A Leeds-based marketeer, coffee lover, and sports enthusiast has combined all his interests to enter into the world of entrepreneurship and is celebrating having joined forces with his favourite Indian cricketer, as he brings a new coffee brand to the UK.
Taking care of Influencer Marketing and Brand Partnership for Myprotein India, Pradeep Singh Narwal, born and brought up in Haryana, North India, has worked with many brands and celebrities but it was cricket legend Virat Kohli who recently caught his attention, and his association with a new coffee brand, claiming to be an alternative for the health conscious coffee drinker, which has led him to become an entrepreneur.
Pradeep, 35, who moved to the UK in 2018 to pursue a Master's degree in sports business at Leeds Beckett University, is a huge sports fan and from a young age aspired to play cricket professionally. Although circumstances led him to pursue a different path, he still loved to play and his passion for sports never waned. With a Masters degree in Sports Business and a background at MyProtein as an influencer marketing specialist, he got the opportunity to connect effectively with athletes. Having grown up in Bangalore, India, Pradeep developed his love for the rich taste of filter coffee from a young age but motivated by his own health and wellness goals had recently started to look for alternatives.
He said: “Bangalorean filter coffee is really amazing. There is a stall at Bangalore airport named Hatti Kaapi where we used to go almost every weekend, but if not, but at least once a month to have coffee. Even the small vendors, local vendors, used to sell filter coffee and drinking coffee was always a big part of my social life too - we used to have late night talks with friends, with a coffee.”
“When I moved to the UK, I still missed that taste of coffee but I got used to the coffee here with time. Now I'm a black coffee drinker, so I need my black coffee early in the morning, and I cannot start my morning without having a black coffee, and I often go for butterscotch or dark chocolate flavours now, which is an enjoyable energy kick.”
Rage Coffee is infused with vitamins derived from plants, focusing on gut health to avoid acidity and bloating and offering flavours that evoked nostalgic memories, like the rich butterscotch and dark chocolate varieties that reminded him of his days in Bangalore, Pradeep was drawn in- but it was the fact that Virat Kohli, one of his all time favourite sportsmen, was an ambassador that turned his head the most.
Pradeep said: "As a huge Virat Kohli fan, his involvement with the brand initially caught my interest but when I was introduced to it I was amazed by its strong caffeine kick without the bitterness and its qualities as a healthier alternative to traditional filter coffee, using no artificial syrups for its flavours. I also love the science behind it and I learnt that the 100% natural extracts included in the blends are typically found in foods, but not always easy to get from diet alone. I am a huge coffee lover - it’s a part of my heritage, but as I have gotten older I have become more health conscious and try and make better nutritional choices “
It seems he’s not alone. Research shows that 53% of UK coffee drinkers show interest in information about caffeine levels and products offering varied levels of it, yet only a few brands highlight this aspect.
Featured in media worldwide including Forbes, The Statesman and BBC Good Food Guide, every 3.25 gms serving contains 275 mg of all-natural plant extracts including:
L-Theanine - Tea extract that balances daily anxiety; Ginkgo Biloba - The only living fossil consumed since the earliest days of human history;Panax Ginseng - Known to improve work efficiency, physical stamina and athletic endurance; Bacopa Monnieri- Used for improving memory and better cerebral blood flow; Rhodiola Rosea - Adapts to any kind of stress like anxiety, fatigue, and also nervousness; and L-Glutamine - Amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins.
Pradeep is passionate about helping to give coffee a new image, and is passionate about putting the customer back in control, helping them to understand what they are consuming. He said “ We clearly indicate the caffeine content, and all the plant based ingredients in each blend. It's about giving people the choice and control over their coffee experience. I’m excited to now build this business and find ways to spread awareness of how we do things differently"
