Sipping cold coffee is mindful leisure. It’s like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Depaul’s—one of Delhi’s favourite cold coffee spots for more than six decades is a curiosity in itself. Packed in tiny, customised bottles of 200 ml, Depaul’s beverage lasts just about 4 happy gulps- but then that is precisely the short pause one needs in the middle of a bustling flea market area of Janpath. This coffee shop can be credited for popularising a largely unfamiliar taste to the youth of the 1950s and 1960s. In an era when ‘cold drink’ meant homemade lemonade or shikanji, Depaul’s cold coffee provided an alternative that was instantly available. It also made for a ‘cool’ hang out with friends and college mates.
The coffee shop’s story began in 1952 with Dharampal Kathpalia and his family. The name Depaul’s is a phonetic play on the founder’s name. Kathpalia had six brothers and one sister, and his strict parents believed that academics or government service were the only respectable professions. They felt that independent business and entrepreneurship are messy and cumbersome and hence not the ideal career path for their children.
But as they say, destiny is a wilful steed that leads the rider along its chosen path. And that is exactly what happened to Kathpalia. From the very beginning, he was besotted with the idea of running his own business. Despite his father’s resistance and reluctance, he went ahead and rented a shop to open a general store selling daily-use items, along with a counter to sell ready-made snacks. The store was positioned on the main arterial road of Janpath, earlier known as Queensway.
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Milk, sugar, coffee and glass
The Janpath market was one of the most fashionable and high-end commercial areas created by British city planners. With architectural gems like Connaught Place on one side and the politically significant India Gate on the other- Queensway was one of the most expensive locations to rent a shop in. After the first rush of enthusiasm had run its course and when the expense and earning mismatch began to mount increasingly, Kathpalia decided to change his business plan.
He chose a more discrete and inexpensive spot at the end of the L-shaped market and restarted the Depaul’s canteen-cum-store with an increased focus on things that young people like—cosmetics, a limited menu of popular fast-food snacks, and cold coffee. The caffeine beverage was Kathpalia’s passion project, he played with the recipe to perfect it.
“He chose to use fresh stock of full-fat pasteurised milk by Amul brand instead of milk from local dairies, which were abundantly available all around Delhi. Locally accessed milk would have been cheaper but he felt there would be no standardisation so he went for branded milk supply,” says Ashwani Kathpalia, Dharampal’s son and the current owner of Depaul’s.
The founder used not only the best quality edible materials such as coffee powder and sugar but even the glass used to make the bottles in which Depaul’s coffee was sold was sourced from the National Glass Company, which used good quality material. The design of the bottle had a pleasing novelty and its size was deliberately kept slender and tiny to provide a ‘small refreshment’ to people. The starting price was just Re 1 to entice the young consumer.
Nobody ever knows the secret of success, but it seems everything came together for Depaul’s coffee. It became a smash hit with young college-going boys and girls who would come from all over the city and crowd outside the shop to meet friends. Positioned at the cul de sac or dead end of a corridor, this non-descript little canteen had no fancy seating nor any eye-catching wall art. But it became a favourite spot among young people who would wash down sandwiches, burgers and patty with the famous cold Depaul’s coffee.
“It seems that the taste, quality, quantity and price was just how the youngsters wanted it. This shop has seen celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Mallika Sherawat relish the cold coffee when they were young students in Delhi. NRI’s come here whenever they visit India…all because of nostalgia. Years of accumulated memories of good times and good taste,” says Ashwini smiling.
This article is part of a series called BusinessHistories exploring iconic businesses in India that have endured tough times and changing markets. Read all articles here.