Profile Overview
V. E. Ovian, a veteran coffee broker, his wife Jessie Ovian, a certified Q-Grader and roaster, and their son Akash Ovian, together run Naivo Coffee. It is a specialty roastery rooted in decades of quiet industry work. Ovian began in 1996 with Indcaffe, a brokerage connecting Indian producers to buyers across Europe. Jessie joined in 2003, bringing sensory precision and quality expertise. Naivo was founded in 2016, and in 2019, Akash came on board, blending global business insight with a deep respect for the family legacy. Today, the Ovians have built one of India’s most trusted roasteries, sourcing top Indian coffees, rare international microlots, and powering the specialty movement from behind the scenes.
Not every coffee company starts with a café. Some take root behind the scenes—at a brokerage desk, through stacks of shipping documents, and in long-distance phone calls connecting Indian farmers to European buyers.
That’s where Naivo began.
It took a roaster, a lockdown, and a leap of faith to turn decades of quiet coffee work into something much bigger.
What emerged is one of India’s most respected specialty roasteries. This is the story of the people behind the process—and the legacy that brought Naivo to life.
The Broker Who Bridged Continents
It was the mid-1990s. India’s coffee trade was just beginning to open up, shaking off years of state control. While most were still figuring out what the shift meant, V. E. Ovian was already moving. With years at the State Trading Corporation of India, he knew how exports worked. But it wasn’t just another commodity that caught his interest—it was coffee.
He began traveling to Europe, stepping into boardrooms with a clear goal: connect Indian growers to global buyers, one deal at a time. Back then, brokers were the backbone of the trade, and Mr. Ovian quickly became one of the most trusted in the space.
“He was one of the first coffee brokers in the country,” says his son, Akash. “He built his business on honesty and transparency.”
In 1996, he launched Indcaffe, a brokerage that operated quietly but efficiently. Buyers came back year after year. So did growers. Mr. Ovian wasn’t just a middleman; he was the glue, someone who understood both sides and never overpromised. In a relationship-driven industry, his word was everything.
For years, this was his rhythm. In a trade shaped by trends, Mr. Ovian stayed constant. And that foundation of trust and quiet consistency would soon shape what came next.
I care deeply about the producer’s story and the cup, and I really want to see more of that coming through in the years ahead.
- Akash Ovian
Reinvention at 45: Jesse’s Journey
If V. E. Ovian was the strategist behind the scenes, Jessie Ovian, his wife was the one who brought the beans to life.
In 2003, at 45, Jessie left her corporate job and enrolled in the Coffee Board’s postgraduate diploma course. She was part of only the second batch ever offered. Armed with a sharp palate and formal training, she joined Indcaffe not just as support, but as its in-house quality expert. Until then, samples had to be sent out for cupping and analysis. Now, Jessie did it all, roasting, tasting, and evaluating from their own lab. Quietly, efficiently, and with a level of precision that would become a signature.
“She’s been roasting and cupping since 2003,” Akash says. “She became our in-house quality expert.”
And in a business built on trust and taste, that made all the difference.
V. E. Ovian with international buyers, brokering coffee deals between India and the world.
The Roaster with No Manual
For two decades, the Ovians moved coffee for others—brokered, cupped, shipped. Then in 2016, without much discussion or a clear plan, Mr. Ovian bought a 20kg Buhler roaster.
No one quite knew what to do with it.
“They didn’t even know which end was the front of the machine,” Akash laughs.
But what began as curiosity quickly became commitment. Jessie stepped into production. She dove into roast profiles, experimented with batches, and slowly turned that silent steel drum into the heartbeat of their operation.
Akash Ovian joined in 2019, after stints in digital media, an MBA from Purdue, and a role in risk management in Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry. India’s specialty coffee scene was heating up. And he didn’t want to watch it from the sidelines.
“I didn’t want to be late,” he says. “I saw the opportunity. And more than that, I felt a pull.”
So in 2019, he came home, ready to build something with roots, and roast with purpose.
We have over 1,25,000 coffee growers in India, but we keep hearing the same 100 names.
- Akash Ovian
The Lockdown That Unlocked Potential
Akash had just gotten back home when, months later, the world shut down. At the time, Naivo was still more of a passion project than a business. And as the first COVID lockdowns rolled in, their main roaster parked 10 kilometers away was suddenly out of reach.
What they did have was a sample roaster, an office filled with green beans, and a refusal to slow down.
“For weeks, my mom roasted 80-gram batches for eight hours a day,” Akash says. Each order 5 to 10 kilos was roasted batch by batch, packed by hand, and sent out via Dunzo and Swiggy. Orders trickled in through Instagram DMs and WhatsApp messages. No platform. Just hustle.
It was chaos, but it was also a turning point.
“That was such an inspiring time, seeing all three of us, my parents and I, completely aligned and so passionate about coffee and what we were building together,” he says.
Jessie Ovian, certified Q Arabica Grader.
A Roastery with Purpose
Post-COVID, Naivo grew into a full-scale B2B roastery. While opening a café seemed like the natural next step, Naivo built the backbone of India’s specialty coffee scene.
With sourcing roots grounded in decades of trust through Indcaffe, Naivo now works with over 60 producers across India, offering a diverse portfolio, from classic washed lots to naturals, honeys, and bold experimental batches.
“Our sourcing strength comes from Indcaffe,” says Akash.
That legacy also opens rare international doors. Most importers deal only in large volumes. But Naivo’s long-standing relationships allow them to bring in small, curated lots from origins like Ethiopia and Colombia, including specialty-grade decaf and rare varietals like Geisha.
But their edge isn’t just sourcing or roasting, it’s access. Naivo has built a system designed for flexibility, making high-quality coffee available to those who wouldn’t typically have it. And for their clients, it’s made simple.
“We want to be a one-stop shop,” Akash says. “If someone is setting up a coffee shop, they walk into our lab, taste through our portfolio, choose their blend and roast profile—we make it happen.”
Whether it’s a new café, a hotel chain, or an emerging brand, Naivo is the quiet force behind the scenes—helping others take center stage. Or as they like to put it: “Your business, our coffee.”
Jessie Ovian roasting at Naivo, where she leads as the in-house quality expert.
Defining Specialty, One Cup at a Time
To Akash, the future of Indian coffee isn’t just about who grows it, it’s also about how we define what makes it special.
Akash sees specialty coffee through a layered lens. In the early 2000s, the term applied to clean, defect-free lots like well-prepared Plantation A coffees that were consistent, well-processed, and free of foreign matter.
Today, the definition has evolved. The bar is higher and more subjective. Specialty now often means a cup that surprises you, and lingers in memory.
As Akash puts it, “Today, specialty coffee is when what’s in the cup blows your mind away.”
Yet for him, both definitions matter. One speaks to discipline, the other to delight. And in a way, both are essential because context shapes how we taste.
A Woman-Led Roasting Team
At the heart of Naivo’s operations are Jessie and four other women. The entire production team, from head roaster to junior assistants, is female.
Jessie continues to lead production. “She’s in the roastery every day. My dad handles finance and admin. I take care of business development. We’ve all found our roles,” Akash adds.
Jessie Ovian at the labs of a trading partner in Italy.
Akash Ovian at a coffee estate, checking the drying process of freshly harvested beans.
The Human Side of Coffee
What keeps him grounded and occasionally restless is a simple truth: India still produces only a small slice of true specialty-grade coffee. And each year, as harvest season approaches, he feels a quiet anxiety about whether he’ll find enough coffee that meets the standard he refuses to compromise on.
Because for the specialty movement to truly thrive, the focus should be on quality. It begins at the farm. You can’t roast your way into excellence. It has to be grown with care, lot after lot, season after season.
But what concerns him just as much as quality is visibility. “We have over 1,25,000 coffee growers in India, but we keep hearing the same 100 names,” he says.
“I want to see more small producers giving us great coffee. As a roaster, every year I'm on the lookout for new producers, and new names,” he explains.
He believes Indian coffee will only reach its potential when its base becomes broader, more inclusive. His dream?
“I care deeply about the producer’s story and the cup, and I really want to see more of that coming through in the years ahead,” he shares.
Because the future of Indian coffee should belong to more than just the familiar few.
Today, specialty coffee is when what’s in the cup blows your mind away.
- Akash Ovian
Looking Ahead
Naivo isn’t trying to scale aggressively. No chain of cafes. No flash. Just better systems, deeper relationships with growers, and roasting that respects the bean.
From their brokerage legacy to roasting venture, the Ovian family is not just building a business. They are building continuity.
In an industry that moves fast, Naivo is choosing to move differently. Slowly. Honestly. Purposefully.
Because some stories, like good coffee, are best brewed with patience.
