India, March 16 -- In the 1980s and the 1990s, the best suitor to the rich, brown Robusta from the blue Nilgiris was the creamy-complexioned Aavin from Tamil Nadu's plains. In neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too, similar alliances were nurtured: Coorg's Arabica was found to be most compatible with Nandini, and the crimson-red make from Andhra's Araku, considered limited edition, was matched with Vijaya, the whitecap from the state's sunny side. The coffee and cream duos grew to win the hearts of every south Indian whose mornings were unthinkable without Aavin, Nandini, and Vijaya - the homegrown cooperative milk federations' 6 am drop-offs.

Cut to 2020. Enter Amul, and a bitter battle ensued disrupting the long-standing relatio...