietnam plant expansion completed as of May 2025, and management historically targeting volume growth of 15-17% a year. - **Waste fuels the boilers** - only about half of each coffee bean ends up in the cup; the other half becomes solid waste that the company dries and burns as boiler fuel, replacing fossil fuels, while the ash goes to brick makers and the organic process water goes to neighbouring farmers. ## 2. Continental Coffee: India’s number‑three instant coffee brand, built on the same factory floor **The company sells its own branded instant coffee directly to Indian consumers through retail stores and e‑commerce, using the same manufacturing capacity that supplies its global B2B customers.** - **Third‑largest in the market** - measured by NielsenIQ, Continental Coffee is the number‑three instant coffee brand in India, and in some regions and platforms it already ranks second. - **From bulk to small pack** - the company invested in a fully automated 10,000‑tonne packing facility and a 5,500‑tonne agglomeration line at Kuvvakolli specifically to increase the share of small packs sold directly to customers, which carry higher margins than bulk exports. - **1.5 lakh outlets and counting** - the brand reaches over 150,000 retail outlets across India through more than 700 distribution partners, and it also sells on e‑commerce and direct‑to‑consumer platforms, where it gained traction during the COVID period. - **A full shelf of formats** - the portfolio spans filter coffee, instant coffee, premix sachets in flavours like cappuccino and hazelnut, decaf, and even roast‑and‑ground versions tailored to local palates, so the brand can be a single‑point option for every kind of coffee buyer in India. - **Bought a British brand to enter European retail** - in 2023 the company acquired six UK coffee brands, including the 1987‑born Percol, for £550,000, giving it direct access to major British supermarkets in Europe’s largest instant coffee market and moving supply of those brands from a third party onto CCL’s own production lines. ## 3. Kiosks and snacks: small experiments at the consumer edge **The company runs a tiny food‑and‑beverage kiosk operation and has test‑launched plant‑based protein snacks and traditional South Indian snacks, all housed in a subsidiary that was originally the domestic marketing arm.** - **Coffee on Wheels** - through its subsidiary Continental Coffee Private Limited, the company operates food and beverage kiosks including mobile “Coffee on Wheels” units, though this division generated revenue of just ₹236 lakhs in FY25. - **Plant‑based protein under ‘Greenbird’** - the same subsidiary launched a range of 100% vegetarian meat alternatives - nuggets, keema, kebabs and sausages made from green pea and chickpea, with keema also made from soya - seeded in three Indian cities and sold online and in modern trade outlets. - **Malgudi snacks** - in mid‑2025 the company test‑launched traditional South Indian snacks under the brand name ‘Malgudi’ for the domestic market, extending the subsidiary’s reach beyond coffee. # Group structure and partners **The parent company sits above five wholly owned subsidiaries that each handle a distinct geography or function, plus a small stake in a renewable‑energy associate that will supply captive green power.** - **Continental Coffee SA (Switzerland)** - the European manufacturing and private‑label hub, running an agglomeration and packing unit that also sources and customises spray‑dried and freeze‑dried variants for premium clients across Europe. - **Ngon Coffee Company Limited (Vietnam)** - the Southeast Asian manufacturing base, located in Dak Lak province in the middle of a major coffee‑growing region, with capacity expanded to 36,000 tonnes and a further 6,000‑tonne freeze‑dried facility approved at a project cost of USD 50 million. - **CCL Food and Beverages Private Limited (India)** - a greenfield spray‑dried instant coffee plant at Kuvvakolli, Andhra Pradesh, with 16,000 tonnes of annual capacity, which started commercial operations in March 2024. - **Continental Coffee Private Limited (India)** - the domestic kiosk and snacks subsidiary, which previously also housed the branded coffee marketing division until that division was demerged into the parent company in 2023. - **Jayanti Pte Limited (Singapore)** - a non‑operating investment vehicle. - **Mukkonda Renewables Private Limited (subsidiary company (SPV) of Ecoren Energy)** - a 26% stake acquired jointly by the parent and CCL Food and Beverages in late 2025, giving the group access to 10 MW of captive wind and solar power (7.9 MW for the parent, 2.1 MW for the subsidiary).