Can a filter kappi lip balm really transport you back to that unforgettable sip of filter coffee of Hotel Annapoorna? Intrigued, I tried it and my doubts disappeared with the very first swipe. The buttery lip balm leaves a subtle brown tint and carries an unmistakable comforting aroma of Annapoorna filter coffee. “We have bottled a memory,” says Jegan Damodarasamy, CEO of Annapoorna Hotels.
Coimbatore-based Annapoorna Hotels has partnered with Vilvah, a sustainable skincare brand, to launch two limited-edition lip balms — Coffee Brown and Rosemilk Pink. Jegan calls the collaboration rooted deeply in nostalgia, sustainability, and the shared ethos of two homegrown brands.
The idea came from Annapoorna’s signature 100 per cent Arabica filter coffee. The restaurant brews nearly 250 kilograms of coffee a day, and although the grounds are discarded, Jegan realised they still contain antioxidants and compounds beneficial for skincare. “Can we repurpose this into something useful?”, he thought, and this eventually led to the launch of the lip balms. “Vilvah is a bootstrapped brand that aligned with our values,” he reasons.
Kruthika Kumaran, CEO and founder of Vilvah, says this partnership has an emotional resonance in the Kongu region. “My first instinct was to create a product that has a sensory element, a connection to taste and nostalgia, and appeals to a wide audience. A lip balm felt ideal, carrying a fragrance that evokes memory.”
However, developing the product came with challenges, especially getting the flavour right. “I was particular about the exact aroma and flavour of Annapoorna’s Arabica filter coffee (not generic coffee or cappuccino notes) preserving the unique roasting and blend notes. It has to be replicated without using any synthetic or artificial flavours,” recalls Jegan adding that they finalised the unmistakable flavour after multiple rounds of trials by both teams.
Rosemilk Pink lip balm
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Special Arrangement
While the beverage uses just a few elements (milk, coffee, sugar), the lip balm formula had 26 natural ingredients, each with its own note. Masking every note and still bringing out Annapoorna’s signature coffee fragrance required intense trials and many R&D iterations.
Midway, the idea of adding rosemilk lip balm emerged, another iconic Annapoorna drink with a huge nostalgic following. Says Kruthika, “Formulation has been challenging. Because rose milk is popular among children, safety was the first priority. We used natural butters, plant oils, fresh Annapoorna coffee extract (for Coffee Brown) and real paneer rose petals for the Rosemilk Pink variant. The biggest hurdle was recreating gloss and glide without using silicones, mineral oils, petroleum derivatives. Creating the right aroma was even harder.”
As a beauty brand, Kruthika strongly believes in hyperlocalisation. “Beauty needs vary across regions, cultures, and skin tones. Most Indian beauty products are created for fair-toned consumers. For this project, I chose tints that match the pigmented lip tones of South Indian skin.”
Annapoorna Hotels partnered with Vilvah to launch two limited-edition lip balms
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
To Jegan, this is more than a product, a statement that homegrown brands can create trendsetting ideas that enrich customers in a meaningful, emotional way. “It proves local brands can come together with strength and dignity, without ‘giving away’ their brand. It has opened customers of both brands to each other organically,” he says, adding, “Nostalgia played a huge part, especially for people who miss Annapoorna coffee when away from Coimbatore. When people think of filter coffee or rosemilk, I want Annapoorna to be the first name that comes to mind. If this lip balm helped that happen even a little, we have done our job.”
The special-edition lip balms are priced at ₹395 each or ₹699 for the duo. They are now available across all Annapoorna Hotel outlets, Vilvah stores, and online
