MUMBAI:

Tata Starbucks

, the 50:50 joint venture between

Starbucks Coffee Company

and

Tata Global Beverages

has confirmed that the first store in India will open in the Horniman Circle area of Mumbai by the end of October 2012.

The store will also be the first

Starbucks

location to feature espresso sourced and roasted locally from India through the coffee sourcing and roasting agreement with Tata Coffee.

"We are delighted to be able to announce our progress toward opening our first store in India and to introduce locally sourced espresso," said John Culver, president, Starbucks China and Asia Pacific, in a statement.

Tata Global Beverages is a company known for bringing memorable tea consumption moments to consumers in India, stated Harish Bhat, CEO, Tata Global Beverages.

The joint venture is in line with Tata Global Beverages' strategy of growing through strategic alliances in addition to organic growth.

"We are excited about the opportunity to innovate in the retail space and bring new beverage moments to more consumers,'' he added.

Tata Starbucks will own and operate Starbucks cafes in India.

Tata Starbucks also announced the appointment of

Avani Saglani Davda

as CEO. Avani, who has worked for the Tata companies for more than ten years, joined the

Tata Group

as a TAS (Tata Administrative Service) probationer in 2002. Most recently, she worked in the vice chairman's office for Tata Global Beverages, where she was responsible for driving and facilitating key strategies and initiatives for the company as well as marketing and business development assignments.