The Hindu Business Line : Himalayan looks to build on pesticide-free reputation

Given that it was one of two Indian bottled water brands that was not in the dock for containing pesticides — Himalayan Natural Mineral Water, from Mount Everest Mineral Water Ltd stable is all set to increase its presence in the market place, both at home and overseas.

"There is a consciousness coming in, at both the consumer and trade level, with regard to the quality of water that one drinks. And we are looking to tell the consumer that there is a deeply Indian brand that meets the stringent standards of any global market," points out Mr Suveen Sahib, CEO, Mount Everest Mineral Water (MEMW). At Rs 15 per litre, Himalayan is priced a chip above locally available brands of bottled water. "But there is a paradigm shift now with the consumer demanding better water and they are willing to pay that additional three rupees. The learning curve for the consumer has moved up and now it is for the industry to get its act together," he points out.

Located in the Himalayan Region, MEMW is touted to have one of the largest natural mineral water plants in Asia, built over 50 acres of land with an investment of nearly $20 million. Part of the Dadi group of companies, MEMW was set up in 1997. Since inception, the company's fortunes fluctuated and subsequently a restructuring process was put in place, following which the company broke even in February this year, he said.

With its plant close to the source of water in the Himalayan terrain located in Himachal Pradesh, the Himalayan brand of mineral water is available in Delhi, Jaipur and Rajasthan in the North; Mumbai, Goa, Pune and Surat in the West; Calcutta in the East and Bangalore in the South. Chennai is currently being built up, he said.

But even as it spreads its clout in the domestic market, the company is looking to improve its packaging and build up a sustained export market, unlike its present sporadic exports. "We are already exporting to the US, Japan and North America. But the attempt is to position the brand as an exotic product from India that is on par with the best in the world."

MEMW is a listed company and promoters hold about 58 per cent equity in it, the rest is with the public. With a sales of about Rs 4 crore for the fiscal ended March 2003, the company is looking to more than double its performance this year, up to Rs 9 crore. The company has a few international collaborations, including a technical collaboration with Germany's Institut Fresenius, reputed in handling pollution and the production technology of natural mineral water. The water is bottled in approved food grade PET bottles produced in-house in technical collaboration with AOKI Laboratories Inc, Japan.

It is sealed with tamper proof caps and reinforced with shrink packs, with technical know how from San Hsin, Taiwan, according to company officials.

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