Profile Overview
Marc Tormo is the founder of Marc’s Coffee in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, a roastery and café focused on improving how coffee is grown, processed, and consumed in India. A Spaniard by birth and an Indian by heart, Marc is a speciality coffee roaster, Q grader, and educator. Through his initiative, the Coffee Learning Community (CLC), he leads programmes on everything from crop-to-cup training. With over two decades of experience across Europe and India, Marc’s mission is simple: to bring depth, dignity, and discovery back to every cup of Indian coffee.
In India, coffee is everywhere. It powers students through sleepless nights, fills the gaps between office meetings, brings families together over quiet conversations, and for some, it’s a passion. But for Marc Tormo, coffee became something else entirely: a calling. Born in Spain, Marc didn’t just fall in love with coffee—he fell in love with India first.
“First, it was a discovery of India,” he recalls. “Then it was a discovery of coffee.”
His story stretches from running cafés in Barcelona to roasting beans on the roadside in Chennai, driven by a thirst for exploration and a deep respect for the craft. Today, tucked away in Auroville, Marc runs more than just a café. It is a roastery, a learning space, and a gathering spot for anyone curious enough to taste coffee differently. For him, coffee isn’t just a drink; it’s a language of connection, care and community.
A Sixteen-Year-Old in Delhi
It started with a feeling. At sixteen, Marc stepped onto Indian soil for the first time, travelling through Delhi, Agra, and Khajuraho with his parents. He didn’t speak the language. He didn’t know the cuisine. But something about India clung to him, intangible yet deeply familiar.
Back in Spain, life unfolded predictably: jobs, independence, and young adulthood. But the pull was unrelenting. At 21, Marc returned to India for six months. That second trip changed everything. What was once a vague connection now felt like a compass.
“I didn’t know what it was exactly,” he reflects. “But it felt like India had something for me to do.”
Still, he didn't rush the answer. Instead, he returned to Spain again, ready for what came next.
Coffee is more than just a crop; it’s a craft. And craft needs care, at every step.
- Marc Tormo
Brewing Beginnings in Barcelona
Marc’s first foray into coffee began in Barcelona, where he and his sister opened a speciality café long before the term was popular. They brewed five to six origins, sold over ten in bulk, and ground beans fresh for customers. It wasn’t about trends, it was about passion.
“That world of coffee was a real turning point for me,” Marc shares. “I began to see how beautiful coffee was for me and how naturally I was managing everything.”
By the time he turned 26, Marc’s café was thriving. But that old pull toward India returned, stronger than ever. On their honeymoon, he and his wife travelled to India and found themselves deeply drawn to its philosophy and spiritual depth. The connection felt undeniable. Soon after, they packed up their lives and moved, this time for good.
Marc’s Journey Back to Coffee
They landed in Pondicherry, eventually moving to Auroville. The idea wasn’t to replicate their old life. In fact, Marc considered walking away from coffee altogether.
“I let go of the past. If coffee came back, great. If not, that was fine too.”, he says.
For eight years, Marc was simply exploring India, travelling, learning, and visiting estates with no fixed agenda. But coffee found him again. Through conversations, chance meetings, and interactions with local growers, the dots began to connect. In 2008, he imported his first roaster, a Probat GP12, from Barcelona. It arrived in Chennai in a wooden box.
The roaster wasn’t ready, but Marc was. Carrying green beans weekly to Chennai’s Mylapore, he began roasting his first batches in a small roastery by the roadside. Those early bags were humble but brimming with intention.
Then he finally installed his roaster. At the time, Marc had no idea how to roast. He learnt entirely by doing. Aside from a brief one-week course at Kaapishastra, there were few resources, and the roasting community in India was fairly guarded.
“No one really wanted to teach you,” he mentions. “I had no idea how to roast. I picked up books, burned a lot of beans, and learned the hard way.”
The learning curve was steep, but over time, through trial, error, and self-analysis, he mastered the craft.
“I’ve spent over 20,000 hours roasting now,” he says. “And that’s why I teach, so others don’t have to go through what I did. A good roasting workshop can save years of mistakes.”
Marc Tormo, the founder of Marc’s Coffee.
A fresh cup of coffee being enjoyed at Marc’s Coffee.
A Roastery, A Classroom
Marc’s Coffee began as a roastery. “Becoming a coffee roaster was always my wish. Marc’s Coffee was founded on that principle.”
But the café came next, a natural extension of the roaster. It became a place to showcase freshness, craftsmanship, and stories behind each origin. Then, education came almost by default.
As Marc puts it, “Unless you teach customers how to appreciate good quality coffee, it’s very tough to really evolve with them.”
This belief led to the creation of the Coffee Learning Community (CLC), which he now calls the most exciting part of his work.
“What’s the point if only a few know what good coffee is and the rest are blank?” he asks.
Today, CLC offers everything from one-day workshops to immersive crop-to-cup programmes and advanced courses on processing and post-harvesting. As a Q-lecturer, Marc also delivers lectures and consultancy, helping estates across India, including robusta growers transition to speciality. The enthusiasm he sees in learners continues to fuel his mission: to nurture a deeper love and appreciation for Indian coffee across the entire value chain.
Today, his family is deeply involved, with both his wife and son actively participating. But this is no three-person act; Marc leads a team of 25–30, all committed to one thing: making quality Indian coffee accessible, ethical, and extraordinary.
First, it was a discovery of India. Then it was a discovery of coffee.
- Marc Tormo
Raising the Bar: India's Path to World-Class Coffee
Marc firmly believes that Indian coffee, when well processed, can compete with the best in the world. “There’s been a tremendous shift,” he says, highlighting advances in fermentation techniques, cleaner washing stations, raised drying beds, and improved post-harvest hygiene. However, significant challenges remain, especially aging infrastructure.
“Many of the pulpers and machinery we use are outdated,” he explains. “It’s time to adopt more efficient, sustainable systems, electric motors, low-water-use technologies, and cleaner environments that respect both the workers and the food product.”
Despite these hurdles, Marc is optimistic. He sees promise in emerging hybrids like F1 varietals with heirloom genetics, which could help India shine globally, even without the genetic wealth of Ethiopia or the terroir of Colombia.
“We have great quality and enormous potential,” he says. “And education is the key.”
To Marc, “Coffee is more than just a crop; it’s a craft. And craft needs care, at every step,” he adds.
Our focus is on education. More workshops, more hands-on training, more people falling in love with coffee the way I did.
- Marc Tormo
India, the Underdog
Why does Indian coffee still struggle for global recognition when Indian tea sits atop the premium pyramid?
“It’s branding,” Marc says. “Branding a country is no joke. Colombia did it brilliantly with education, research, and infrastructure. India has the potential. But we need strong, passionate brands and labels willing to represent Indian coffee abroad.”
He dreams of Indian cafes in Europe, anchors of authenticity, places where people sip and understand what makes this country’s coffee special. Not just for flavour, but for the story it tells about land, resilience, and rebirth.
Inside Marc’s roastery, where coffee is roasted and skills are shared.
Marc Tormo with his wife and son.
The Road Ahead
Marc has no interest in scaling fast. One café is enough. One roaster too, at least until it reaches capacity. Instead, his next chapter is about scaling impact.
“Our focus is on education,” he emphasises. “More workshops, more hands-on training, more people falling in love with coffee the way I did.”
Each year, explore new processes, new coffees, and deepen their relationships with farmers. But Marc’s mission remains rooted in simplicity: connect people to what’s in their cup and where it comes from.
One man from Spain, one café, one roaster, and a belief that a better cup begins with better conversations. That’s what Marc’s Coffee is brewing.
