All of us in India take our beverages very seriously. Morning is almost incomplete without our daily dose of tea or coffee and owing to the terrible heat waves the country experiences, soft drinks and other water-based drinks are consumed in humongous proportions here.
So here’s a list of some out-of-the-box beverage startups, who along with helping us to keep our cool, are energizing and refreshing us.
1. Raskik
Found in 2019, by Vikash Chawla and two others, Raskik has become famous in the capital region of the country in a short span. Their unique coconut-based drinks, which are made of mainly tender coconut water combined with fresh fruit juices, promise both- taste, and health.
With a surprise in every sip, Raskik offers flavors like coco-litchi, coco-mixed-fruit, coco-guava, coco-mango, and coco-apple, at affordable prices charging INR 30/- for a bottle of 250 ml.
2. Gunsberg
The brand that does wonders with simple ginger ale! Using natural ingredients that are farm-grown, Gunsberg is a non-alcoholic beverage brand, that can be consumed as a standalone soft drink or even combined and consumed as a mixer.
Free of preservatives, the drink is a combination of ginger juice and cane sugar combined with fresh apple and lemon juice in carbonated water.
Started by Chandigarh-based entrepreneurs, Sarthak Aggarwal and Abhishek Bajaj, Gunsberg’s drinks are a blend of traditional Indian flavors with a twist.
3. Vahdam Teas
In 2015, Bala Sarda, found Vahdam teas, with an aim to make India stronger on the global tea map.
With so many brands from India, like Twinnings and Teavana, making an impact in the global tea market, Vahdam teas too has been endorsed by a number of global celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Chris Patt, and even Ellen DeGeneres.
While the brand started with loose-leaf teas like black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea, today, it has its presence in 175 SKUs, including pyramid-tea bags, superfoods, gift sets, assortments, tea, and drinkware.
4. LQI
Using exclusive and unshared technology, to manufacture some of the most amazing milkshakes, smoothies, and fruit water frozen packs, LQI promises 100% raw and fresh fruit, minus the preservatives and colors.
Started by college fellows Shubham Khanna and Palak Kapoor, who were later joined by Kapil Kumar, this Gurugram-based beverage startup caught the attention of singer Sukhbir Singh, who has invested an undisclosed amount to facilitate geographical expansion.
LQI has a B2B2C and Hotel/Café/Restaurant (HORECA) model of distribution and has tie-ups with Innerchef, Pitapit, IHOP, Donor & Gyros, Burgrill, etc.
5. Lahori
Targeting the urban and rural market, Lahori’s beverage range includes beverages packed with natural ingredients in four variants- Zeera, Nimboo, Kachcha Aam, and Shikanji.
Lahori’s USP is its unique positioning of desi drinks. With plans to expand its presence in India in the next three years, Saurabh Munjal, one of the co-founders shared, “We want to give Indian consumers beverage options which resonate with their taste palette. We know that the ethnic beverages market in India is underserved, and we have the vision to become a prominent force in this space.”
