Madhuri Dixit Endorses Chaimaa as Premium Tea Brand Taps into India’s Wellness Market

With the launch of Dram Bell, a high-end blended whisky, Ardent Alcobev, a newcomer to the Indian premium alcobev industry, is poised to revolutionize the Scotch whisky experience. Each bottle, which costs for Rs. 1750 for the premium variant and Rs. 2450 for the Reserve edition, offers whisky connoisseurs an opulent experience that perfectly combines tradition and contemporary sophistication.

Dram Bell, which is expertly made utilizing Scotland's best whisky-making traditions, combines particular malts and grains to create a flavor profile that is rich and complex. Under stringent quality control procedures, Dram Bell is bottled in Scotland before being shipped into India. 

Ardent Alcobev is dedicated to providing "bottled-in-origin" goods that satisfy international craftsmanship requirements, establishing a new standard for premium spirits in India, with an emphasis on the country's changing customer preferences.

Commenting on the investment, Kevin Pietersen, Investor and former England Cricket Captain, Ardent Alcobev Pvt Ltd, said, “I’m truly honored to be a part of Ardent Alcobev as an investor. Ardent’s unwavering commitment to quality and craftsmanship resonates with my personal values in both life as well as cricket. Dram Bell stands as a luxurious and distinguished blend which reflects the same level of dedication and excellence that I’ve always strived for in my career. We also encourage drinking responsibly, for enjoyment, and not for excessive consumption, ensuring that everyone can savour the experience in moderation.”

“With the introduction of Dram Bell, we are redefining standards in India’s premium whisky market, as this blend highlights our strong commitment to quality and craftsmanship. With Kevin Pietersen as both an investor and brand ambassador, we are confident it will appeal to whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike. As the Indian market increasingly leans towards premiumization, we strive to transform the whisky category by presenting a blend that merges international standards with local tastes while tapping into the growing base of IMFL drinkers,” added Debashish Shyam, Co-Founder & Director at Ardent Alcobev Pvt Ltd. 

In Maharashtra, Dram Bell was introduced in November 2024 and will be sold at a few retail and on-trade establishments. The business plans to progressively extend its reach into additional important markets in both North and South India.

The energy drink brand, WOX is set to unveil its first refreshing energy beverages in India, Classic Edition. 

WOX is a brand by BCS Globals, a player in the Food & Beverage segment and is recognized for its quality standards across more than 10 countries.

''With the summer season just around the corner, we understand the importance of staying cool and energised, especially in India's hot climate. Our unique blend of flavors and energy-boosting properties deliver the perfect solution for anyone looking for a blend of instant energy punch and a refreshing flavour. “said Ajay Arora, Chief Operating Officer, WOX Energy Drink

The Classic Black energy drink has a vibrant golden yellow hue and provides a quick and revitalizing boost, making it an excellent choice for various events such as parties, sports gatherings, and outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, and cycling.

The drink has been developed in compliance with strict global standards, ensuring it meets high-quality and taste expectations.

Team BCS global possesses an in-depth understanding of global Food & Beverage manufacturing technologies has unveiled globally acclaimed energy drinks in its avant-garde manufacturing units.

According to Team BCS Globals, the global energy drink market stands at $8 billion and is growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate(CAGR) of 7 percent.

The product is priced at Rs. 60 and will be available at nearest mom-and-pop store.

Amid scorching heat, home bar setups have gained momentum. However, to master the art of being a homebound barista we consciously forage the aisles for something healthier, cleaner, and premium to go with our cocktails and heavy drinks.

Flavoured sparkling water Zenzi has launched a calorie-free soda that's crisp and bubbly.

Known as India's first flavored sparkling water infused with botanicals and fruits introduces this exciting drink for all the new age sober curious drink aficionados.

“Zenzi's addition of all-natural Zenzi soda is a perfect guilt-free mixer for your cocktails and mocktails. It's brilliantly crafted with 0 calories, sugar, and sodium for those who center health as a prime aspect of their lives,” shared the statement.

Zenzi's avant-garde addition of all-natural soda to its sparkling water family aligns with the brand's mantra of "growing together". As today's consumers are mindful of their lifestyle this is Zenzi's sustainable approach toward quality over quantity where products are good for us as well as for the planet.

Founded by Aman Rastogi’s in Mumbai, their bottles are curated through 100% recyclable PET bottles.

Tāmras Gin, a new small-batch, hand-crafted, copper-distilled Indian dry gin, has recently launched in Mumbai.

With a distillery in Goa, Tāmras Gin’s name is derived from Sanskrit words meaning copper and lotus flower. The name is an ode to the brand’s copper-distilling process and their lotus botanicals.

Tāmras Gin was created by Devika Bhagat and Khalil Bachooali, the co-founders and co-distillers of Adventurist Spirits Distillery; an independently-owned, family-run business established in 2020 in Colvale, North Goa.

The gin’s recipe has been developed by award-winning Master Distiller from Germany, Julia Nourney. It is traditionally copper-distilled, made in small batches in a hand-crafted, 230-litre Mueller Copper Still with individual botanical distillates, and is slow-diluted over 28 days.

The finished product is bottled and labelled at the brand’s distillery itself in a decorated bottle from Saver Glass, France and a wooden stopper from Labrenta, Italy. It is priced at Rs. 3200 plus taxes in Mumbai.

Varun Beverages Limited (VBL), one of the largest franchisee of PepsiCo worldwide, has reported a growth in its revenue from operations of 36.5% year-on-year to Rs 2,810 crore in the second quarter of 2019 (April to June).

The company’s profit after tax rose by 32% to Rs 405 crore in Q2 2019 from Rs 307 crore in Q2 2018, while its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 37% to Rs 788 crore from Rs 575 crore.

VBL’s total sales volumes saw a jump of 43.3% year-on-year at 195.5 million cases in Q2 CY19 as compared to 136.4 million unit cases in Q2 CY18.

Ravi Jaipuria, Chairman of Varun Beverages, said, "We have made rapid progress with the consolidation of the recently acquired territories in south and west regions, and also those acquired last year. This demonstrates our strong execution capabilities, efficiency of our operations and operating leverage."

Varun Beverages produces and distributes a wide range of carbonated soft drinks and a large selection of non-carbonated beverages like packaged drinking water sold under trademarks owned by PepsiCo.

Vaitheeswaran K and Sundeep Thakran are foraying into the beverages market by launching their new venture, AGAIN, a milk or yoghurt-based ready-to-drink offering. This launch by the duo comes 20 years after introducing India's first e-commerce company Fabmart.com.

AGAIN is a low-fat drink that has a high content of fruits and vegetables. It retains 90 days unrefrigerated shelf life without any preservatives, colouring or artificial sweeteners.

Vaitheeswaran said, "We've worked on this product for more than 18 months, engaged with top labs and institutes in India, and people with significant experience in creating food and beverage products for MNCs to create this."

AGAIN will be competing in the non-aerated beverage market, which is expected to grow to Rs 15,000 crore by 2023. The company aims a 2.5-3% market share by 2023, which means a turnover of about Rs 450 crore.

Currently, the company has piloted its products in 50 stores across Bengaluru. It is planning to scale it up to 150 stores in a couple of months.

ITC, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) major, has forayed into the ready-to-drink milk-based beverages market in India under the brand Sunfeast Wonderz Milk. With this launch, the company has expanded its dairy portfolio beyond ghood, pouch milk and the curd business.

The new brand will start operations in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Both of them together account for nearly 25% of the national market.

Hemant Malik, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Ltd's Food Division, said, "We are targeting young adults who are looking for a drink that could be based on milk, but with a different taste."

"The launch of Sunfeast Wonderz Milk dairy beverages reflects ITC’s focus in delighting consumers with superior and differentiated new products. The ready-to-drink milk beverage market has seen a high growth with a paradigm shift to healthier beverages," he added.

India’s leading fruit drink player, Manpasand Beverages Ltd. has reported a 25.04 per cent rise in net profit at Rs. 35.82 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2017 as against net profit of Rs. 28.65 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal.Total Income for Q1 of FY 17-18 at Rs. 311.30 crore was higher by 30.45 per cent over previous fiscal’s same quarter total income of Rs. 238.63 crore. Earnings Per Share (EPS) for Q1FY18 was up by 9.79 per cent at Rs. 6.28. Chairman & MD, Manpasand Beverages, Dhirendra Singh said, “In a short span, Manpasand has caught the imagination of costumers and investors. The company has co-created value for its various stakeholders. Despite of initial GST rollout concerns, the company’s performance remained sound. Continuing with its philosophy and endeavour of enhancing the shareholders’ value and to appreciate their confidence in the Company, the management at Manpasand Beverages has recommended the issuance of Bonus Shares in the ratio of 1:1, to make all their patrons a part of its growth story.” Staying close to its two pronged strategy of expansion and innovation, the beverage major had an impressive growth trajectory in the last fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. The company’s move of launching newer products entering newer segments helped increase its market presence tremendously. This growth validates the trust of the stakeholders towards the company. Manpasand Beverages is striving to maintain this trajectory and in the coming days will take on more strategic steps to enhance its business. The company will double its production capacity in the coming 12-18 months. In addition, the company has lined up a few product launches that are not only innovative but also cater to health conscious customers.

Soft drink major, Coca-Cola is set to launch a new category of aerated drinks in a bid to compete with the growing demand and popularity of local brands. The upcoming range of aerated drinks will be 35-40% cheaper than Coke, Sprite, and Fanta. Named as Kinley Flavors, the range of drinks will be launched in popular localized flavors such as lemon, jeera, and orange.

According to media reports, there are more than 200 beverage companies spread in local areas which offer half the prices as that charged by MNCs. Combined together, they own a consolidated share of over 12% of the Rs 22000-crore packaged aerated drinks category.

With Kinley Flavors, the company plans to target at the bottom segment of the market to compete with these local players.The beverages will be among the cheapest for Coca-Cola across markets. The new launch will be available in 250ml PET packs at attractive price points. The company is doing pilots in selected market areas and will be going to expand over time.

"Coca-Cola has developed a new value-based proposition for price-conscious consumers in aerated beverages", a Coca-Cola spokesperson told ET.

Besides, Coca-Cola is also expected to launch the Monster Energy drink over the next few weeks. Monster Beverage Corp. is an independent firm which has had a long-term strategic partnership with Coca-Cola to boost growth in the global energy drinks category since 2014.

With the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) starting July 1, Coca-Cola prices of its aerated beverages will increase while those of packaged drinking water brand Kinley will drop. Aerated beverages have been taxed at an effective rate of 40%, due to which there will be a marginal increase in prices of its existing soft drinks range.