Hello,
A bitter brew and a smelly fruit.
A perfect storm of conditions across the world is making coffee expensive. At the heart of this price rise is climate change as well as China’s new-found love for the world’s smelliest fruit–durian.
What’s the connection? Well, a failed coffee crop in Brazil forced the world to turn to Vietnam for its fix of robusta coffee. Vietnamese farmers, however, have now begun replacing coffee with durian due to drought and to cash in on the rising popularity of durian.
Erratic weather is also behind India’s–one of the world’s top producers of the bean–struggle with coffee output.
“Bean-less” coffee brands say they can help. Take, for example, the US-based brand Atomo, which claims it makes “coffee” by using a blend of ingredients: date seeds, ramón seeds, sunflower seed extract, fructose, pea protein, millet, lemon, guava, fenugreek seeds, caffeine, and baking soda.
On that note, scientists are also finding ways to make chocolate more sustainable by growing cocoa beans in a lab.
Is the world prepared for alt coffee and chocolate?
Meanwhile, the monsoon has overstayed its welcome in India, with rains occurring in several parts of the country even this far in October. While rains during this month aren’t an anomaly, the shift has left farmers and policymakers grappling with the consequences of intense flooding and damage to the crops.
Lastly, where do you see yourself in four years?
For SpaceX founder Elon Musk, the answer is Mars!
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- SaaS for Indian classical music
- Bringing tech to textile
Here’s your trivia for today: What is the name of the literary club founded by J.R.R. Tolkien while in Oxford as a professor?
Entrepreneurship
SaaS for Indian classical music
Ramesh Vinayakam, a trained Western and Indian classical musician, has found his calling in entrepreneurship. He is the brain behind the Gamaka Box Notation System–an innovative approach to notating the intricate ornamentations known as gamakas in Indian classical music, particularly in Carnatic music.
But, like most entrepreneurs, Vinayakam faces a journey fraught with doubt and an obsession with an idea.
Harmony:
- With business tycoon Thyagarajan’s support, Vinayakam transformed his wife’s music school into the Music Temple Academy, set up a small office, and employed a few musicians to fine-tune the Gamaka Box Notation System he invented.
- The ‘box’ in the name refers to the notation’s structure, where each set of notations appears within a box.
- Music Temple aims to revolutionise music education—Carnatic, Hindustani, folk and film—by offering lessons through a software-as-a-service model.
Startup
Bringing tech to textile
Recognising the need to upgrade textile manufacturing to meet modern consumer demands, IIT Delhi alum Ankit Jaipuria and textile businessman Ritesh Khandelwal founded ZYOD in 2023.
The Gurugram-based startup connects brands with Indian factories, helping them design, produce, and deliver high-quality fashion faster and more efficiently. It aims to transform global fashion supply chains by leveraging data-driven tools.
Weaving magic:
- The startup’s platform integrates the entire production process—from design to delivery—using advanced ERP software.
- It enables brands to quickly adapt to market trends, streamline production timelines, and lower minimum order quantities (MOQs), making large-scale manufacturing accessible for small brands.
- ZYOD caters to about 550 customers across 18 countries including Reliance, FirstCry, Rare Rabbit, Allen Cooper, Tata Cliq, Muse, NEXT etc. It has also onboarded international customers including Japan’s Urban Research, Boohoo in the UK, and VAN-DOS in Spain.
News & updates
- Space mission: A SpaceX capsule carrying four private citizens splashed down off the coast of Florida before dawn on Sunday, ending a historic mission that included the world’s first all-civilian spacewalk.
- Splitting up: German billionaire Mathias Doepfner and KKR reached a fundamental deal in the summer to split up the media giant Axel Springer, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.
- Fossil finds: Marine fossils dating back to as early as 8.7 million years ago have been uncovered beneath a south Los Angeles high school. The fossils include a saber-toothed salmon and a megalodon, the gigantic prehistoric shark.
What you should watch out for
- Rate cut: The US Federal Reserve is expected to announce a rate cut during its upcoming meeting on September 17-18, 2024. Projections suggest a reduction of 25 basis points, with some analysts speculating a more aggressive cut of 50 basis points due to recent economic indicators, including weaker-than-expected job growth
- IPO watch: Northern Arc Capital’s Rs 777-crore IPO will open for public subscription on September 16 and conclude on September 19. The price has been fixed in the range of Rs 249 to Rs 263 per share. In all, the primary market is expected to see seven new issues and 13 listings.
What is the name of the literary club founded by J.R.R. Tolkien while in Oxford as a professor?
Answer: The Inklings
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