V G Siddartha

V G Siddartha is a well known coffee baron of Karnataka. He is famous for being the founder-owner of the chain of Cafe Coffee Day outlets. Mr Siddhartha’s business interests spreads across Coffee retailing, Plantations, Real estate, Venture Capital and Financial Services. He is the visionary behind Way2Wealth and the founder of Sivan Securities. He has been involved in the Indian Capital Markets since 1984. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:zu3a2ARv9IgJ:www.gtvltd.com/VGS.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=in] During his early years of his work-life he has spent valuable years with J.M. Morgan Stanley, this experience stood him in good stead when he became a successful investor. Having a Masters in Economics from Mangalore University, he is an avid reader and traveler with a yen for creating companies and brands. He took over Sivan Securities Ltd, in 1984.

After doing his Masters in Economics from Mangalore University, Karnataka V G Siddartha decided to join J M Financial Services (now J M Morgan Stanley) in Bombay as a management trainee/intern in trading on the Indian Stock Market under Mr. Mahendra Kampani. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:zu3a2ARv9IgJ:www.gtvltd.com/VGS.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=in] After a two-year stint with J M Financial Services, when Siddhartha returned to Bangalore, his father gave him a good amount of money to start any business of his choice. Siddhartha promptly bought a stock market card for Rs 30,000 with it, along with a company called Sivan, as well as a site in the city, in 1984 and turned it into a highly successful investment banking and stock broking company. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_2uq_bfGGk4J:www.rediff.com/money/2000/jul/03sidart.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in]

Almost 15 years later, Siddhartha is now virtually the coffee king of Karnataka. He grows coffee in Chikmagalur and exports about 28,000 tonne of coffee annually, sells another 2,000 tonne locally for about Rs 350 million each year, and his coffee growing and trading company Amalgamated Bean Company(ABC) has an annual turnover of Rs 25 billion. Siddhartha now has 200 exclusive retail outlets selling his brand of Coffee Day powder all over South India. ABC is India's largest exporter of green coffee. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_2uq_bfGGk4J:www.rediff.com/money/2000/jul/03sidart.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in]

He was the first entrepreneur in Karnataka to set up a cyber café in 1996 (Café Coffee Day, a chain of youth hangout coffee parlors). Now, he has 11 Coffee Day Cafes all over Bangalore, and another four in Hyderabad. V G Siddhartha also hopes to bag the contract to take his chain to all the airports of Karnataka and then the rest of the country. His cyber cafes attract at least 40,000 to 50,000 visitors a week. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_2uq_bfGGk4J:www.rediff.com/money/2000/jul/03sidart.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in]

He also founded Global Technology Ventures Ltd. in 2000, a company that identifies, invests and mentors Indian companies engaged in cutting edge technologies. Currently he also holds Board Seats in GTV, Mindtree, Liqwid Krystal, Way2Wealth and Ittiam. GTV has now set up a global technology village on a 59-acre technology incubator park in Bangalore, which will provide its companies office space, communication links, recreational facilities and even a commercial centre. GTV has been valued by BankAm at $100 million last year, and is expected to have doubled its valuation this year. It is poised to grow on the lines of Softbank of Japan. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:AumGlcppUnYJ:www.way2wealth.com/company/about_us.php+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=in]

Siddhartha is the son-in-law of S M Krishna, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, his marriage took place in 1989. He started his coffee trading company ABC in 1993, with a Rs 60 million turnover. His company grew gradually. He bought a sick coffee curing unit in Hassan for Rs 40 million and turned it around. Now, his company has a curing capacity of 75,000 tonne, which is the largest in the country. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_2uq_bfGGk4J:www.rediff.com/money/2000/jul/03sidart.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in] V.G. Siddhartha was awarded the ‘Entrepreneur of the year’ – 2003 by "The Economic Times" for ‘crafting a successful pan Indian brand for a commodity business and giving Indian consumers a new lifestyle experience that is within reach of the common man.’ [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:AumGlcppUnYJ:www.way2wealth.com/company/about_us.php+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=in]

Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd. today is the largest exporter of green coffee from India and perhaps one of the two fully integrated coffee companies of Asia, involved in all sectors of Coffee from plantations to retailing to exports. ‘Coffee Day Group’ today is the only fully integrated and largest coffee conglomerate in India and is attributed with creating the ‘coffee revolution’ in India - acknowledged by the Coffee Board of India Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd. – (ABCTCL) is India’s largest coffee conglomerate and coffee exporter, pioneering India’s first concept café’s ‘Café Coffee Day’, a chain of youth hangout coffee parlors. From a handful of cafés in six cites in the first 5 years, ‘Café Coffee Day’ has today become India’s largest and premier retail chain of cafes with 483 cafes in 84 cities around the country. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:AumGlcppUnYJ:www.way2wealth.com/company/about_us.php+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=in]

References

1. "'Rediff Business SpecialV G Siddhartha:"' "From coffee to cyber cafes" [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_2uq_bfGGk4J:www.rediff.com/money/2000/jul/03sidart.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=in]

2.Profile: " V G Siddartha" [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:zu3a2ARv9IgJ:www.gtvltd.com/VGS.htm+v+g+siddarth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=in]