Brands
Brewing romance Third Wave stirs up Valentine sips
Limited edition drinks from Rs 305 blend rose notes and red velvet till 22 February.
MUMBAI: Love, it seems, now comes with foam on top and a rose petal garnish. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Third Wave Coffee has rolled out a limited-edition beverage line-up designed to turn everyday caffeine fixes into camera-ready, heart-fluttering moments.
At the centre of the seasonal menu is a quartet of indulgent drinks that lean heavily into romance and visual drama. The La Vie en Rose Frappe blends delicate floral rose notes with creamy richness, crowned with whipped cream and dehydrated rose petals for an unmistakably Valentine finish. Its warmer counterpart, the La Vie en Rose Latte, offers a softer, silkier sip with gentle rose undertones and mellow sweetness.
For those who prefer their love stories a little richer, the Red Velvet Milkshake delivers a thick, dessert-style indulgence layered with classic red velvet flavours and topped with whipped cream and velvet crumbs. The Red Velvet Mocha Frappe rounds off the collection, marrying bold coffee and cocoa in a blended treat finished with a whipped topping and red velvet crumble.
Priced from Rs 305 onwards, the collection is positioned as an accessible indulgence, ideal for coffee dates, solo treats or the sort of lingering conversations that stretch beyond the last sip.
The move reflects Third Wave Coffee’s structured, insight-led approach to menu innovation. Seasonal launches are not merely festive flourishes but strategic plays, aligning flavour experimentation with cultural moments and visual storytelling to drive repeat visits and refresh the in-store experience.
Available across outlets until 22 February, the Valentine’s collection invites patrons to slow down and savour the season. In a market where coffee shops compete as much on ambience as on espresso, Third Wave appears keen to ensure that this February, love is not just in the air, but in the cup.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
