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— Bijoy Ghosh

Mr Pradeep Poddar, Managing Director and CEO, Mount Everest Mineral Water Ltd, and Ms Sangeeta Talwar, Executive Director, Marketing, Tata Tea, at the launch of ‘Himalayan’ in Chennai, on Monday.

Our Bureau

Chennai, Sept. 29 Mount Everest Mineral Water Ltd, the Tata enterprise that bottles and markets Himalayan Natural Mineral Water, is looking ‘beyond water’ to cater to the ‘hydration and wellness category,’ according to its Managing Director and CEO, Mr Pradeep Poddar.

At the launch of the branded natural mineral water in Chennai, Mr Poddar said Himalayan would pave the way for the brand to extend itself into an entire basket of products and new brands that would include ‘next generation beverages with water.’

He, however, declined to specify the nature of the products. Natural mineral water in India accounts for less than 10 per cent of the branded drinking water market that is estimated at about Rs 2,000 crore a year and primarily consists of the packaged drinking water.

The packaged drinking water is founded on the people’s basic need for clean drinking water but Himalayan natural mineral water looks beyond that to create a segment for itself in the wellness category, he said.

Ms Sangeeta Talwar, Executive Director-Marketing, Tata Tea, said the Tatas hold a third of the stake in the company that bottles the water, which has as its source a sub-surface aquifer in the Himalayan ranges. Mount Everest will use Tata Tea’s distribution network to market Himalayan, which will be available in stages through its 16 lakh outlets and 3,000 stockists.

Tata Tea’s product range till now was limited to the dry item of branded tea that had to be made.

But now the Himalayan brand would support its entry into the liquid beverage segment where a whole basket of products linked to Himalayan were in the pipeline, she said.

More Stories on : New Products & Services | Brands | Water | Tamil Nadu

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