Sip it Up: Celebrate the Art & Creativity on World Cocktail Day

There has been a clear shift toward premiumization in the alcobev segment, driven by evolving consumer preferences, global exposure, and a growing appetite for refined experiences. This shift benefits the restaurant sector tremendously. 

A Real win for Restaurants
Premium alcobev choices translate into higher per-cover spends. It’s all about delivering something more meaningful high-quality ingredients, expert craftsmanship, and a sense of occasion in every sip. Around 60-70% of the brands focus on premiumization. Premiumization has been a real win for restaurants. Guests are now looking for unique, elevated drinking experiences and not just a standard pint. This opens up opportunities for curated menus, pairing experiences, and higher-margin offerings. It’s all about collaborating more closely with chefs, designing flavour-led tap takeovers, and turning a night out into something memorable.

Restaurants collaborate with premium brands to boost their revenue and to offer something new to the audiences. “We closely collaborate with premium alcobev brands through exclusive menu integrations, limited-edition pop-ups, and co-branded events. These partnerships help us stay fresh and relevant, while also offering guests something new to look forward to,” shared Amit Raman, General Manager, The Dragonfly Kitchen & Bar, Radisson Blu Pune Hinjawadi.

Pricing & Target Audiences
Premium beverages complement the culinary journey and enhance the overall guest satisfaction. Pricing and target audiences go hand-in-hand. Restaurants mainly target the age-group of 20-45 who are open for experimentation.

Commenting on this, Raman said, “Our target audience primarily includes urban professionals, millennials, and well-travelled guests who appreciate quality, and view dining out as a holistic lifestyle experience. Pricing for our premium beverages typically ranges from ₹700 to ₹2,100 per drink, with curated tasting flights and signature cocktails offering even greater value.” However, for Anirudh Khanna, Managing Director, Independence Brewing Company, the pricing typically ranges from 295 - 315 per pint in Pune while, 325 - 375 in Mumbai.

Crafting Unique Experiences
Focusing on quality and craftsmanship, it allows restaurant to go beyond just pouring a drink. It helps to create something truly memorable. With small-batch brews, seasonal flavours, and thoughtfully curated spaces, brands can offer guests experiences that feel personal and special.

Khanna mentioned that whether it’s a guided tasting, a food pairing, or a limited-edition release, it’s all about making every visit feel like something worth savoring.

Marketing it Right
These days it’s all about Aesthetic-Driven Marketing where they prefer high-contrast photos/videos of cocktails with smoke, fire, mist, or vibrant garnishes grab attention.

Dharmendra RS, COO, Gigu Hospitality explained that Influencer bartenders or celebrity mixologists create buzz-worthy content by doing a Limited-Edition Hype where brands announce “only this weekend” menus, guest mixologist nights, and bottle takeovers.

“We have to educate our audiences with the content through reels and videos. We can also add behind-the-scenes stories showing prep, sourcing, and technique. Hyperlocal targeting of premium clientele via platforms like Instagram and Zomato to promote elite events or drink launches is helpful,” he further pointed.

Sourcing the Right Ingredients 
Ingredients & Sourcing is really important as brands can partner with organic herb farms, single-origin bitters, and local foragers for fresh garnishes and botanicals. In-house syrups, shrubs, and infusions reduce dependency on external brands.

Highlighting on visual presentation, Dharmendra elaborated, “Cocktail plating is the new food plating – use of edible flowers, smoked domes, ice stamps, branded glassware. Naming cocktails with thematic inspiration (films, books, and seasons) adds identity. Standardization & SOPs and Staff training are very much needed.”

The Challenges Faced 
One of the biggest challenges is educating the market, not everyone immediately understands the value behind craft or small-batch brews. 

“There’s also the pressure of maintaining consistency while experimenting with new styles. For us, the key has been staying true to our craft while constantly engaging our audience, whether through storytelling, tastings,” added Khanna.

We can truly say that in the coming years, premiumization will go beyond just higher price points — it will center on perceived value, emotional resonance, and compelling brand storytelling.

In India, the role of mixologists has evolved from being just a bartender to becoming an artist and storyteller behind the bar. Today, mixologists are integral to the dining experience; they shape the beverage narrative, drive creativity, and elevate the overall brand ethos of a restaurant. The rise of modern mixology has been significantly shaped by Western cocktail culture and a surge of creativity within the hospitality industry. 

Brands have played a pivotal role in enhancing the drinking experience, inspiring mixologists to refine their craft and develop extraordinary, memorable cocktails. Let’s see how mixologists have evolved in the industry. Know about their journey, challenges, experience and advice they would like to give for the future mixologists.

Shatbhi Basu, India’s First Lady Mixologist & Independent Director, Mount Everest Breweries Ltd started her journey in bartending in 1981 when this wasn’t really a career option seriously for anyone at all. “We had no way of specializing in the bar unless you travelled abroad. The designation of “bartender “did not exist. We had very little access to ingredients and tools to work with, unlike those in the West. So, our learning came from reading as many books as we could find on bartending and spirits, then adapting international recipes with local ingredients. Being inspired by them but creating our own versions of what could work for our customers. It made us push our boundaries to face challenges and that is what got us to get great at what we did,” she shared.

Playing with flavours is always exciting, and as you learn techniques and up your skills, one learns to innovate using the experiences and share with your customers and the space around you. One can pick flavours from cuisines, desserts, and, in fact, everything you are exposed to. The more you open your mind, the more you are able to get a feel of what works and what doesn’t. It’s a beautiful world of magical flavour journeys that keep you entranced. 

Yangdup Lama, Co-Owner, SideCar who started around 30 years back mentioned that the world of mixology is completely different from what we have now. Young bartenders and mixologists these days have much knowledge, and the exposure is really great. These days, one need not have to wait for long years to become a professional in this field. Earlier, people use to spend 10 years to attain a good position. Now, it’s all faster, earlier we had few types of equipment, nowadays it’s all handy. “We used to read books and gain knowledge. Now, one can browse through the internet and get all the information they want. The experience, exposure, knowledge is much better off and it’s very competitive. Great ideas, more knowledge and creativity are thriving in this field right now,” added Lama.

“Journey into mixology was completely unplanned. I hail from Ukhrul, Manipur and bartending wasn’t something I had considered as a career initially. However, I quickly discovered my passion for it and joined the Roseate team, where I’ve had the chance to develop my skills under the guidance of some incredibly talented professionals. One of the main challenges I faced was being a young woman in an industry traditionally dominated by men. It took a lot of hard work, resilience and perseverance on my part,” commented Chanyo Kashung, Lead Mixologist, ChidyaGhar.

The constant support from her colleagues and the opportunity to break stereotypes at Chidya Ghar, an all-women-run bar, has been a pivotal part of overcoming those challenges. “I’ve learned that every challenge is an opportunity to grow and create something extraordinary. Keep pushing boundaries and never stop learning. This profession is all about creativity and passion so embrace your individuality and don't be afraid to experiment,” she further added.

Felipe Guajardo Silva, Bar Manager & Mixologist, Milagro Mumbai stepped behind a bar at 19, initially drawn to the fast-paced world of hospitality. What started as a job soon became a passion, leading to a career that took him across different parts of the world. A defining moment came when he moved to the Caribbean in Mexico, where he immersed himself in the craft and began refining his skills.

"For me, bartending has always been about pushing boundaries—experimenting with flavors, trying new ingredients, and constantly evolving. Moving to Mumbai introduced me to an entirely new palette of flavors. The vibrant streets, fresh tropical fruits, and diverse spices inspired me to create cocktails that capture that same energy,” he added by pointing that over his 20 years in this industry, the biggest challenge has been getting people to open their minds and palates to new tastes. Earlier, guests stuck to familiar drinks, but today, they’re more adventurous. Now, the challenge isn’t convincing them to try something new—it’s staying ahead of their expectations and constantly innovating.

“I began my journey in the restaurant industry over two decades ago when mixology wasn’t a term known to many in India. Earlier the biggest challenge was access to quality ingredients, equipment, and even awareness was very limited among consumers. We had to innovate with what we had, build knowledge from scratch, and train teams from ground up. At Donmai, I’ve channeled that entire learning curve to design a beverage program that mirrors the restaurant’s philosophy—mindful, balanced, and bold. Every cocktail on our menu is conceptualized to offer a layered sensory experience using modern techniques like sous vide infusions, house-made syrups, and Japanese ingredients, all while keeping approachability intact,” shared Sameer Uttamsingh, Founder & Mixologist, Donmai.

Razwan, Beverage Head, All in Hospitality said, “My journey began in Barcelona, during a time when mixology was experiencing a renaissance. Traveling introduced me to a world of diverse ingredients, techniques, and cultural nuances, deepening my understanding of hospitality. I quickly realized that mixology wasn’t just about making drinks—it was about crafting immersive, unforgettable experiences. One of the greatest challenges has been navigating the diverse drinking cultures across the world. While nightlife and revelry remain dominant themes, the essence of true hospitality lies in striking a balance between honoring traditions and pioneering new concepts,” he shared.

Advice

“I’d say study hard, know everything about each liquid that you work with and every bottle in your bar and be open to constant new learning and change. Ask questions and understand that everything you do in a bar has a reason. Apply your scientific mind to techniques and make every drink a work of art that sings in the mouth,” shared Basu.

Commenting on the same, Lama pointed, “Discipline is the key. Can’t compromise on that. Certain set of principles is needed in the way you work and talk.”

“Stay humble. Learn, teach, and never stop evolving. Always smile, be polite, and remember—most of us spend more time behind the bar than in our own homes. Make that time count,” Felipe.

These days, there is a surge in home-grown brands—from beauty and fashion to food and beverages. This shift has given rise to a strong demand for locally crafted products that resonate with Indian tastes and preferences. They are gaining both domestic loyalty and international recognition. Driven by shifting consumer tastes, rising disposable incomes, and a growing respect of luxury and artisan beverages, domestic alcohol businesses in India have been remarkably flourishing in recent years. Initiatives like "Atmanirbhar Bharat" and the "Vocal for Local" definitely contribute to it. So, what is the market size?

The Indian alcohol beverage market was estimated to be worth $52.4 billion as of September 2024, with a large share of the market being accounted for by domestic brands. By 2028, the alcohol market in India is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8%.

What’s Trending

The alcohol industry is seeing new trends, such as the rise of premium and craft beverages, flavoured alcohol, and eco-friendly packaging. More brands are using local ingredients and experimenting with unique flavours to attract customers. 

“At Medusa beverages we are also conscious on the ingredients that go into our beer, and we are one of the few brands to disclose the exact percentage of alcohol in our beer which has now become a trend,” shares Gaurav Sehgal, Head of Marketing, Medusa Beverages.

●    Premiumization & Unique Ingredients: Consumers now seek high-quality, flavorful brews that offer more than just a drink—they want an experience. Use of saffron, ginger, turmeric, and peppercorn in its craft beers reflects this shift.

●    Low-ABV & Sessionable: The rise of lighter, all-day drinkable alcohol is evident for consumer preferences.

●    Experimental Flavors & Indian-Inspired Brewing: Use of Flavours with zesty lemon rind, ginger, turmeric, and peppercorn, caters to consumers looking for bold yet refreshing flavors.

●    Global Expansion: Homegrown alcohol brands are becoming a great player in international markets.

Shantanu Upadhyay, Co-Founder & CEO, Kati Patang notes, "Our beers are crafted for a new generation of drinkers—those who want complexity, quality, and Indian flavors. The industry is shifting, and Kati Patang is at the forefront of this evolution. India needs to tax alcohol by ABV, not volume. Consumers want to ‘drink less but drink better,’ yet our policies push them toward stronger spirits instead of premium craft beer."

"To stay ahead, we leverage data-driven marketing, collaborate with influencers, and expand strategically across states. Our focus remains on affordability without compromising quality. Strong branding, tech-driven personalization, and community-building ensure we reach the right audience in India’s competitive beer market," adds Tarun Bhargava, Co-Founder & CEO, Proost.
 

The Foreseen Challenges
●    Excessive Taxation: Beer is taxed 8-10x more than spirits, despite its lower alcohol content.
●    Regulatory Hurdles: State-specific excise duties and brand registration fees make craft beer costlier than necessary.
●    Consumer Education: While craft beer is growing, many consumers still default to mainstream lagers. It can be tackled with tasting events, digital storytelling, and premium brand positioning.

However, the industry faces challenges like different state regulations, high taxes among others. While big cities remain key markets, smaller towns are also becoming important as more people there start exploring new products.

GopiChand Cherukuri, Founder, Indian Craft Brewery commented, ‘Bangalore is a hotbed for craft beer innovation. We're seeing experimentation with local ingredients like millet and growing interest in barrel-aged and sour beers. Sustainability is also gaining traction. However, complex regulations and rising raw material costs (like a 20% increase in barley prices) are challenges.”

He adds, “Recently, you might have noticed the no. of outlets got shutdown in Koramangala, Bangalore due to high rental costs. To overcome these, we focus on efficiency and local partnerships. The market is becoming more inclusive, with a growing number of women consumers, now around 25% in urban areas.”

Right Audience in the Competitive Market

In a crowded market where consumer preferences are evolving rapidly, brands must do more than just sell a product—they must create an ecosystem of experiences, storytelling, and cultural relevance. 

Brands use digital marketing, social media, and influencer collaborations to reach the right audience. They also partner with bars, restaurants, and retail stores to make their products more visible. Sponsoring events, running promotions, and engaging with customers through interactive experiences help brands build loyalty and stand out in a competitive market.

“The brand’s strategic distribution ensures that its brews are available in India’s top bars, premium retail outlets, and select international markets, positioning Kati Patang as a globally competitive Indian craft beer. However, true consumer connection goes beyond availability—it’s about engagement. Kati Patang achieves this through experiential marketing, with Kati Patang Trial Room serving as its flagship initiative, creating a space where subcultures, creativity, and craft beer collide. This immersive approach fosters deeper and more meaningful connections, ensuring the brand remains memorable and relevant to its audience,” notes Shantanu.

Differential Pricing

The pricing of the products differ from state to state because of the changing government policies.

Gaurav adds, “Medusa Beverages is available in multiple states across India in liquor stores, bars, and other retail outlets. At present we are in seven States including Delhi, Punjab, Himachal, Chandigarh, UP, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh. However, pricing varies because each state has different tax and excise policies. Some states impose higher taxes, leading to different prices across locations.”

“Kati Patang is available in select states across India, with pricing variations reflecting the diverse excise duties, taxation policies, and regulatory frameworks in each region,” mentions Shantanu.

Government Regulations to Follow

Government regulations in the alcohol industry keep changing. Recently, stricter rules on labeling and packaging have been introduced. Brands must follow these rules carefully to avoid legal issues and continue expanding. As policies evolve, companies need to stay updated and ensure compliance to operate smoothly in different states. Few other rules are:
●    Aligning Taxation with Global Standards – Taxing alcohol by ABV instead of volume would make more affordable.
●    Introducing a Nationwide GST – This would eliminate state-by-state tax variations and make pricing more competitive.
●    Allowing Online Sales – Current restrictions prevent from reaching wider audiences, despite technological safeguards.

“Another key area of focus for the government is sustainability. Many states are encouraging breweries and beverage manufacturers to adopt environmentally friendly practices, such as sustainable packaging, water conservation in brewing processes, and reducing the carbon footprint in logistics. At BeeYoung, we are committed to sustainable brewing and continuously explore ways to make our production process more eco-friendly,” pointed Abhinav Jindal, CEO of Kimaya Himalayan Beverages (BeeYoung Beer and BeeYoung Brewgarden).

Highlighting further, he said, “Changes in retail and distribution policies have also impacted the industry. Some states are revising their excise laws to streamline the procurement process for modern trade channels and allow greater flexibility in on-premises sales. Keeping pace with these regulatory developments is crucial, and we actively work with industry bodies and policymakers to ensure compliance while also advocating for reforms that support the growth of homegrown craft beer brands.”

The Future

The future of home-grown alcohol brands looks bright. Consumers are willing to spend more on high-quality drinks, and brands are focusing on offering new experiences like brewery tours and tastings events. Digital engagement will continue to play a big role in marketing. Indian brands also have opportunities to expand to international markets, especially in regions where Indian flavours are gaining popularity. Growth will depend on innovation, strong branding, and adapting to changing customer preferences.
 

Food has traditionally been a means of gaining an appreciation and knowledge of other cultures. It takes us on a gastronomic voyage as we look to uncover the diverse range of tastes and customs that other countries have to offer.

With more travel and chefs experimenting around food there has been lots of focus around indigenous ingredients and ingredients that has never been in focus earlier.

"Today, we're witnessing a revival, a rediscovery of the extraordinary flavors and nutritional value these native components offer. It’s a privilege to reinterpret these time-honored ingredients, to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation," commented Chef Sarfaraz, Corporate Chef, Passion F&B, Carnival by Tresind, Mumbai who uses ingredients like Togarashi, Yuzu Kosho and Shisho Leave.

"We have Lobster Vada Pav which is special as one can reimagine the version of the classic Mumbai street food, Vada Pav with influence from Japanese ingredients. We use Yuzu Kosho spread on the Pav (bread), place fresh Shisho leaves, and top the Vada Pav with Tofarashi Lasooni Chutney. We use Yuzu in Chica Picante to add a unique, zesty citrus note that enhances the cocktail's vibrant and tantalizing flavor," he added.

Use of Natural Ingredients

From ancient remedies to contemporary creations, native botanicals and fruits have significantly influenced the restaurant industry. They are the foundational flavor profiles that have inspired countless beverages. While globalization has sometimes overshadowed these indigenous elements, resurgence in their appreciation is now taking place. This is an exhilarating time to explore, innovate, and honor the diverse and rich flavors,

"We celebrate the versatility of fresh, natural ingredients by using them across both our food and beverages. Our signature cooler, Vasantneer, is crafted with fresh coconut water, a dash of organic honey, and a squeeze of lemon juice, enhanced with muddled mint leaves. We only break the coconut right before serving to keep it as fresh as possible," said Chef Sudhir Head Chef & Consultant, Tat Coastal Cuisine who added that coconut doesn’t just shine in our drinks; it’s also a key ingredient in many of our dishes, adding a rich, creamy flavor to our coastal cuisine.

The Kokam Sting, made with kokam and mint leaves, showcases the same ingredients found in their dishes. This innovative approach highlights the versatility of these ingredients, enhancing both their drinks and dishes with a unified, refreshing taste. At Tat Coastal Cuisine, this seamless blend of flavors across their menu creates a unique and memorable dining experience.

"We’re excited to showcase the versatile Cinnamon Stick in a fresh, new way. This spice shines in our flavorful Roganjosh, adding deep warmth and richness, and also makes our Hot Toddy cocktail special with its cozy, aromatic touch. By using cinnamon in both our savory dishes and sweet drinks, we’re offering a unique dining experience that blends traditional flavors with a modern twist. We’re thrilled to bring this innovative idea to our guests, turning a common spice into a standout ingredient in both our meals and beverages, " explained Chaitanya Bali, Owner, Nouba who said that we’re all about creating exciting, memorable flavors with a creative approach to everyday ingredients.

India has been a country of tea drinkers for centuries, but the trend is slowly shifting towards healthier options. Matcha, a type of green tea that originated from Japan, is now making waves in India as people become more health-conscious and aware of the benefits of consuming organic products.

The first Indian matcha was produced in 2016 by a tea garden in Upper Assam. While it may not match the quality of the original Japanese matcha, it was a step in the right direction. Matcha, which literally means 'powdered tea', is consumed as tea or used as an ingredient in recipes. Its health benefits exceed those of other green teas, with 137 times more antioxidants as matcha drinkers ingest the whole leaf, not just the brewed water.

Matcha was brought to Japan by a Buddhist monk over 900 years ago and has been an essential component of Zen Buddhism philosophy ever since, especially in tea ceremonies. According to Grand View Research, matcha green tea consumption is predicted to grow from $2.6 billion in 2017 to $5.6 billion by 2025.

Matcha is already popular in the US and European countries as a superfood for fitness, but it is still a relatively new product in India. Nevertheless, the market for green tea has tripled in India, with consumers' changing mindset about organic products and rising healthcare costs. This trend is expected to surpass the market for black tea by 2025.

Matcha coffee, also known as matcha latte, is another variant of matcha that is gaining popularity in India. It has a unique flavor that is slightly bitter and earthy with a hint of sweetness. The vibrant green color comes from the chlorophyll in the tea leaves. Matcha coffee is often marketed as a natural energy booster, which appeals to India's young and busy population. It is also a favorite among fitness enthusiasts and people following a plant-based or vegan diet, as it is dairy-free and contains no animal products.

One of the key reasons for the rise of matcha tea and coffee in India is its numerous health benefits. Matcha contains caffeine, which helps to increase energy levels and improve focus. Restaurants and cafes across India are capitalizing on this trend by adding matcha tea and coffee to their menus. Many have even created specialty drinks and desserts featuring matcha as a key ingredient, which have become popular with consumers looking for unique and healthy food and drink options.

In the world of culinary exploration, the introduction of Matcha tea and coffee has been nothing short of a sensation. Fig At Malcha and Fig at Museo are just a couple of establishments that have added this unique and flavorful option to their menus, delighting their patrons with its health benefits and incredible taste. From hot tea to iced and hot lattes, this vibrant green tea has taken the culinary world by storm.

One of the great things about Matcha is that it can be served in many ways. Whether you prefer a hot tea or a cold latte, the flavor and nutritional benefits remain intact. At Fig At Malcha, they have taken it a step further by offering Matcha lattes with alt milk options, like coconut and oat milk, to give their patrons a truly elevated experience. Fig's brand manager, Sureena Dalal, believes that the gradual spike of caffeine in Matcha makes it a perfect alternative for coffee lovers who need a break.

Kampai, a Delhi-based Japanese restaurant, has also embraced Matcha in their menu. Their guests rave about the newly launched Matcha Cake, a delectable dessert with a creamy Matcha-flavored cake filling on a crunchy cookie crust. Not only does it taste great, but the visually appealing green color of Matcha has made it a popular option for Instagram-worthy food and beverages.

It's not just standalone cafes and restaurants that are taking notice of Matcha's popularity, but even food and beverage chains like Starbucks have introduced it in their menu. Their Matcha Tea Latte has become a favorite alternative to traditional coffee and tea options, with its unique taste and health benefits.

According to Pratishtha Rawat, founder of Glow Glossary, one of the prominent suppliers of Matcha tea in India, the demand for high-quality Matcha has risen gradually. People are more health-conscious and prefer a good quality Matcha that is free from additives. Rawat emphasizes that quality is paramount and cafes can no longer benefit from keeping the commodity grade tea anymore.

The gradual rise in demand for Matcha is attributed to the exposure and experience it provides. It is an acquired taste that requires patience in preparation and drinking. However, with ceremonial grade Matcha, the experience is even more delightful. The tea is delicately sweet and has a more refined taste compared to commercially sourced options, as noted by Sureena Dalal of Fig.

Matcha has taken the world by storm, and it's no wonder why. With its unique flavor, nutritional benefits, and visually appealing color, it has become a staple in the culinary world. Whether you prefer it hot or cold, in a latte or a dessert, Matcha is a must-try for all food and beverage enthusiasts.

Matcha is not only visually pleasing but also has a unique taste that can be enhanced by combining it with complementary ingredients and flavors. For example, a vanilla-based cookie soil or a soft scoop of Matcha in a dessert can add flavor and texture to the drink, making it even more delicious. When paired with the right ingredients, Matcha can become an enjoyable and palatable drink.

The presentation of Matcha tea is also essential to its success. The way it is presented and served can have a significant impact on how it is perceived by people. A beautifully crafted Matcha latte with latte art can be very enticing and inviting. The way Matcha is served and paired with other flavors can also add to the overall experience of drinking it. With the growing trend towards health and wellness, Matcha is likely to continue to gain popularity in India and become a staple in many households.

“I have always been curious about food and travelling to different parts of the world, it got me interested in cafes with a continental food experience. This was an opportunity for me to explore and discover food trends with the maximum amount of innovation,” shared Visakh Viswambharan, Director, Cuppa Beverages whose travel journey inspired him to start something similar to that in India with a place where the magic of great food and distinctive ambience goes hand in hand.

Cuppa’s Executive Director, Vijay Sreedhar, during his university days in the UK had developed a fondness for the food industry and decided to venture into the F&B industry. Vijay and Visakh met with a belief of creating outlets that have a connection with the people. When Vijay learnt about Cuppa brand being up for grabs, he jumped at the opportunity and insisted they both kick-start our plans together. That’s how they acquired Cuppa in 2018.

You acquired Cuppa in 2018. Why Cuppa?

We were already working with the former owners of Cuppa, through my first venture Appiness - an IT services firm, and when we discovered that they are looking to divest the brand. I had had a meeting as mentioned above with Vijay before I learnt about this, and I was aware that he was intending to start an organic food chain.

It just seemed like the right thing to do together, and we ended up buying the Cuppa brand. Cuppa has always been around and has made a mark for itself among the young crowd of Bangalore. When we acquired Cuppa, we wanted to create a great experience by giving Cuppa a European touch. We have specified utmost importance to the interiors and the feel of the ambience, to bring out the best dine-in experience.

How much money have you invested in the brand?

The real investment was our time and effort. When you start a venture, that is too close to your heart, it isn’t just about the money, but more about your zeal. Both Vijay and I have been passionately driven by food and we have indeed invested our all, from being involved in designing the outlets, the menu and ensuring everything fits the bill and our vision before taking it to the floors.

The whole idea of cuppa is to deliver fresh, healthy and nutritious food. Why are customers preferring such brands these days?

Staying healthy is a need, not a choice. Moreover, people these days are well aware about what they are eating and they are more into fitness and are health-conscious than ever before, and us being part of the industry, it’s our responsibility to be thoughtful about what we are placing on our customer’s plate. Today an egg is not an egg anymore, it can be organic, locally grown, cage free, non-GMO etc.

We at Cuppa, make a conscious effort to ensure that the food served should be freshly made and we aim to provide the best taste while keeping the nutrients intact. We discourage and do not believe in serving frozen food. We also try to keep up with the food trends, e.g. Grab & Go, Organic and Vegan food are some of the evolving trends and we constantly adapt to it, with the intention of serving our customers better. This is an ongoing endeavour at Cuppa.

Most of our customers are well read and know what they are consuming, they look at the attributes related to health and wellness, ethics, and the environment. Consumers want their food to have an increasingly wide range of benefits. They will pay more for food that delivers the benefits it claims.

You are running 3 different models under Cuppa. Which according to you is more successful?

It’s too early to comment on that. However, all the three models which are Cuppa Café, Cuppa Redefined and CuppaGo are based on different ideas of food service we wish to deliver to customers. Cuppa Redefined - our dine-in outlet has an extensive menu and it would ideally take somewhat more time to settle-in compared to CuppaGo, which is our Grab and Go model.

For the past one month restaurants have been suffering a lot. How do you see the response for your brand?

The past one and a half months have been difficult for the entire industry. We, as an industry have been experiencing some unpredictable and challenging situations of our times. Our grab and go outlets, Cuppa Go which is based on an easy takeaway model, and is placed on the main streets with a good footfall; we are not operational on that front because of the COVID-19 situation. Whereas at Cuppa Redefined, through online delivery apps, we are able to retain 40% of business as compared to before lockdown.

Furthermore, we understand how difficult it must have been for people who aren’t financially well off and need a job and sustenance right now. Keeping this in mind, we started an initiative over 40 days ago and named it as Cuppa HOPE (Helping Other People Eat) where we provide free meals to daily wage workers and people living in slums. The food package consists of lentils, rice and a curry. With this initiative, we aim to serve our susceptible community. We want to reach out to the maximum number of people to ensure that nobody sleeps hungry.  

Are you also doing online orders? What’s the number of orders?

Yes, we are operational through online delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato. It has been a huge support in order to retain part of the business during this time of crisis. Currently we have all our businesses running through online orders which is helping sustain operational continuity.

What is the future of concepts like Cuppa, post covid?

Life will not be the same post the COVID-19 pandemic. It will have lasting changes in the way we eat, live and work. Some changes are already in process while others will evolve once the lockdown is lifted. According to the National Restaurant Association of India, one of the majorly affected sector post COVID-19 will be of the food services.

Focus would be more on hygiene and social distancing. People would be more conscious about what they eat and where they eat. Also, we might witness the rise of Grab and Go and home deliveries where people can avoid gatherings.

We have already started with regular temperature checks for our staff and delivery executives. We sanitize every 4 hours, all our staff are instructed to mandatorily wear masks and gloves always. Our inspection team does random checks on all our outlets to make sure this is practiced regularly.

We see that post lockdown, customers will be much more conscious when eating out and they would be very particular about the brand they chose to dine. How are you planning to convince your customer?

Cuppa as a brand has always believed in serving customers with utmost dedication and honesty and it’s not going to change post lockdown. We’ll continue taking precautionary measures to assure the safety of our valued customers and our staff. Similarly, we’ll continue creating awareness about the safety and hygiene practices by reaching out to people at large through various social media platforms.

You were planning to open 50 outlets by 2020. Is the plan still on. Where can we see the outlets opening?

When we started, we were getting some amazing responses from the customers. We had our hopes high and we were certain on planning the opening of multiple outlets by the end of 2020, until the eruption of COVID-19 situation. The entire industry is going through very challenging times and committing anything in the midst of this situation would be difficult. We’ll continue improvising and once the situation gets better, we’ll plan the go ahead strategy. 

What’s the expansion plan going forward?

These are the most unprecedented times. The effect across the industry has been devastating. Right now our focus is on serving our valued customers with utmost honesty and dedication. Once the situation gets better, we’ll be in a position to decide on how to go about the expansion plan.

As a passionate 'tea man', Managing Director of Teamonk Global, Ashok Mittal has spent nearly four decades in the fascinating world of teas. Currently, he is heading a company born out of his passion for teas – Teamonk Global.

Teamonk Global is a speciality tea portal, driven by a single-minded vision of offering the finest teas to the consumers across the world. It offers teas from the choicest tea gardens both through e-commerce platforms and selected retail outlets.

Managing Director of Teamonk Global, Ashok Mittal, started his career with Lipton as a management trainee in the tea division, having spent 15 years in perfecting the art of tea tasting, buying, blending, quality control with good understanding of the tea manufacturing process and heading tea-buying units in Siliguri, Guwahati, Kolkata and South India. After 22 years of association with Lipton, Brooke Bond India, Ashok Mittal seconded Unilever Indonesia to head their domestic tea operations. Since 2012, Ashok Mittal is associated with Mohani Tea, the largest tea company in North India, as a consultant VP and has helped the Group in sustainable growth. 

In an interview with Restaurant India, Managing Director of Teamonk Global, Ashok Mittal speaks about the growth of the tea industry in India.

Story Behind TeaMonk Global

Teamonk is a speciality tea venture, focused on high end, premium green, oolong, white and black teas, specially curated by the experts, catering to the tea connoisseurs and tea lovers. These are pure and natural teas with natural ingredients to enhance the taste (green teas) and we do not use any flavour, essence or oil in our products. Our supply chain and customer service is world class and we deliver freshest teas to our discerning consumers.

Also Read: What’s Your Favourite Cup Of Tea

Contribution to the HoReCa Segment

We are in the process of introducing our brand in the institutions, cafes, resorts and big hotels and expect to develop it as a significant channel in near future.

Popular Misconceptions about Brewing, Drinking or Cooking with Tea

Tea was always meant to be brewed to enjoy its natural taste and flavour. Unfortunately, in South-Asian countries, people started using tea more as a dessert or filler in between meals for energy which led to excessive use of milk and sugar in the tea with boiling to thicken the beverage. The tea character has been diluted significantly over the decades. In order to enjoy tea with its natural character, it is important that it is always brewed and very little milk and sugar are added to ensure the tea character is not diluted. 

Tea Industry in India and Its Growth

Pic credit | Teamonk

The tea industry is gradually evolving towards healthier and non-conventional teas as the younger generation is far more health conscious and realizes the harmful effects of excessive milk and sugar consumption in the beverage. Green and other speciality teas are growing significantly and will continue to grow with the increase in health awareness.

Click to Read: How This Tea Cafe Is Brewing The Success Story

Health and Wellness an Integral Part of Food and Beverage Industry

Health and wellness is an integral part of the F&B (food and beverage) industry. People are making a conscious choice of going for brown eggs, fibre bread, non-carbonated beverages, organic foods, green vegetables, etc.

Therefore, it is quite natural that any food or drink, perceived to be healthier will find favour with the younger generation. It is a natural healthy drink compared to any other beverage and, therefore, we do see tea, particularly green ones becoming far more popular in future.

Foods That Pair Best with a Cup of Tea

Any food which is lighter, not oily or deep-fried will be a good pair with tea. However, any food consumption should always be with green tea rather than milk and sugar or black tea as that will cause acidity and also affects digestion, especially, due to the boiling method used at most Indian households. 

The Scope of Indian Tea brands Abroad

India offers the maximum variety of the beverage compared to any other tea-growing country - Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiris, Himachal and North Bengal region (Dooars) with each region offering different taste experience, character, seasonal variation, etc. There is a huge opportunity for Indian tea brands to be established in overseas markets but this requires sustained support from the Indian Government and the industry. 

Expansion Plans with Teamonk Global

Teamonk has an ambitious growth plan to reach over 150-crore gross revenue in the next four years, sticking to our core values of pure and natural, healthy and exotic tasting teas to delight tea lovers.

Traditionally, soups across India are consumed in the form of shorbas in the north, saars in the west, a big influence of Chinese style soups in the east and lentil soups like the rasams and Mulligatawny in the south. The primary ingredients in traditional cooking include a lot of grains, spices, bone broths and vegetables, which we seem to be getting back to with a lot of innovation today. 

Must Read: Ramen, An Evolution Of Model Soup Phenomenon

Thanks to the disposable incomes of people in most tier-I and tier-II cities and experimenting taste buds, consumers are open to venturing out more and experiencing new things. Today’s consumer is far more aware and well-travelled, which in turn gives chefs more scope for innovation and additions to their menus. The cuisine barriers are somewhat broken and chefs have started infusing ingredients from different countries, cuisines and styles to suit the palates of the new-age diners. 

Also Read: Deliciously Organic!

Soups are the flavour of the season and we love winters for that! There are four major categories of soups that are in vogue at the restaurants in India: 

The Soup Meals 

Sakura Wood Smoked Pumpkin soup

If you like your soups thick and creamy, Chef Ruchira Hoon, Bakery Partner and Chef - The Piano Man, won’t make it for you. Yes, you heard that right. She won’t! 

Meat soups with bone broth are what she likes to work with and she feels that the best style to stick to soups is the pan-Asian. Chef Ruchira’s favourite is the Dashii stock and she believes that all soups are meals in their own right. She uses a lot of local produce and meat stocks in her soups, which are flavourful and wholesome. One would find a lot of fresh vegetables, a variety of mushrooms and vermicelli in her preparations and she doesn’t like an overdose of spice. 

Click To Read: These Restaurants Are Breaking The Mental Block With Vegan Diet

Ruchira also likes to use grains like barley in her soups and does amazing combinations of two-ingredient soups like pumpkin and coconut, etc. 

The Asian Broth and Traditional Soups 

Tomato Jasmine Soup

Even today, traditional soups remain favourites for many, like the sweet corn soup, manchow soup, tomato soup, clear soup with vegetables, and so on. However, with more and more people becoming world travellers, they are looking for international soups like minestrone, French onion or miso soup as well.  

Various cuisines serve the best of the soups in their regions in different forms, which can be had in mornings or evenings. 

Also Read: 4 Beverages Trend Shaking Up Bar Menu In 2019

Chef Vaibhav Bhargava, Corporate Chef, Yuvi hospitality – Molecule Air n Bar and The Drunken Botanist, personally loves to work with yuzu juice, garlic and truffle oil. “We have incorporated a tea, truffle and tomato soup together called truffle infused tomato jasmine tea, which was really appreciated with our customers at our restaurants.” 

Many countries serve soups where they can be had as breakfast or lunch or dinner time. For example, the miso soup in Japan is a staple in breakfast. Lunches are mostly heavier and people prefer to have soups as a whole meal which includes vegetables, proteins or noodles in it so that they feel full and light at the same time, like the Vietnamese PHO, hot ramen noodle soups and hot pots. 

Chef Vaibhav feels that dinners are less preferable for soups as people are drinking more beverages as compared to soups. 

Grains in Domination 

Coconut and Beetroot Soup

According to Chef Tarun Sibal, Owner, One Fine Meal, and Partner at Café Stay Awoke, as far as soups are concerned, the Oriental style pots and the European style purée soups work the best. And the consumers are more likely to favour this style when it comes to Potage. The other interesting category is the meal bowl soups consisting of broth, protein, starch and seasonal vegetables. 

“Ingredients for me need to be seasonal, local produce to get the best from the bowl I create. Fresh peas will taste absolutely brilliant when available in the winters in Delhi compared to the frozen ones which are available all year. Beetroot has been my favourite this season and the combination of beets with fresh coconut cream has been the stellar combination with a hint of black pepper,” says Chef Tarun. 

“Course-wise meals have become out-dated, as have the portions sizes of mains. Today, it is more about tasting menus, tapas, smaller portions and a lot of variety.”
~ Chef Tarun Sibal

The Chef feels that consumers’ tastes have changed, indeed. Abundant availability of produce locally and the know-how of its usage are two main reasons behind this shift, be it avocados, quinoa, barley or chia. 

“Pairing is more art than science. The way Black-on-Black works, similarly White and Black also is a combination. With food, some combinations work because they are a match made in heaven and some work on the concept of contrast,” says Chef Tarun. 

Two-Ingredient Soups

Chicken Suimono Soup

Chef Vikram Khatri, Business Head & Head Chef Guppy & Poke Bar, Delhi and Hello Guppy in Mumbai, feels that Delhi normally has fermented Soybeans soup (Miso) in Bonito Dashii Broths, while Mumbai prefers Kelp and Shitake Mushroom soups.

Currently, in Delhi, the Ramen Noodle Soup at Guppy is flying with Delhi winters. The choice of soup primarily is Carrot, Mushroom, Rich chicken, Pork tonkotsu and seafood – all of which are perfect meals in bowls to be consumed at any time of the day. From Smoked Pumpkin to Chicken Paitan, from Carrot Gochujang to five-mushroom Suimono Clear Soup – clear soups with fresh vegetables and light broths are in all the way! 

Chef Vikram feels that instead of three-course meals, what we love is the concept of the thali or bento where the choice could be more.   

Beverages as a business are taking a new shape in India. Over the years food verses beverages ratio has come up forcing industry to do lots of innovation in the segment. And, why not? Indians have always loved drinking their favourite tea, colas and mojitos, but over the last few years there are lots of changes in the beverages market. We see lots of chefs playing around with beverages and cocktails and also new age startups giving more natural and healthy alternative options to the ever demanding Indian customer.

According to a latest report  by PwC-FICCI, “The alcoholic beverage segment has contributed significantly to jobs and revenues in the food services industry. Sale of alcoholic beverages manufactured by an MNC contributes to around 374,000 jobs (i.e., around 5% of total jobs in the industry) and around INR4,000 crores in gross value add (GVA) to the retailing industry.”

With over 50% of India’s population below the age of 25 and around 65% below the age of 35, the appetite of the young Indian population has been a key driver in industry growth. With India’s population skewed towards younger consumers, beverages as a business is witnessing significant growth potential in the coming years. Here are 4 Key Beverages Trend ruling 2019:

Gin is Going to Become Big: Gin as a trend is becoming big in India. Bars and restaurants menu is filled with gin and gin-based drinks. Globally, ‘Gin renaissance’ is hitting up the bars and pubs.  There's no doubt about just how much gin has grown in the world of spirits, with Scottish gin especially undergoing a massive revival. “But I do firmly believe Gin is going to be really big in coming years. It’s such a huge game changer for the industry and something the F&B Industry could definitely do with,” shared Arpan Gupta, Co-Founder at Detroit Garage Bar.

Iced Tea Will See a New Growth: Globally, Iced tea is 8 per cent of the total market with $65 bn market. But surprisingly, in India iced tea constitutes only 1 per cent of the overall beverages market. Hence, there is lots of exciting opportunities waiting to be unfolded in the segment. If you look at the global market like the US and the Europe, the share for carbonated drinks are going down and the share of iced tea is going up making it the third largest category in the world. “Iced tea would trend in 2019 because that’s been the global trend as well. Also, if you look beyond carbonated drink this is the most easily accessible and understandable option which is natural because people want natural products,” said Siddhartha Jain, MD of Positive Food Ventures.

It will be the year of Craft Beer: There has been a sudden change in the attitude among young Indian consumers towards alcohol consumption lately. The growing middle class society understands the trend of social drinking and there has been a removal of social restrictions and stigma associated with drinking. The beer market in India is at a very nascent stage but has the potential to make it big. The craft beer market is just going to grow from here and it is not going to be one brand or the other, this growing market will be big enough for brands to co-exist and grow collectively. In both restaurants and packaged beverages there is lots of experimentation. We have all become foodies and it is a global trend. It is towards healthier, fresher, artisanal, smaller batches, innovative stuffs. “Every brewery now a days has its own style of craft beers. We are proud to say that Simba is the first home grown craft beer brand as we have our own brewery in comparison to other brands that outsource their beers,” pointed Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, Founder, Simba, adding that with the emerging craft beer culture, appreciation for quality and premium product has been witnessed with the increase in appetite for beer.

The Rise of Energy Drink: Globally sports drink is 4th in number but in India it is 2 per cent. Increased urbanisation, rising disposable income and growing health consciousness among the Indian youth has increased the demand for non-carbonated drinks. The energy drinks segment has been attracting a lot of consumer traction and performed impressively in recent years. Since its emergence in the Indian market, the energy drink category has enjoyed remarkable success, displaying a good growth in sales.

“India’s energy drink market was valued at USD 3663.7 million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 4626.1 million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR 4.5 per cent. At the same time, long and erratic working hours and the trends of social gatherings are driving Indian consumers towards the consumption of energy drinks,” shared Abhinav Biswas, Sales and Marketing Head, Goldfogg India. Hence, we can say that energy drinks are no longer confined to bottom shelves of modern retail and have acquired the status of mainstream beverages.

With knowledge about organic tea getting popularized, consumers are more willing to spend on a product considered healthy and satiating for the taste buds.The requirement for quality and purity has increased with the invasion of organic tea in the industry as the country is getting more health conscious.

Tea has been part of people’s lives for decades. Every year more number of health-conscious people are shifting towards this segment as they are becoming more aware about the health benefits of this product.  “Indians have always preferred tea more than any other beverages in the world. But with the modernization in the F&B industry, things have also changed for this segment. Organic tea has come into existence which is providing the same taste of tea along with being healthy in nature” says Atit Verma, Co-Founder, Tpot café.

According to a media report, the number of organic tea gardens is increasing with time which states the high demand for organic tea. The number of organic tea garden has rose from 53 to 77 from 2007-2013. A growth of approximately 45% is calculated which is expected to rise even more in the upcoming time. In terms of production of organic tea, India has reported a rise from 7.64 million kg to 11.09 million kg from 2007 to 2013.

Science supporting its benefit

Modern science is helping this organic tea trend for the betterment of the country. Their simple motive is to provide something healthy which people consume on a daily basis.  The scientists earnestly are making an effort to create awareness about the positivity of consuming organic tea.

Scientist believe that according to their research, organic tea has additional health benefits which can transform a person’s life. From increasing immunity to providing better nutrition, organic tea is a blessing in disguise.  The organic methods used to produce these teas preserve the required nutritional balance and also protect the body against the poisons it is exposed to.

“We are currently cultivating organic tea in eighteen farms. It’s almost been 100 years since this company is established and we are still going great. The demand of organic food has drastically increased which is an eye satisfying thing for us, as we believe in serving for people betterment. We keep our farms free from the harmful chemicals thereby producing a safe, pure and natural beverage for our customers,” says Surendra Lohia, Director, Chamong Organic Tea.

Sustainable farming methods are used in order to get pure and natural tea from the land. Organic leaves are generally handpicked which are grown so that the vital nutrients remain intact. Assamica Agro which is India’s one of the biggest producers of organic tea is known for their best green tea in India. Manufacturers focus on producing the pure form on organic tea which is carrying a unique flavor and taste.

The best thing about organic tea is that a person can consume it without changing their current drinking habit.

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What will be Jack Daniel’s strategy for Indian market further?

If Jack Daniel’s took off in India it would be really tough for us. The market and people have started to evolve. Our target is to give our best in the market. Jack Daniel’s doesn’t rely on what market is for success but we ride the world economies. Our driving principle is to ensure that we maintain quality and consistency with not just our products, but also the way our brands are positioned and the way we talk our brand to the consumers. The ambition is to be number one whisky brand in India. 

We feel it is the right time for the Indian market for which we have right mix products, resources in the country, developing interests for the brands coming in from out of the country and we want to be the part of that. Around 40 percent of our revenue comes from the US and the rest 60 percent comes from 160 countries around the world.

Are you customizing the products for diverse Indian market?

For different markets, we do make more affordable and accessible products. We are continuously trying to understand this market and evolve our strategies. We will put five products in the market that we think are relevant. For affordability, we have launched smaller SKUs to make our products more accessible to the consumers. Globally we have 10 products in our portfolio and over the next three years, there may be 12-13 products. In general, whiskies have evolved towards better.  

How Jack Daniel’s can be more relevant for vodka preferring young generation in India?

Whisky is back in the trend again for most of the globe. It’s not more of year- on- year change it’s a generation of choice. The overriding trend is that people are going for more flavours for spirits. There are different brands that are doing extremely well but in general, they are not keeping pace with whisky. India definitely seems to be whisky friendly. We are a serious whisky maker but at the end of the day, we want to create products that people like drinking.

Do you think Honey and Fire will move towards more serious whiskies?

Hopefully honey and fire is the whisky which has certain elements which lead whisky drinkers to taste other styles as well. I think they will because we found a lot of young people aspiring for Honey and Fire at the first step. Honey has sweet flavours of its own so it doesn’t necessarily pour with another sweet cocktail. With honey, you don’t necessarily need coke.

How do you find awareness about the brand among Indian consumers?

Indian consumers travel around the world today and also with the advent of digital media and social media the exposure is far higher amongst young legal drinking age consumers. People want to learn more about the good brands in the market.  A lot of mixologists are coming out of this country and doing well even at global platforms. There are many whisky cocktail bars opening in the market because there is a demand. 

Do you believe education about Jack Daniel’s in the F&B community is very important?

Partly, because there are a lot of brands out there. If the consumer recommends Jack Daniel’s and bartender doesn’t know about our brand then there is a chance that he will be served cocktail. I am trying to educate the community because we have a better reason why we are successful and make great products.   

What is your personal approach towards distilling whisky?

I being a master distiller never compromise with quality. I always say do ‘whatever it takes do it right’. I want to feel good that everything put out is worthy under the Jack Daniel’s name.

How do you define that whisky is the journey of life for most people?

I do believe that for most people whisky is the journey. In general, how older you get you tend to drink less and better. In college years you drink in volume, irrespective of the quality of the whisky, but as you get older you don’t drink in big volume but something nice and that can have quality, and a lot of people do that for lifetime. Thus, palate and preference changes. We have a portfolio that kind of reflects what people want to explore.   

The fruit juice market is one of the fastest growing categories in the beverages segment growing at a CAGR of over 25- 30 per cent over the past decade. According to a consulting firm Technopak, the Indian packaged juices market is valued at Rs 1,100 crore ($200 million) and is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~15 per cent over the next three years.

Current Scenario

The growing trend of fitness and keeping one self healthy is driving the juice business in India. Over the last five years, the country has seen juice bars and juice cafes opening in India.

On one hand, local players are expanding their wings and signing deals with the global majors to start their business in India and on the other hand, beverages major like PepsiCo, Coca Cola and Manpasand are investing heavily into packaged juice business.

At the same, Dabur is the market leader in the Indian packaged juices market, with its brands Real and Real Active having 55 per cent share in the packaged juices market followed by PepsiCo with a 30 per cent share.

“Beverages segment is the most profitable business in India as the juice market stands at Rs 1,200 crore today. Beverage business has very small model, but the output is same in comparison to a restaurant brand,” says Rivoli Sinha, Founder Director, Joost Juice Bars, which is a master-franchisee for Boost Juice in India.

Organised v/s Unorganised

The juice business in India is highly dominated by unorganised players with over 75 per cent market share. The organised retail which has only 25 per cent of the business comprises of juice bars, juice cafes and packaged juice players.

“The juice segment in India is still an unorganised market. I am part of a niche crowd, which is very health conscious. And if I look at the competition in the market, I honestly feel that I do not have a real competitor in the market. First two years of my business was to let the product and logistics in place and I have not even started on sharing the market share presently,” adds Sinha.

Meanwhile, HAS Juice Bars which started its first juice bar in 2007 has 11 outlets in Mumbai. Speaking on the same, Director Hemaang Bhhatt says, “We started our first juice bar in 2007. So far, we have 11 outlets in Mumbai. Though we were slow on expansion initially, but before opening a new outlet, we want to ensure that the previous outlet is profitable in terms of process and scalability.”

Growth drivers

Rise in the disposable income, people adapting the western culture, health awareness and import of fruits to India are among the top most factors to drive the juice business in India.

Over the years, we have seen that people no more stick to eating traditional foods. They have become experimental in terms of trying out new, they are travelling more, and they have grown an appetite of West among themselves.

“Emerging trends like increased preference on wellness, the desire to spend extra on health and maintaining healthy lifestyle, especially in the middle class and strengthening Indian economy, which offers more disposable income to the masses are major catalysts that drives strong growth of the non-alcoholic beverages market in India,” shares Dhirendra Singh, MD, Manpasand Beverages.

“We were witnessing that Indians are adopting western style of living and eating habits. At the same time, fruit is an inherent property which can cure a lot of disease and improve the immune system of human body. So, that’s where the idea came in my mind. I think that juice has become a substitute to food today. At the same time, it is a quick bite, saves time and gives all the required nutrition to the body,” adds Bhhatt.

Way ahead

Today every player in the segment is trying something. They are coming up with new flavours and tastes to meet the demand of their customers. Sourcing and growing the fresh food and vegetables have become the main strategy for these players.

ITC, PepsiCo and Coca Cola are signing great deals to enter and flourish their juice business. Manpasand Beverages, which started its operation in the year 1998, has crossed Rs 240 crore during the financial year 2012-13 with strong growth rate of 35-40 per cent per annum.

In May 2014, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages announced that it aims to start mango juice business in partnership with Jain Irrigation after success of mango farming initiative 'Unnati' launched in 2011. Both the partners plan to invest Rs 50 crore over the next 10 years to boost mango production by using the Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP) technology with the involvement of about 25,000 farmers in an area of 50,000 acre.

On the other hand, ITC Ltd, one of the biggest FMCG major in the company is planning to invest Rs 1000 crore in dairy and juice business. The group has also acquired Bangalore-based B Natural juices to tap the fast growing juice business in India.  The company is planning to enter into both 100 per cent juices and nectars with 7-8 variants.

“ITC will soon roll out juices across the country, whereas, the entry into dairy business will be in the late next quarter. We plan to regionalise both juices and dairy products,” shares Chitranjan Dar, CEO, Foods, ITC.

Thus, we can say that Indian juice markets are heavily pouring profits into the business with participation of new as well as existing players in the market. In the years to come, we can see players working upon unique strategies to make their products more popular.

The Indian non-alcoholic market is currently estimated to be around Rs 50,000 crore, which includes mineral water, fruit juices, soft drinks, dairy drinks and hot beverages among others.

 The fruit juice market is roughly around 10 per cent of the Indian non-alcoholic beverages market and is expected to grow by 35-40 per cent in the near future.

Unpasteurized, natural, packed with nutrients, enzymes and flavour, the Cold Press Juice is seen to grow market to 100 crore in the next 5 years. Basis similar facts its safe to say that the cold pressed juices would dominate the juice category over any concentrate juice in the next 3 to 5 years. Healthy, tasty and fresh, the cold pressed beverage market promises definitive opportunities of growth.

As this segment gives the investors and customers both a more fresh, reliable business to ride in, the segment is really picking high in cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and Pune. Delhi being the capital city hosts around 20 of such start-ups who are juicing the raw juice business in the city.

How ‘Juicy’ is the biz?

Like any other segment, Cold Pressed juice is a health and customer driven model. With people becoming more conscious about what they eat and from where it comes, the segment has boosted the growth of fresh juice segment in India.

Talking about the brands like Raw Pressery, Juice Up and Inspirit, they are already on a ride to fresh and a healthy India. Started in 2013 by former marketer Anuj Rakyan, Mumbai based Raw Pressery has soaked in around $6 million from investors like Sequoia Capital, Saama Capital Management Ltd and DSG Consumer Partners.

“Since its inception, Raw Pressery has grown from strength to strength. Registering revenues of Rs 3.5 crores in FY14-15, we plan to mature revenues up to Rs 7 crores in FY15-16 and 35 Crores in FY16-17,” said Rakyan.

Similarly, Noida based Juice Up which started late 2014 is serving around six variants of juices delivered to the households and corporate in Delhi-NCR.

“We are doing 16000 bottles in Delhi-NCR and are growing 20% month on month,” shared Riju Gupta, Director, Juice Up who is a serial entrepreneur.

Expansion is the key

With quick returns and better margins the segment is catching up in the fast growing Indian juice segment, and in years to come it may eat out the packaged juice market in India. Compared to the US and UK where the trend has become a part of the healthy life that they follows.

“Our distribution footprint will scale rapidly to 12 cities and cover modern trade, institutions, and HORECA and direct-to-home channels. The continuous involvement and support of our investors reinforces our vision to be India’s leading clean-label beverage brand in a rapidly growing global market,” shared Rakyan who started this business from being a mere concern to a necessity.

Juice Up which has opened its first kiosk at the Mall of India seeing the great potential the business offers. “At first we will open 5-6 kiosks, see the kind of model we can create, we can sell and can we get a brand recall, if it all works we will expand the model,” shared Gupta.

Unfolding new opportunities

Born out of the need in Kolkata, Inspirit started by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala is another Cold Pressed juice player that is creating awareness in the region.

“We are growing at 15-20 per cent month on month. We are getting good response and we are on a ride to create awareness to the masses,” shared Jhujhunwla who relies on word of mouth and digital marketing to grow the brand.

Cooking on the same lines, there are many other players like Zoe Cold Press, RawKing, My Greens, Antidote who are creating a healthy lifestyle. Not only this, fresh juice bars and cafes are another such segment which is becoming one of the disruptor in the fast accelerating juice market. Started in 2011, Joost Juice which holds the franchisee for Boost Juice in India is getting 800 enquiries for franchisees in a month on an average.

“We started franchising starting 2016, and this year itself sold 4 regions already in the first quarter, 16 stores in total. And yes, expansion is important, but our franchises have to be equally passionate people,” said Rivoli Sinha, Founder & MD, Joost Juice.

Growing at an annual pace of 11 per cent, beverages market today sits at $15 billion-a-year market in the country. According to a 2015 report by BCG and CII, beverages and fruit juices is one of the fastest growing categories within packaged consumer goods market.  And, this opportunity may give new entrepreneurs to sail on healthy business ground.

How the idea of starting a cold pressed business was came?

We all were very addicted to drinking packaged juice and the sugar content in these juices is very high which is not good for us. I have lived in the US and used to have these juices over there. When I came back and it was not available here I did a research in Kolkata and saw a gap in the market. We brought the technology, nutritionist and dieticians into our boards and after 4-5 months now we are doing good business.

How about the funding?

Right now we don’t have any external funding; all our investment is done by the family and me. We are only operational in Kolkata and we are growing at 15-20 per cent month on month.

How are you supplying these juices to people?

We are selling it through our web portal directly to the households. We recently tied up with Spencer’s at Quest Mall and South City Mall.

What is your view on the growth of the segment?

It is an honest product, no sugar, no preservatives. Our shelf life is three days. And manufacturing plant works at 23 degree temperature and 45 degree humidity.

What is your unique Marketing Strategy?

We are trying to create awareness towards sugary drinks and benefits of Cold Pressed Juice. So far, we are relying on word of mouth and digital marketing for marketing purposes.

What is your future expansion plan?

We plan to sell To sell 10,000 bottles in a day. We are also working towards making ourselves available at all retail and commercial spaces, have a Pan India presence and brand building

Are you looking for any external accruals?

To grow our brand pan India we are looking for VC / PE Funds.

Who is your target audience?

Our target is anyone between in 15-60, anyone who want to eat healthy food. We are selling habit and not a product.

How about sourcing the veggies and fruits?

The product is such that we use certified food and vegetables, vendors who are certified, veggies and fruits which are pesticides free. We have tied up with local suppliers and farmers.

Playboy has created ripple yet again, but exclusive to India as it announces the launch of a Playboy Beer Garden in Pune.

This first-of-its-kind venture of the company in the world will be managed by PB Lifestyle — the master and exclusive licensee of Playboy in India.

“The beer garden is not just a beer café but will also have its own brewery. Our strategy globally has been focused on night clubs, but for India we came up with the idea of a beer garden,” shared Parag Sanghavi, chairman, PB Lifestyle.

As of now, the company has invested Rs 5 crore to setting up the beer garden (from the German Biergarten) and will further invest Rs 50 crore in the next three years to expand the business.

“India is a ‘young’ market. We are designing a fantastic fusion of fine dining, entertainment, music and some freshly brewed beer,” added Sanghavi.

The beer garden’s in-house brewery has the capacity to produce 8,000 litres of beer per month. Sanghavi said its global casino and pub format would not work in India. The company operates beer cafés, casinos and night clubs all over the world.

“We plan to open, four night clubs, six cafés and 11 beer gardens in tier-I and tier-II cities of India,” Sanghavi said.

This venture in Pune would be followed by a 12,000 sq ft beer garden in Bengaluru in the third quarter of 2016.  The company is eyeing business of Rs 45 lakh per month from Tier I cities and Rs 65 lakh from metros.

You may have to pay extra on your favourite colas this summer, as the soft drinks pricing may go up by Rs 1-8 depending on the pack size.

Budget 2016 didn’t bring much positivity to the industry as the excise duty on sugary aerated drink has been increased from 18% to 21% by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Beverage makers including MNCs and Indian top brands have hiked their pricing last year only as the government had imposed sin taxes of around 5% and 0.5%, respectively, on colas in previous two budgets.

From Rs 2 for a 200ml glass bottle, prices increased by around Rs 8 for PET bottles.  

Rakyan Beverages Pvt Ltd, which makes fresh cold-pressed juices under the RAW Pressery brand, has raised Rs 30.8 crore ($4.5 million) in Series B round of funding from Saama Capital, DSG Consumer Partners and existing investor Sequoia Capital.

“With this fund-raise we aim to make our fresh beverages more accessible, available and affordable. We will add eight more juices and smoothies ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 150 to cater to young conscious audience,” shared, Anuj Rakyan, Founder, Rakyan Beverages.

The Mumbai-based startup said it will use the money to introduce new flavours, increase production capacity and launch brand-building campaigns.

At present, the juice maker is selling it fresh juices in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Chennai – at about 300 points of sale.

“We are planning to expand its presence to 12 cities and 1,500-1,800 points of sale in 2016-17,” added Rakyan.

The company sells its products at modern retail outlets such as Nature’s Basket, Food Hall or HyperCITY. It also runs a subscription model to deliver juice bottles of 250 ml and 410 ml at the doorsteps of registered users. It claims to have an active customer base of 25,000 and is producing 8,000 bottles a day.

“Globally, the category of cold-pressed juices and all-natural beverages is growing very fast and has huge potential. After much diligence, we found RAW to have the best product in India by far,” said Ash Lilani, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Saama Capital.

Venezia Foods and Beverages which owns Italian restaurant chain Macchiato Pizzeria Grill & Bar, is planning to expand in other parts of the country.

Started in November 2014, its is running one single outlet in Mumbai today.

“We are planning to open over 10-12 restaurants by end of 2016,” shared Alok Tiwari, Co-Founder, Macchiato Pizzeria Grill & Bar.

The second outlet is supposed to open in March, expanding to cities like Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Bhopal.

“It is after the amazing response that we thought of growing the brand. We are doing Rs 15 lakh sales per month,” added Tiwari.

Started by two young entrepreneurs, Alok Tiwari and Ripu Daman Handa, MasterChef 3 Winner, Macchiato Pizzeria Grill & Bar is serving a mix of Italian cuisine including, pizza, pasta, lasagne amongst others.  

As 2016 welcomes the soft drink makers with some innovative launches, there is tremendous development in soft drink market in India. Not only, Indian made brands, but global brands are also joining the ‘Make in India’ wave by launching drinks that suits to the Indian palate.

Where’s the market going?

With Narendra Modi’s announcement at ‘Start-up  programme’ asking the beverage giants to at least include 2% fruit drinks in the aerated drinks giving a growth projections to farmers who are a major growth driver in the development of food processing industry in India seems going smooth with soft drink makers launching tweaked products.

Ramesh Chauhan, the father of the Indian soft drink industry and founder of India's largest packaged water brand Bisleri, is planning a comeback with a new range of fizzy drinks, twenty-two years after selling the country's most loved soft drink brands Thums Up, Limca, Citra and Gold Spot to US beverage giant Coca-Cola.

At a time when government is building high on ‘Make in India’ products, this development may lead to disrupt the Rs 14,000 crore beverage market in India.  Entering with four new flavours that are being test-marketed at five locations around the country includes Pina Colada, Fonzo (a fruity flavour), Spicy Cola and Limmonata (a lemony drink).

“The soft drinks are being priced at around Rs 15 for 300ml PET bottles and Rs 10 for 200ml PET bottles. Later, we will introduce cans," said Chauhan, who sold his earlier brands to Coca-Cola for around $40 million in 1993.

Going ‘Make in India’ way

At a time when brands like Coca Cola and PepsiCo together contributes to over 60 per cent of the fast evolving beverages market, tweaking the menu would be the best way to still stand as the major player in the fast evolving Indian market.

PepsiCo which introduced Tropicana Mosambi in December and is planning to launch a series of juices with locally-produced fruits including mango, guava, pomegranate, litchi and jamun, has signed a pact with Maharashtra government to promote fruit processing and horticulture in the state.

"Food and beverages localisation is very important. We already have a plant Citrus International in Nanded, Maharashtra and we continue to invest in it so that we use a lot more of the local fruits in our product," shared Shiv Shivakumar, Chairman, PepsiCo India.

This could be the part of its committed investment of Rs 33,000 crore in the country by 2020 and this is one way to ensure that fruit use by PepsiCo from the farmers improves.

“Fruit-based drinks are growing faster and  with this pact PepsiCo will continue to accelerate its on-ground work in Maharashtra to catalyse farming, improve yields and transform the fruit processing industry through several initiatives,” added Shivakumar.

Going on the same lines, Coca-Cola India, one of the country's leading beverage companies, has announced the pilot launch of its new innovation - Fanta Green Mango. 'Juice with Fizz' category - at the on-going Make in India Summit in Mumbai.

Fanta Green Mango has been developed specifically for the Indian palate at Coca-Cola India's R&D centre in Gurgaon with inputs from the R&D centres in Atlanta and Shanghai. Made from fruit procured from local farms and local pulp processors, Fanta Green Mango will straddle in the spaces of "goodness of juice" with the "effervescent imagery and lightness of palate" that is typically associated with sparkling beverages.

The product contains 10.4% mango juice content and promises to provide the consumers an authentic taste experience with an extra zing of carbonation. The product will be made available in the convenient 300 ml can at an attractive price point.

"The launch of our latest 'Juice with Fizz' innovation, is rooted in the government's vision for the food processing sector and the role that the beverage industry can play in benefitting Indian farmers,” said Venkatesh Kini, President, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia.

As part of this pilot launch, Fanta Green Mango will be available in Delhi and NCR and will initially be retailed through the e-commerce platform - Grofers and eventually expanded to modern trade as well.

“The addition of Fanta Green Mango will allow us to further leverage our system's value chain in procuring ingredients and raw materials from the fruit farming community,” added Kini.

And, hence, going in line with Modi’s bigger plan, these MNCs may heat up the market adding more ‘Juice with Fizz’ in India.  

Please share your entrepreneurial journey and what led to the inception of your brand?

It has been 15 years, since I opened lanterns and has indeed been a long journey. I do remember that time of transformation from a foodie into a passionate chef. But after lanterns, there was no looking back for me. Lanterns was named by our consultant. The restaurant started when I was 18 year old.

How many stores are there within your brand and what is the average store size?

Presently, we have two stores and 2500 carpet area is minimum requirement.

What are the challenges in growing your business– maintaining standards, brand integrity, customer experience etc and how have you met these challenges?

Well, the most important thing for any restaurant these days would be their HR; staff holds a key for a successful restaurant. We have also used technology to a certain level, where we can monitor customer experience and try to use it to improve our services. For instance, one such is waiter call button- Gone are those days when you needed to call or raise your hand for your needs.

Can you tell us more about your business operations from the standpoint of loyalty Program, technology (Hardware & software), raw material sourcing and talent recruitment & training?

We have a loyalty program in place for last four years. I think customer engagement is the most important thing, if you cannot connect with consumers, you cannot generate increased footfall. We have our apps, website with online ordering and reservations, also tablets for waiters to take orders, free wi-fi for customers, waiter call button on every table and many more such things for building a strong CRM.

Do you have a growth targets for the next few years and can you reveal any strategy for how you intend to achieve this?

Every year, we see a growth of minimum 15 per cent excluding the price increase in menu. According to me, give your customer value for money and you would never look back.

Where would you like to see your brand in the next 5 years?

I hope to open few more outlets, but with a better management system in place.

What is your expansion plans?

In spite of rentals in Delhi being pretty high and survivability becoming  little difficult for restaurants,  we are still looking at a lot of projects with a controlled cost structure and to open small outlets rather than opening giant size restaurants.

This was something, which was always on my list since the idea of becoming a Doctor backfired.  Food industry has always fascinated me and fortunately I got few investors, who have showed faith in me.

Tell us about your journey till you open this restaurant?

I hail from Beawar, near Ajmer. I did my MBA in 2011. Then from 11th March to 12th August, I have worked with two companies, in two different cities. As I am marketing guy and was into sales, food industry was always at the back of my mind and thus started with this. If I had not opened “Chaisa”, then I would have opened a “kachori” outlet in my home town.

What all is included in your product line?

“Chaisa” as the name suggest is a “Chai” cafe and we are serving various varieties of tea with many things in the menu. We serve vada pavs, papdi chats, bhel poori etc which compliments tea.

What all challenges are you facing in operation?

I was new in the industry as well as in the city. And of course whenever you start something new, you always face routine challenges.  I believe they are important as they give you a lot of learning experiences. As of now, I would not say that challenges are not there but yes with lot of experience its now easier to handle.

Who do you see as your major competitor in this segment?

This industry is always competitive and everyone who serves good food is your competitor.

Do you face difficulty in managing the logistic chains at your restaurant?

As of now we have a single outlet, so we do not find difficulty in logistics.

What is your target revenue for this fiscal?

We are still planning, if we can reach to a figure of 50 lakh revenue by this year.

What is your expansion plan?

We do have an expansion plan and for that we are working on standardization of recipes, so that the taste remains the same wherever we serve.

What made you name it ‘Chai Garam’?

In 2008, when we started, tea café were unheard of. The only way tea was being made available was through local vendors who traditionally give the call ‘Garam Chai’.  We wanted the mass to associate with us as a concept providing freshly brewed handmade tea and not as a niche elite tea lounge - ‘Chai Garam’.

Who were the investors for your business?

I was still pursuing my MBA when I conceptualised ‘Chai Garam’. I had the opportunity to work with Pepsi; however I decided to make my paper concept a reality and took the plunge into entrepreneurship. Fortunately as a young boy I had the chance to represent India in sports as a Pistol Shooter in several national and international competitions and had won medals. . This had given me the opportunity to create a small saving which I later invested in starting ‘Chai Garam’. More recently of course Select Synergies and Deep Blue strategies have invested in us through Ah Ventures.

What inspired you to start a chai business?

India is a tea drinking nation; we drink tea even when it is hot outside. In India, we are very particular about the way our tea looks and tastes. Chai is like our national beverage and is consumed by most people at least two to three times a day. In 2008, there was no place providing good, hygienic, freshly brewed handmade chai at affordable prices. And as more and more people joined the working population I felt there was a need that we could fulfil.

What has been the response of people towards your venture?

We have had an excellent response and have sold more than two million cups of tea. Our customers see us as a value brand and we have become their everyday café.  Number of people  visit our outlets at least twice a day for their daily refreshment requirements.

You are one of the oldest chai companies. What made you experiment with chai?

We wanted to create a budget café which serves the daily refreshment requirements of people. Chai is our USP.  There were several coffee chains but none selling good quality chai.

What are the types of tea brewed at your outlets?

With over twenty handpicked flavours of chai, we provide our own in house blends specially prepared by our expert tea tasters. We have a good diverse mix from our flagship milk based teas like Kadak Chai, Elaichi Chai, TulsiAdrak Chai, Chai Garam Special (our premium masala chai) to our range of black teas like Pure organic black Darjeeling tea, lemon tea with honey, Green tea, Earlgrey, Camomile, Kashmiri Kahwa and white tea.

Who do you see as your competitor in the market? How is your marketing strategy different from others?

We have created a niche for ourselves as an everyday café. I feel our unique value based approach is what people mostly connect with. Our biggest competitors are the highly unorganised sector of local tea stalls and street food vendors. We are positioned as a ubiquitous brand of a local budget Café.

What locations have you earmarked for your future locations?

We are operating in all location and formats in Retail Markets, Malls, Corporate Complexes, Hospitals, Metro Stations and Air Ports as a Kiosk/Full Seating/ Shop in Shops etc. Currently, we are operating in NCR; we are soon looking to expand in different states of North India as well.

Where do you stand today in terms of revenue?

We have successfully achieved in making each and every outlet profitable. Our pay-back period is short and returns begin within three months post commencement of the outlet.

Why do people choose Nutritious Nation over other players in the same category?

We take a lot of pride in specialising in high protein offerings in both food and beverages across the board for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, which has always been a highly neglected macronutrient in the Indian context. We also happen to be the first Indian brand to introduce a nutritional calorie chart breakdown for every item on the menu. At Nutritious Nation, we love to do Healthy...Healthier and have banned all unhealthy ingredients from our kitchens completely. We do not even have any fryers in our kitchen. Everything is grilled, steamed or baked. So one thing that you won’t find on our menu ever is...umpteen calories!

What is so unique about your take-away model?

We strongly believe that healthy eating is not a luxury but a necessity these days and people are moving to healthier eating options almost every day. Nutritious Nation has been the pioneer brand in Delhi-NCR to venture into the health food space 2.5 years ago in Nov 2012 helping change the way people eat on the go. What makes us unique is our product proposition – it’s a one-stop shop for gourmet health food and drink at VFM price points available in both a take away on-the-go format as well as a delivery model where the guests get to indulge guilt-free right at the convenience of their doorstep. Our menu is inspired from leading international health food brands, but at the same time, is customised to cater to the Indian palate. 

Who do you see as your major competitor in your segment?

The likes of Subway, Quiznos, Pita Pit have been around for a while but the customers are fairly well informed these days and want to look beyond players that offer Pseudo Health food on their menu. Pre-cooked, pre-packaged food layered with tons of additives and preservatives makes food lose its nutritional value and hence we started with the first-of-its kind live kitchen in a take-away outlet setup so that people see how their food is being cooked with the freshest ingredients in front of their own eyes.

What are the challenges you face during online order and delivery services?

Managing logistics during peak hours when orders are coming in back to back puts tremendous load on the delivery team because everybody expects their food to be at their doorstep in 45-60 mintues. Tying up with hyper local logistic companies like Quikli & Road Runnr has significantly smoothened out the process and improved the experience for our patrons.

What is your target revenue for this fiscal?

With the Gurgaon Delivery Outlet now up and running in addition to the flagship store in GK2 M Block market, we are targeting a turnover of INR 1.5 Cr.

How do you propose to expand your business?

The team is now actively looking at expanding locations to capture a larger market share and establish leadership position in the health food space across the country. Another 4-5 company operated stores are in the pipeline in the next 12-15 months.

Are you planning to sign any franchisee deal or any plans for fund raising?

All we can say at this moment is that it’s an exciting phase for the brand with discussions happening at different levels with multiple stakeholders.

As you are the largest providers of F&B services for travelers. What growth can we see in India?

As I said before I have seen that the growth is growing 20 percent in India. And our sale continuously going to increase and even Lite bite Foods has said that we want to target around 500 crores in 4-5 years from now.  The real potential can’t be estimated. Airports are easier but railways have more potential. Even nobody is in highway, nobody know what sales will it bring. So, we want to take the first part of the call.

Which according to you is the best revenue generating location when it comes to travel?

Airports are the best location. Even in airports you have to see different sectors. I see mainly three sectors i.e. Location, location and location. We look at low fare airports, leisure airports and business airports.

Tell us something about your partnership with Lite Bite Foods. What all locations are you targeting in India?

We have many partnerships outside. Partnerships are always very existing part. We always team up with local partner, with family companies to marketise.

For example, two years back in Vietnam we started, now we are 6 airports and planning more outlets. We have three airports in Indonesia, all are local partners. We are targeting especially three sections i.e. airports, train stations and highways. Our primes focus will be airports. Second will be railway stations, if government does some changes, railway stations will have more potential than airports.

Which are some of the brands who are your biggest partners? Which according to you is the traveler’s choice?

I had just said that we have a very old concept for our company. I am reluctant to talk about any brands. Globally we have relationship with major brands like pizza, KFC etc. We look at market, democracy, consumers and then we decide what fit best for that.

Our company is in this business for more than 150 years. We see reliable partners and where we can see to extend our partnership, we do so. Travelers are of different types. There are travelers who travel twice or thrice in a week, for them it is natural. But when they travel with family, they make different choices. And the choice depends on different occasion and purpose of travel.

What are the unique experiences that make HMS Host different from any other service providers?

“We are seen global but act local”. Our company is known for the good management. We are also business provider, Food & beverages, hospitality and our biggest assets is our people our staff. We spend lot of time in interacting, training and educating our people. We also promote our people in turnover. We are unique because of our operational skills which focus expertise, right time, right number of staff, right concepts, right opening hours etc.

We also development skills, analyze airports, understand the need of the travelers, which concept should be use and where. 900 million people come every year in our restaurant. We understand the need of our customers.

What is your expansion plans?

We want our market share in Europe and in America. And internationally, China, Southeast Asia, India, UAE and Middle East.

Are you planning to sign any franchisee deal?

We have some plans of franchise in future. We are working on Italian concepts; Italian food and we are even doing some tests on them. I won’t exclude that opportunity.

Started as a small firm in the year 1948, Pastonji Brands & Holdings Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, went on to establish itself as a brand in 1989 with ice cream as its first product. And today, the company offers a huge pool of products like ice creams, frozen desserts, flavoured milk, mango-based drinks and packaged drinking water.

Being in the family business, Naim Hafizi, the young entrepreneur spotted the new potential product in the dairy industry and with the knowledge in this field, successfully launched ‘GoSip’ flavoured milk in amazing flavours like Kesar Elaichi, Pista, Strawberry, Chocolate, Coffee, Mango and Butterscotch.

‘Milk is our base but flavours are our fun’ shares, Maaz Mutvali, Marketing Head, Beverage Division, Pastonji Ice cream.

Today, the brand is spread across Maharashtra and recently started their operations in Gujarat. The company also offers crunchy waffle cone, ice cream cups, bars and candies, an all time favourite with kids.

Pastonji identifies the consumer’s changing habits towards healthy beverages. It is looking forward to build similar alliances in near future, which will increase their reach. “There is always competition and challenge in every industry, but perceiving the competition and beverage industry is to improve our product and provide the consumer’s best taste as possible,” thinks Mutvali.

And according to them, consumers today are more interested than ever in eating a healthy and varied diet. And they’re also on the lookout for special moments of indulgence and new, unusual taste experiences.

With availability of GoSip in online platforms like Bigbasket.com, the Group is also aiming at a business of Rs 400 crore for flavoured milk in India with a growth of CAGR of 21 per cent by 2016.

GoSip is also targeting to capture 9 per cent of the market share in Maharashtra by March 2016.

What made you choose a career in F&B (Food & Beverages) Industry and how has your career evolved through the years?

In 1994, career options like Engineering, Medical or Hotel Management were thriving. And, I found that tourism industry was booming at that point of time in the country. Hence, I realised that hotel schools will be the fastest growing industry in India.

What are your roles and responsibilities as an F&B Director?

As an F&B Director, I am responsible for all the F&B outlets like bars and events space to be running in profits without compromising on Hyatt’s standards. The guests and the customers should be delivered the same experience as promised by us.

What is Hyatt’s some of the sustainability initiatives?

As a company, we have a strong protocol of sustainability. We have taken a lot of initiatives to sustain the environment. One such initiative is the Shark fish initiative. Since it is an endangered species, we have eliminated the shark fish dishes from our menu all over Asia. Beside this, we work very closely with the suppliers where we know the source, especially of the sea food.

What is the supply chain management process in your hotel?

We basically develop supplier for ourselves. First, we make a list of the things that we need and get in touch with a couple of suppliers to get a sense of what actually they deal with and then, we give our specification to the suppliers. We would then visit their facility, whether it is their farm or manufacturing unit and try and assist them in some best practices from our end. We would nurture this as a talent and then fix on the supplier

What are the different cuisines served at Hyatt, Gurgaon?

In Indian, we do a lot of Awadhi foods as we have an Awadhi speciality restaurant. Meanwhile, we also serve Asian, Western and North Indian food.

What menu tweaks you are applying at Hyatt to deliver best to the customers?

We believe in putting only the best and fresh ingredients to any our recipes. We do not tweak the menu, but try to bring the authenticity to the table. The only USP that we follow is cook food from the best ingredients in the correct cooking method. The only place where we tweak the menu is the designing of the menu.

As tea business is getting healthier with new investments doing ground, tea chain café Chaayos has partnered with IRCTC to make the journey more exciting with customized and choicest flavours.  

“The partnership with IRCTC would be a great chance for people to get their favourite cup of tea even while travelling in trains,” shared Raghav Verma, Co-Founder, Chaayos.

The tea café has developed an innovative method to deliver tea with their disposable kettles which consist of a heat retaining pouch and an outer cardboard packaging, to ensure that the tea delivered stays hot for an hour. Initially, the collaboration is for all trains at New Delhi station, and will soon be extended to other stations across Delhi and Mumbai.

Passengers will have to order their tea two hours before the arrival, which can be made on www.ecatering.irctc.co.in or calling a toll-free number (1800-1034-139). IRCTC has also launched a mobile app through which orders can be placed. Chaayos, which has 20 cafes in Delhi NCR and Mumbai, is also planning to open 40 cafes in four major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru amongst others. The tea chain is also offering cash back offers on e-caterings with a value of more than Rs 300 in a single order.

Every day is a new day for restaurant business. And, to survive in this market is the biggest challenge restaurants are going through. But, do we really bother what are some essentials that make restaurants shine even in the hard times?  And, yes of course, going by the trend is what keeps industry going. And, as this generation is keen on nightlife with the busy schedules that they go through whole day, resto-bars could be the next big trend hitting industry’s growth.

“The concept is already established, people love to eat out, enjoy performances and live events,” shared, Rishi Aggarwal, Owner of The Flaming Kick.

A marriage of culture

As we are moving with global trends, resto-bars are one such culture which was present only in abroad, but gradually it has come in India in the form of bar/lounge/bistro. Also, looking at the growing population and their increasing incomes, restaurateurs decided to come up with this fresh idea that caters families, youngsters and corporate sector with good quality food and drinks.

Resto-bars are based on culture and not theme. This new culture includes enjoying delicious food with some awesome genres of music. which is loved by everyone. In addition to this, dining bistro has an extensive collection of beverages which is loved by millennial. And, hence it is giving a push to restaurateurs to gauge on the segments growth.

Moreover, these resto bars are one of the most sophisticated places to visit with friends. Technology is the foremost reason for these cafes and bars to emerge so fast. This trend also does not have any restrain of time and space, both for restaurateurs and customers.

Inception story

“Today, every person wants to open a bar or a café, with a better presentation than others. . As this is a profitable business and has a profitable future, correct vision for it is the way forward,” pointed Sourav Deshwal, Owner of Pamphilos. And, we can say new bars and cafes have emerged as one of the promising profitable businesses in recent time. Resto-bars have different  themes such as rooftop bar, hut-like entrance with good designer decor and ambience.

Like, only great food alone cannot grab customer’s attention. Restaurateurs provide platform for budding musicians and local artists to showcase their music and performance. Many new cafés provide their customers a place to jam, unleash creative talent with delicious food and a pivot point for casual gathering. 

At the same time, these restaurant’s target customers are also different. Restaurateurs mainly targets college students and young working professionals, as they love to have liquor, doing regular parties and hosting events at evenings.

And, hence we can say that we are not far from the time where we can enjoy good nightlife with some amazing food and drinks.

Chai is the largest consumed beverages in India especially at the roadside. In India, on an average approx 80 per cent of the people consume tea every year. And with the high demand of Chai and beverages, many Chai outlets are coming up nationwide. Here are few top corporate Chai brands:

Chaayos

Chaayos was born in November 2012, as a contemporary interpretation of the chai adda, serving freshly made chai. Its main focus is to serve you "Meri Wali Chai", a chai made exactly for the customers' liking the minute they place their order for instance be it an adrak, tulsi, kadak chai or a paani kam, elaichi, cinnamon chai.

“We are differentiated by the customization that we provide. Our chais are made fresh, when customer places order, with an option of choosing from up to 12 add-ons and variations of milk and sugar levels, resulting in a total of 12,000 ways to make your chai. It is this customization that led to our tagline "experiments with chai”. Our "Meri Wali Chai" inspires the kind of loyalty we get from customers. We are one of the only players that offers premium, customizable chais with a great ambience” shared Raghav Verma, Co-Founder, Chaayos.

Tea Trails

Tea Trails is the best place for those who love to have tea. This is the first Tea Cafés in India who has a curated range of the finest Teas and Eats. Tea Trails serves gourmet teas from around the world and has teas ranging from hot to cold and everyday to extravagant paired with great food. The cafe is an experience zones where people not only come to savour great teas and food but also to chat, meet or to work.

Tea Trails is a venture of Zone8 Tea World Pvt. Ltd. and founded by a group of successful entrepreneurs and professionals in 2012. They spent more than two years in R&D to handpick products suitable for the Indian palette and launched the first Tea Trails outlet in Mumbai in November 2013.

Chai Garam

Chai Garam is one of the oldest Chai companies and has been in the market since 2008. It is a tested concept with eight profitable running outlets and two million cups of tea sold. The idea is to set up a chain of chai cafes targeting the working population of the country with small outlets, low rentals, low prices, faster turnaround. Their speciality is that they sell 20 varieties of freshly brewed hand-made Tea without use of tea bags or vending machines along with cold beverages and snacks. We can operate in malls, universities, offices, airports, train stations etc.

“We are a budget cafe providing a value proposition. We cater to the daily refreshment requirements of our customers. Our customers visit us every day or multiple times a day as we offer convenience and value for money. Our USP is our Chai which we prepare fresh using fresh tea leaves and spices without use of any tea bags, vending machines or artificial flavouring. We have over 20 different varieties of tea. All our teas are our unique blends specially selected and prepared by our expert tea tasters” pointed Bhrigu Dutt, Director Eagle Peak Garam Chai Pvt Ltd.

Cha Bar

Cha Bar is determined to become a daily necessity for local Chaai addicts. It is a roadside approachable joint to meet friends, hold quick meetings, sit, relax and enjoy fresh gourmet chaai with deshi snacks and some gupshup. Their primary focus is to cater to this market and provide them with best brewed gourmet Chaai in the local area.

Chai Point

Chai point brings the best Chai that the land offers for the customers. It is sourced from exclusive estates and tea companies in Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri through a meticulous process. There special tea leaves are free of artificial colours and flavours as well as offers you a sip of good health each time you step into one of our stores.

Chai Thela

“We wanted to create a brand which must have a quick connect with customers. Also 90 per cent of tea in India is sold through road side thelas only. Therefore, we thought to come up with modernised (Hygienic and branded) version of a thela and hence, we named it Chai Thela. There are around 40 varieties of tea at our counter ranging from adrak chai, masala chai, dhaniya chai, green apple chai, mango chai, kashmiri kahwa etc, said Pankaj Judge Founder & CEO, Chai Thela.

Their main aim is to brew your fresh chai with the best of ingredients such as mineral water, sulphur less sugar, handpicked tea leaves, pasteurised toned milk and secret ingredient i.e. love. They also ensure that every chai which they make for you creates a new benchmark for hygiene through clean shaven beaming smiles, gloves, caps, aprons and uniform.

Therefore, this is a new traditional Chai which is serving different flavours of Chai with great taste. Additionally, Chai is healthy, fresh beverage with natural ingredients to suit the authentic taste.

In a country like India where food service has the highest market size after retail and insurance, there are few restrictions and law that is creating hindrance in vernacular growth of the industry.

“With an age limit of drinking at 25, the country allows its residents to get married at 21 years where he is not allowed to enjoy his own marriage,” pointed Riyaaz Amlani, President NRAI addressing the restaurant meet on Wednesday.

However, there are states like Goa, Sikkim, UP, Pondicherry, MP< Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh amongst others which is allowing people to drink at 18 years as these states have seen some great number of footfalls in terms of getting the tourists both nationally and globally. 

Listening to the long pending impediments by the NRAI, Kapil Mishra, Tourism Minister, Delhi Govt has come out in support of the memorandum presented by NRAI President, Riyaaz Amlani, who showed the minister how global country have worked upon such legal issues promoting the growth of the restaurant industry which is a direct contributor in their GDP.

The minister also described the current policy on the age of drinking as "impractical" and unrealistic", Mishra said this was resulting in harassment of both consumers and owners of restaurants and bars. "When I looked at the list of states, I found Delhi as one of the few who have stuck to 25 years. Many BJP-ruled states too have adopted 21 years as the drinking age.”

Talking to the restaurant owners at NRAI 33rd AGM meet, the minister also supported restaurateurs on lowering the age of drinking in Delhi, promising them to create a smooth environment to run their restaurants in the capital city.

"I am against any law that is not in tune with reality. We have received complaints that restaurant owners are harassed by police due to this impractical rule of 25 years. Besides, consumers also feel under threat and still people younger than 25 continue to drink," the minister said.

However according to NRAI, among many proposals that the Delhi government is working on closely with the NRAI, Mishra’s comment on the drinking age reduction has caught the most attention. Yet, despite the controversy the tourism minister and his AAP government, are standing steadfast in their support to reduce the age limit, which in essence is a function of the Excise department.

A lower drinking age is also seen as a social issue, with critics linking it an increase in social incidents and drunken driving cases. “We at the NRAI are of the view that it’s better for those above 18 to drink in a controlled environment rather than in their homes, where excessive consumption is a possibility,” said Prakul Kumar, secretary general, NRAI.

Now getting over one litre liquor to Delhi from neighboring areas like Gurgaon and Faridabad to cut on few penny’s  may land you in jail as the state Government is stepping up efforts to catch hold of defaulters, reported PTI.

The move is intended to boost revenue by plugging losses as the AAP government loses out on tax which enriches the coffers of its neighbor Haryana.

The Delhi Government's Excise Department has formed teams to ascertain the prevalence of the practice by observing the liquor shops operating in Rohtak, Sonepat, Gurgaon and Faridabad bordering the national capital.

As per Section 33 of the existing Excise Act 2009, government says that one cannot take more than one litre to Delhi from other states.

Violators, in violation of this section can face imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to three lakh.

"Government has now decided to strictly implement this rule. There are thousands of people who live in Delhi, but go to Haryana's areas, especially Gurgaon and Faridabad, for works. Unaware of excise rules, most people can get over one litre liquor to Delhi from these areas which are illegal. The rule says that vehicle be it expensive indulged in transporting over one litre liquor will be confiscated and sold in auction. Such vehicles will not be returned to defaulters,” informed a senior official.

The official also said that excise department will launch an extensive drive within next week and for which, various teams have been formed.

Now, even department's officials are making an assessment of numbers of liquor shops in Faridabad, Sonipat and Gurgaon bordering Delhi to ascertain how many persons take Haryana liquor to Delhi.  

According to a report, restrictive regulations including progressive taxation and pricing controls are shortening profit growth in alcoholic beverages market, while keeping high barriers for new entrants in the country.

The ongoing high barriers for new entrants would favor European beverage makers already established in India, said Global research major Moody's in a report.

Moody's Investor Service said, "We believe India's alcoholic beverage market has strong long-term growth potential for European producers. This is supported by a number of factors, including our expectation that India's economic growth will continue to outperform that of its peers in 2015-16".

In India, alcohol production, distribution and sales are regulated by each state. The different regulations and existence of central state tax (CST) payable on goods moving from one state to another are the biggest limit on growth, it said. Furthermore, states set rules on alcohol consumption, set the drinking age and also control distribution and pricing.

Moody further added in existing manufacturers will have strong protection until regulation change, "We do not expect the regulatory environment to materially improve during the next two to three years and this will impede any broad improvement in operating profit margins for alcoholic beverage companies".

Along with other restrictive regulations, liquor prices are dogged by individual state governments once a year and so alcoholic beverage companies operating in India cannot adjust prices based on fluctuations in the cost of raw materials, inflation or competitive pressures.

Moreover, the sector also faces progressive taxation, which further limits price increases. Changes in excise duty in larger states can significantly influence annual volume production. Higher duties can sharply reduce consumption because alcohol is still relatively expensive for many consumers.

Moody's Investor Service expects, in 2015-18 beer volume growth of 8.8 per cent a year; albeit from a low base and spirits segment volume growth to moderate to around 3.7 per cent a year, more in line with the global average.  

The overall F&B scenario in India has evolved dramatically over the past decade. While in the past, there were only a handful of brands to choose from; now the consumers have difficulty in choosing from the multitude of brands on offer!

The F&B industry has also attracted good investments in recent years. So, with the booming of the sector, comes the issue of food safety. In order to ensure that the F&B market keeps flourishing, it is important to focus on the quality of food offered to the consumers.

It is of the utmost importance that the food we eat and the beverages we drink are absolutely safe for human consumption. Therefore, carrying out food safety checks is a mandatory requirement for ensuring food safety.

Today, food products need be tested for a large number of contaminants. Of these, contaminating metals are very important, as these have a deleterious effect on health if the levels are above the specified values. Many metals act as co-factors for enzymes involved in various metabolic pathways. It follows that large quantities of contaminating metals can have an adverse effect on these metabolic pathways, leading to health problems, especially upon continuous, long-term exposure.

The various types of metals, in particular, the heavy metals are widely distributed in our environment, and can enter our food chain though various ways. For example, heavy metals in the streams, rivers and lakes can accumulate in fish, which in turn are consumed by humans, leading to heavy metals entering the human food chain. This is only one example out of a myriad. However, regardless of the mode of entry into the food cycle, they disturb the normal functioning of the body metabolism and can accumulate in the body causing severe toxicity.

A few other metals, namely, sodium, potassium and calcium do not fall within the category of heavy metals, but are nevertheless important for the normal functioning of the body. Calcium is required for muscle contraction and transportation of molecules; while sodium and potassium are required for maintaining electrolyte balance within cells with reference to its extracellular environment. Deficiency of these metal ions can lead to various health problems. For example, calcium deficiency can cause osteomalacia or weak bones, while excess can cause toxicity. Deficiency of sodium and potassium can cause hyponatremia and hypokalemia respectively, while their excesses can lead to toxicity.

Safety limits for heavy metals recommended by FSSAI

To protect the consumers, regulatory bodies across the world have established regulations with stringent limits on the permitted levels of heavy metals in different items of food. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex regulatory body on food in India, has recommended safety limits for metal contaminants in food and beverages, which should not be exceeded. These are tabulated below.

Table 1: FSSAI recommended limits for metal contaminants in foods and beverages

How are metals tested in food and beverages?

The presence of heavy metal contaminants in F&B makes it important for the food industry to ensure that their products are free from these toxic elements by regularly testing their ingredients and products for compliance with the regulatory requirements.

Testing for metals in foodstuff essentially involves the following four steps:

·         Sampling: The objective of this step is to obtain a small and representative portion from the large sample in such a way that any subsequent test on the sample will give reproducible results.

·         Destruction of organic matter: The commonly used methods of destruction of organic matter can be broadly grouped into wet oxidation, dry ashing and microwave digestion.

·         Separation and concentration of the metal: Once the organic component is destroyed, the element of interest is concentrated by applying physico-chemical methods.

·         Measurement and determination of the metal: The concentrated element is then subjected to analytical methods to determine its actual level in the original sample of food.

Which method does the FSSAI recommend?

The FSSAI has recommended a number of methods for testing contaminating metals in foodstuff, which have been approved and validated internationally by leading agencies like the USFDA and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of the EU. It is important to note that approval by international agencies in various countries means that the methods have been standardised and harmonised as per global standards. Therefore, when the Indian food products are exported to these countries and retested before distribution, they will pass the quality and safety checks easily. Some of the approved methods for testing heavy metals are briefly tabulated below.

Table 2: FSSAI approved methods for testing heavy metals

Most advanced method for testing metals

The most advanced method for testing metals, which is considered the “Gold Standard” is a combination of Microwave Digestion for sample preparation, followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) for sample analysis. The closed sample digestion technique of microwave digestion system allows for preparing the samples in a closed system at high temperature and pressure without losing any of the volatile analyte like mercury and arsenic, which are otherwise easily lost when the sample is digested using open digestion with acids or ashing followed by acid treatment. ICP MS gives the advantage of analysing all the metals at the same time with minimum manual intervention, which is required when analysing samples on an AAS with hydride generation and graphite furnace assembly. It also offers unparalleled low detection limits, in the parts per trillion levels range, allowing for the use of smaller sample quantities which can be properly digested giving better recovery and reproducibility of results.

Conclusion

From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that testing for contaminating metals is a very important aspect of maintaining food safety. These metals, particularly, the heavy metals should not exceed the permissible limits in food and beverages, as recommended by the FSSAI. Nowadays, there are a number of approved and validated methods that are at the disposal of the food analyst for testing metal contaminants in foodstuff. Importantly, more advanced and automated analytical methods like AAS, ICP MS, coupled with microwave digestion for sample preparation have immensely streamlined and simplified the whole process of food testing. This has resulted in generation of more robust data that are reproducible and at par with international standards, which has led to a new era in food testing services in India.

<p style="\\&quot;text-align:" right;\\"="">  By Invite: Saurabh Arora, Founder, Food Safety Helpline.com

FSSAI which has been setting safety measures for noodles and milk has now turning towards alcoholic beverages with plans to set up standards for drinks, including beer and whisky, reported PTI.

The Food Safety Standards Authority of India will come up with a draft notification on the standards of alcoholic beverages in next two months.

"Work is going on to prepare standards for alcohol and alcoholic beverages, in next two months the FSSAI will come up with draft notification seeking comments from the public," said a senior official.

According the official drinks like whisky, vodka, gin, beer and even breezer will come under the proposed standards.

Earlier this year, a meeting of the Central Advisory Committee had also discussed having standards for alcohol and alcoholic beverages.

It was decided that once standards for alcohol and alcoholic beverages were finalised it shall be intimated to all states and UTs so that they may suitably advise the respective excise departments.

In terms of packaging, FSSAI has already proposed that alcoholic beverages, pan masala and supari may not be treated as "unsafe food" for recall just because they carry a mandatory warning on their covers.

It is mentioned on pan masala, supari and liquor that their consumption is injurious to health.

The proposal has been made in the Safety and Standards (Food Recall Procedure) Regulations, 2015, which has been put up for public comments.

"In the case of alcoholic beverages, pan masala, supari, the mandatory mention of warning 'consumption of alcohol/ pan masala/ supari is injurious to health' may not be treated as unsafe food as part of any recall plan unless the beverage or food is determined unsafe as per the classification of recall making it injurious to health or even causing death," the proposal said.

These draft norms were put up for public comments on May 29 and the deadline ends on August 1.

Over the years, ice cream market in India has gained momentum with entry of national and local players in the market. The segment which is projected at Rs 3,000 crore has been growing at 19.5 per cent year-on-year. And is projected to reach Rs 1,560 crore by 2018. Major national players as well as regional entrants like Pabrai’s Fresh & Naturelle, Natural, Amul, Milkyway are seeing great opportunities in the ice cream market.

Premiumising the product

The dairy business has seen lots of brands coming up with local, regional flavours when it comes to ice cream segment. From local flavours of Japan, to the US, the brand has experimented all when it comes to ice cream business in the country.

Earlier this year, Mother Dairy enters premium ice cream segment with its 'Belgiyum choco bar', Amul starts its ‘Epic’ brand which is a premium version of its other brands and HUL has brought the Magnum to the Indian market seeing all the new opportunity that the business is seeing in India.

After a successful pilot in Chennai in 2013, Magnum was rolled out in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune in 2014, and it has been launched in Delhi and Kolkata this year. Magnum will be available through multiple channels, including premium grocery, modern trade outlets and also ‘Magnum on Wheels’ vending carts.

An event was held to mark the launch of Magnum in Delhi with actor Kareena Kapoor as its brand ambassador. Likewise, Epic by Amul which is launched in January this year is the creamiest ice cream giving the Indian palate the richness and taste never experienced before. Also, ice cream in this product has less aeration compared to regular ice creams. To make this product more premium, the bars are coated with exotic Belgian chocolate, which is richer in taste as compared to regular chocolates. Amul EPIC bars are available in two flavours i.e. Strawberry

Vanilla 80ml at Rs 35/- and Choco Almond 80ml for Rs 40/-.The prices are kept such to stay true to objectives of Amul of giving the best quality at competitive price.

Belgiyum choco bar, intensifying competition in the category where HUL has introduced its premium global brand Magnum and Haagen Dazs is present with imported ice creams.

The company has developed the choco bar keeping in mind the global benchmark, said Subhashis Basu, dairy head at Delhi-based Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable talking to media earlier.

What’s in store?

The ice cream market in India is evolving from selling ice cream on cart and small kiosks to well organised and premium parlours. Not only foreign brands like, Swensen’s, Haagen-Dazs, Movenpick and Baskin Robbins have placed themselves in Indian market, but also regional players like Pabrai’s, Natural, Milkyway are to name a few amongst others who are experimenting with the local and the international ingredients to reach Rs 1,560 crore fast growing ice cream market by 2018.

Even big Indian brands like Amul, Vadilal, Kwality Walls and Mother Dairy is looking for greater opportunities by spreading country wide distribution networks, outlets and menu, to compete with the unorganised players to largely contribute in the industry.

“So far we have been able to build a very strong distribution network of 50,000 retailers, 250 SKUs, 550 distributors, 32 CNF and 250 vehicles for delivery of goods. Through the franchisee route, Vadilal has setup over 140 ‘Happinezz’ retail outlets for selling ice creams and new ones are coming up every month,” says, Rajesh Gandhi, MD – Vadilal Industries Ltd.

Expanding the roots

According to a report by National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), there are 35-40 brands present in the space with estimated 1900-2000 outlets. The highest presence is in metros and mini metros with an equivalent of 34 per cent of the outlets, followed by tier-II cities with 23 per cent of outlets. At the same time, the regional players which are scattered around different regions, hold a sizeable part of market.

Milkyway which is a big player in the softy and ice cream business in Chennai, is expanding its root via franchisee network in parts of India.

Varun Goyal, Owner, Milkyway Ice Cream, says, “We have an ice cream factory in Chennai and have around 7000 square feet facility in Chennai where we manufacture our ice cream with a mixture of freshly made syrups, sauces, creams and caramels. We make around 300 varieties including the milk shakes, sodas etc.”

Movenpick, which made a comeback in the country earlier this year, with a new partner to operate and expand its business in the country, is planning to open its ice cream boutique in Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh.

Tarun Sikka, Managing Director, Star Foods Speciality that runs Movenpick ice cream boutiques in India shares: “Indians are now looking for premium tastes with international quality and standards.”

Making the gourmet ice cream

Players like Natural and Pabrai’s claims to offer 100 per cent natural ice cream, is introducing a wide variety of natural and gourmet flavours in the ice cream market. Pabrai’s, which started its operation in 2008 in Kolkata, has introduced unique varieties in the market like Wasabi ice cream, Macha great ice cream and black sesame to name a few, in the gourmet section. Meanwhile, it has also introduced authentic yet unique flavours like paan ice cream, musk melon and water melon ice creams in 100 per cent natural ingredients category.

“We make 100 per cent natural ice cream without using any artificial colour or essence for flavours. In fact, our process of making ice cream is inspired from traditional methods and techniques which result in a product with a good shelf life of about a year and has unmatched quality and taste,” assures Kunal Pabrai, One of the partner, Pabrai’s Fresh & Naturelle.

Delivering right at the door

Not only this, major player like Baskin Robbins, Natural, Nirula’s, Vadilal, Giani’s have entered the home delivery segment. In addition, these players also offer services for organising birthday parties, outdoor catering, etc, aiming to capture a larger section of the consumers.

Thereby, from all cited examples above, we can say that ice cream industry in India is growing with new as well as global players in the market, who are ready to meet the target of Rs 1,560 crore by 2018.

Franchise India 2015 has opportunity for all who wants to take an ice cream franchisee or meet the biggest investors and brands at the biggest franchise and retail show.

Seasonal Factors

Seasons play a very important role for Indian F&B industry. Over the years the restaurants in India have witnessed a tremendous change from changing formats to investor’s desires and the ongoing trend. The current financial year has noticed various on-going issues in the industry. For example – In the first quarter this year, consumers felt betrayed over payroll taxes being imposed on them in addition to bad weather conditions. Speaking on the effect of seasons on the food service market, Samir Kuckreja, President, NRAI says, “Seasonal factors do affect restaurant sales. While holidays, summer vacations and festive seasons like Christmas, Diwali see spurt in sales, extreme climatic conditions play a deterrent to the eating-out activities.”

Adding to the same line, other experts in the industry believe that eating out is not a seasonal business and is largely unaffected by climatic conditions. However, there is an increase in sales during holidays, summer vacations and festive seasons like Christmas, Diwali, Durga Pooja, etc.

Sustainability in Business

Restaurant have seen major changes in the trend with fine dining and QSR ruling the industry to fast casuals and casual dining now conquering the mind of investors. Since fine dining tends to be more expensive, it is more sensitive to consumer budgets and the health of the economy.

On the other hand, casual dining is convenience and value makes them attractive. Stating the reason for investors inclination towards the casual dining segment, Siddharth Bafna, Partner & Head (Corporate Finance), Lodha & Co says, “I believe that there will be a lot of opportunities for new restaurant chains to emerge and for the able ones to raise venture capitals or PE in times to come. The restaurants are using fast food segment or the casual dining segment because these segments focus on the scalability of food – i.e., tasty and fresh food prepared in a customized way. It is half the price of fine dining because with less money consumers are getting what they want. Thus, sustainability is becoming the key to these segments.”

The Cafe Story

At the same time, both national and international cafe players are paving a way into the Indian market, Di Bella Coffee which has shut down its India operation few years back has made a comeback in the country. On the other hand, the international coffee chain Starbuck has seen a successful growth in the last one year of its opening. According to the NRAI report, the size of the cafe market is expected to grow at a CGAR of ~20 per cent to reach Rs 3,775 crore ($725 million) by 2018.

Speaking on how café’s are trying to tap consumers in the volatile market in order to stay afloat, Venu Madhav, CEO, CCD says, “At CCD, we understand the importance of listening to the youth. So the idea is to first expand our digital footprint and then listen, understand and engage with the youth. For example – CCD has co-created its existing look and feel based on our consumer feedback. A few items in the menu have been introduced after engaging with the youth in these spaces and understanding their desires. We always strive to introduce some amount of newness in our menu each quarter and change the look and feel of the café at regular intervals.”

Not only this, Costa Coffee which entered India in 2005 in a master franchise agreement with Devyani International has introduced a wide variety of international ranges of cakes seeking the evolution of Indian customer towards international eating habits.

Vishal Kapur, CEO, Costa Coffee says, “The Indian palate has internationalized faster than anybody expected. Our new range of quality cakes is a testament to the Costa customer’s taste and appreciation for high quality confectionery.”

Food Law and Policies

In 2013, the government has imposed a service tax of 12.36 per cent on all air-conditioned restaurants which made leading chains increase their offering prices by 5-10 per cent. When consumers struggled amidst slowing economies, the fast food chains witnessed slow business and the reason for this can be clearly attributed to the fluctuating food costs. Food retail sales slowed down by 5-6 per cent in the first quarter this year and prompted the industry to dole out its most aggressive promotion and value deals.

In the recent development, the new government is committed to providing support to the food processing sector with a view to reduce the losses of supply chain. The losses range from about 16-18 per cent in various crops and during certain seasons, especially in the rainy season, the losses can be as high as 30 per cent.

Commenting on how the government is working on sustaining the food products, Siraj Hussain, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industry says, “The government is concerned about the losses especially in fruits and vegetables because it reduces the availability of food products and also causes inflation. Hence, the govt is providing a slew of incentives to food processing and food preservation industry so that there is facility of integration from farm to the fork.”

He further shares his insights on taxes imposed on restaurants, “I don’t think that the taxes on restaurants are very high. In fact, there is a need to ensure that the payment at restaurant is done through card, cheque or with mobile transfer so that the restaurant business is able to collect their money through reportable channels.”

Restaurants are now having access to processed food products which can be used in cooking to keep product fresh, reliable and increase the shelf life. All these will surely benefit the restaurant owners in the days to come.

The Hard Fact

One would assume that the restaurant industry is healthy, if people are spending money and new restaurants (both large and small) are coming up everywhere. On evaluating the industry by activity, you will see that the industry is going good. Yum! Restaurants are eyeing smaller towns for expansion in India, KFC and Pizza Hut are doing good business in Kochi and other South Indian cities as well. McDonald's has invested around Rs 500 crore to set up 250 restaurants in West and South India.

At the same time, more and more new formats and innovative concepts like Chaayos, Atchayam Foodbox, 4700 BC popcorn and Travel Khana and YatraChef are increasingly coming up in the industry. Capitalizing on an innovative format is a straight forward strategy and usually the main driver of revenue.

But the hard fact about the restaurant industry is that it becomes increasingly tricky to capture benefits as the chain grows in size. As a result, the sales in restaurants are on the decline and are not happening in adequate volumes in chains and they are failing to achieve their targets. 

If you evaluate the industry by activity, you will see that the industry is going good – Yum! Restaurants are eyeing smaller towns for expansion in India, US icons McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut are doing big business in Kochi and McDonald's will be investing Rs 500 crore to set up 250 restaurants in west and south India by 2014.

Opening new doors is a straightforward strategy and usually the main driver of revenue. However, as a chain grows in size, it becomes increasingly tricky to capture benefits. And that is the truth; the sales in restaurants are on the decline and are not happening in adequate volumes in chains and they are failing to achieve their targets. Let us know why this is happening.

Sluggish Economy and High Inflation

As soon as our finance minister announced a service tax of 12.36 per cent on all air-conditioned restaurants, leading chains had to increase their prices by 5-10 per cent. When consumers struggled amidst slowing economies, the fast food chains witnessed slow business. The reason for this clearly points to fluctuating food costs. Food retail sales slowed down by 5% in the first quarter this year and prompted the industry to dole out its most aggressive promotion and value deals.

Talking about the reasons for this dip, Samir Kuckreja, President, NRAI, says, “The predominant causes for the pressure on sales in restaurants can be attributed to sluggish economy and high inflation. Due to these factors the propensity of discretionary spending on eating out has got impacted and that has created a pressure on the overall sales.” Agreeing to this, Anjan Chatterjee, Founder and MD, Speciality Restaurants, adds, “Discretionary spending has gone down due to high cost of commodities and sustained inflationary trends. Also there is a cautious outlook towards the future as the economic growth is poor.”

So have people stopped eating out? To that Chatterjee adds, “Eating out is a social phenomenon. Therefore, even if people cook at home, visiting food outlets is a part of regular social activity where connecting with family and community is an established norm.” If people are willing to eat out, what is causing the sales dip. Possibly, people have more options to choose from.

According to Vikas Arora, Executive Director, The Precious Group, the reason for low sales in restaurant chains is firstly the economy which is slowing down and secondly localisation. Thirdly, since all businesses are becoming easy for the consumer to go to, it brings in a lot of competition as people want to experiment with new things and that definitely affects sales. He further adds, “In the past people had very fixed ideas about food; today people are not scared of experimenting because options are many today.”

To counter this slowdown, Mcdonald’s took out a massive campaign that aimed to encourage people to start their day with wholesome breakfast. As part of this initiative, McDonalds India offered one thousand free McMuffins to their customers during breakfast hours at each of its restaurants serving breakfast menu in India. McDonald's called it the National Breakfast Day.

When McDonalds started initiatives to counter the price-led trends in the QSR space – in a bid to capture the heart and the wallet of consumers – other brands too adopted smart pricing. Speaking on the smart strategy adopted by McDonald’s, Smita Jatia, Managing Director, Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (HRPL), says, “From day 1 we emphasised on Indian taste for the Indian palate which has really worked for us. The new chains which are coming are also copying the menu and the Indianisation of food. These are things which I think other restaurants are benefiting from McDonald’s.”

Domino's soon played the 'Pehli Kamai' campaign as their affordability card for its 'Pizza Mania' product selling at 44 per unit.

Playing the affordability card even further KFC launched its ‘WOW’ menu in India that offered 10 products/combos starting at Rs 25 and all under Rs 100. Pizza Hut Delivery (PHD), on the other hand, launched a national brand campaign with the focus on its new magic pan pizza selling at Rs 44. Speaking about this value offer, Niren Chaudhary, President, Yum! Restaurants, says, “Yum! Restaurants India and its brands KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are all about providing an exciting eating out experience for our consumers. By offering products/combos starting as low as Rs 25 and KFC at Rs. 44 at Pizza Hut, we intend to widen our reach to those who are looking for affordable options while eating out.”

Oriential Cuisines also introduced certain affordable value pricing. In that aspect, Narendra Malhotra, CEO, Oriental Cuisines, says “At Oriental Cuisines, we keep bringing new additions to our menus, invent and reinvent our products, and try and bring creativity at every step. Our biggest strength is in being able to bring in new products and cater to market trends and festive demands. Through working with our vendors and economies of scale, we have been able to bring products at pocket-friendly prices for our customers always keeping in mind quality with affordability.”

Talking about the affordability factor introduced by brands and its success, Kuckreja says, “Indians are value conscious consumers, so the acquisition and retention of customers is positively impacted by pricing strategies. Consequently these strategies encourage both new consumers and existing ones to visit restaurants more regularly.”

Talking about the challenges, he further adds, “Our menu philosophy was designed keeping simplicity and variety in mind along with easy-on-the-pocket prices. The overall consumer environment is also proving to be challenging and therefore we continuously focus on delivering value, building sales layers and new-unit development.” Striking a similar note, Chatterjee says, “The most successful strategy is to create surprises by way of new menu, and food festivals. The idea is to keep on top of the mind. Such activities always have positive impact though the base in recessionary trends is already shrunk.”

Speaking on the ways McDonald’s adopts to keep price pocket-friendly, Jatia says, “Inflation has been in India from many years and I don’t think this is something we have to take in reality for running any business in our country. At McDonald’s, we take the price that is half the rate than what the inflation goes, take about 2-3 per cent price rise year-on-year and try and see any inefficiencies in our business, in our supply chain, in our CNL, so that we don’t pass the increase on customers.”

 “Value pricing is the most time-tested practice used by the players to combat these challenges. Marketing efforts especially price-led promotions like promotional offers, discounts on specific days, meal combos and special buffets at happy hours, etc. help in driving footfalls,” says Kuckreja. Even though each brand emphasised on ‘value menus’ and increased their low-priced offerings like never before, the business did witness a low.

Seasonal Factors

Seasons play a very important role especially in India. In the first quarter this year, consumers felt shock, anger and betrayal over payroll taxes in addition to bad weather conditions. Speaking on the effect of seasons on the food service market, Kuckreja says, “Seasonal factors do affect restaurant sales. While holidays, summer vacations, festive seasons like Christmas, Diwali see spurt in sales, there is a decline in business during the examination periods. Further regional variations in climate also have an impact on the sales. Extreme climatic conditions play a deterrent to the eating out activities.”

On the same lines, Chatterjee says, “Hot summer days, incessant rains, very cold weather, all could affect adversely; whereas festive seasons mean better footfall.” However, Chaudhary has different take on it, “Eating out is not a seasonal business and is largely unaffected by climatic conditions. However, we do see an increase in sales during holidays, summer vacations and festive seasons like Christmas, Diwali, etc.”

How Fast is Casual?

Another aspect of restaurant sales is seen by analysing its two broad categories – fast food and casual sit-downs. Since sit-down restaurants tend to be more expensive, it makes them even more sensitive to consumer budgets and the health of the economy. On the other hand, QSR restaurants’ convenience and value make them attractive. Stating the reason for people’s inclination towards QSR/fast-casual, Harry Balzer, Market Researcher, NPD Group (which provides market information and advisory services to drive better business decisions), says, “We are using fast food more but sit down restaurants less because there (in QSRs) the focus is on the food – tasty food, fresh food, prepared the way ‘I like it’. It is half the price of casual dining because with less money person are getting what they want. Fast casual is benefitting from the ‘fast’ part than the ‘casual’ part.”

How Floating are Cafés?

According to the NRAI report, the size of the cafe market is estimated at INR 1,520 crore (USD 290 million) in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CGAR of ~20% to reach INR 3,775 crore (USD 725 million) by 2018. Speaking on how café’s are trying to tap consumers in the volatile market in order to stay afloat, Kuckreja adds, “The cafe segment is evolving and as the market is getting competitive, the players are differentiating by tailoring their offerings in terms of ambience, service and developing new products such as regional flavours, international coffee blends. Players are expanding their presence at various new terrains like hospitals, colleges, corporate houses, travel locations. Foraying into different formats helps players tap a wider customer base usually by means of enhancing the overall cafe experience through an appealing ambience, encouraging greater time-spends at outlets, using assorted menus to fulfil the need for either a small bite or a regular meal and providing interactive experience.”

Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) has been going to town with its magic priced F&B combos between Rs 49 to Rs 119. Explaining the reasons for CCD to latch on to the price-led strategy K Ramakrishnan, President - Marketing, Cafe Coffee Day had this to share with Economic Times, "An attractive price point offers to bring in newer customers who were otherwise not trying the category at all.” Agrees Chatterjee, “Café, as in QSR band, could perform better in recessionary trends as per person spend is less.”

Arora has a different take on the success of café chains. Speaking on why café’s are introducing food in their outlet, he says, “Indian consumers want something to eat. People normally go out to have food and not just beverage. That is why cafe joints are introducing foods.”

The Hard Facts

According to a research by NPD Group, the Restaurant visits among millennial have fallen 16 percent over the last four years and failed to pick up as the economy improved. Thus the effort put in by the restaurant industry seems to suggest that they are luring large numbers of consumers, caging them, and hoping that the buzz created by this large mass translates into profits. 

With eating out becoming a trend in today’s time, the beverage segment is also seeing a boom in the industry. According to Mr. Nikhil Mahlawat, General Manager, Pind Balluchi, Gurgaon, “People are not only preferring a simple non-alcoholic drink but also trying alcoholic drinks which is made in India but has an international tag. Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is highly on demand among the regular customers of Pind Balluchi.”

While talking about the type of crowd, Mr. Mahlawat further adds that the weekday crowds are mostly by the corporate people whereas weekends see a house full of family and friends. Speaking on the price tag, he says,“We offer lower priced beverages and drinks so that it doesn’t pinch anybody pockets and leave an effect on his budget for another week. Also we provide offers on Citibank cards and Amercan Express Cards, organise food festivals, etc. We are currently oraganising a festival on ‘Purani Dilli’ style food.”

Franchise India carried out an extensive survey on understanding the different preferences people make while ordering a beverage. It was found that 35% voted for cold drinks as compared to liquor or mocktails during the day.

As per the research it was found that people preferred their beverage along with their meals.

            As per our research, it was found that corporates usually go for tea or coffee during a business meet. Talking in this regard, Mr. Mahlawat added that corporate generally prefer a non-alcoholic drink only a few among 1000 go for beers and whisky.

As per Mr. Raj, Manager, 10 Downing Street, Chandigarh, “The beverage industry is excelling in the market with people visiting restaurants regularly. About 70% of people prefer beverages when out. In restaurants, 40% go for non-alcoholic drinks while the rest prefer alcohol. Virgin Mojito is the most preferred drink in my restaurant.” Our survey results also reflected that 40 per cent went for cold drinks in the non-alcohols category.

Among the alcoholic beverages, our survey showed people’s inclination towards beer (32 per cent) and whisky (30 per cent) as compared to champagne (10 per cent) and vodka (12 per cent). Mr. Raj says, “Beer is the most preferred alcoholic drink at my restaurant, 10 Downing Street.”

Our survey also suggests that the beverage industry is growing at a rapid pace in the country with people becoming more addicted and open to spend money on drinks and foods.