Fresh & Honest began as a small division of Sterling Horticulture & Research Ltd., with five imported Swiss Egro machines that were brought to India by our Chairman for the Ahara exhibition in Delhi during Feb.1995. These machines were installed in some of the five star hotels in Delhi.

The success of the venture was mainly due to the unique franchising system whereby world class freshly brewed coffee vending machines were given to users on a capital-free basis with an assured supply of quality roasted coffee beans and a 24-hr maintenance. The user paid per cup of coffee vended. In essence, he had a capital-free business wherein he paid for the usage out of his earnings.

The initial thrust was on Star Hotels and from a single machine in many of the hotels the usage multiplied to several machines in the same hotel, which reflected their confidence in our service, quality and concept.

The next major breakthrough came with the installation of the machines in Chennai Central Railway Station and later on at Mumbai Churchgate and Victoria Terminus Railway stations. This happened in late 1996 and the next logical step was airports and again Chennai airport was the first to have the installations. At all these locations the Company operated the machines directly.

These locations really opened up public awareness to these machines and the appreciation of quality led to many enquiries and installations.

The MNCs and major hospitals constituted another important segment of important large-scale customers because of the convenience, quality, pricing, besides hygiene.

In 1997 the Company became an independent entity under the name Fresh & Honest Cafe Ltd. As the name implies, the product dispensed has always been fresh and the various backup claims made have been honest and adhered to.

The company was the first to introduce from one single machine several other hot beverages like tea, soups, hot chocolate, etc., and each product was the best in the market. Tea was from Twinings of England, natural vegetable soups and hot chocolate were from the world-famous Swiss companies imported for exclusive use on the machines of Fresh & Honest and not available to any other such companies.

In 2000, the Company launched a separate division for soya milk and soya products with a patented Canadian technique - again, a first-time achievement in India - and established a modern plant in Chennai.

Naturally with such an ever-increasing installation base, the company went for its own roasting plant, packaging units, etc., and again the facilities installed were the best and world-class.

In 2003, the company launched a range of cold beverages including a variety of Swiss-imported milkshakes, ice teas and cold chocolate, besides the usual cold coffee.

The company is proud that FHCL name has become synonymous with fresh quality coffee in India, and that the hospitality industry and MNCs today automatically choose us for service.

In 2004, obtained ISO 9001:2000 certification.

In 2005, obtained HACCP Certification for the factory.

In 2006, our factory became a Fully-Automated plant with pneumatic controls.