Himalayan, premium mineral water brand by Tata Global Beverages, may have faced distribution hurdles in India, but now the Starbucks network will help it achieve scale and make it a global brand. New variants such as flavoured and sparkling water are already being planned by the beverage major, as it ramps up presence through the Starbucks stores across the globe.
“We are working on creating variants for Himalayan water as it will now be taken across the 18,000 stores of Starbucks. We want to drive scale through the Starbucks outlets,” said Pradeep Poddar, Managing Director, Mount Everest Mineral Water (MEMW), leading the foray into water and functional beverages globally.
MEMW is a subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages and the Himalayan brand was acquired in 2007 for its source in the Himalayas, which would give it a competitive edge in the international market.
In the domestic market, Himalayan’s presence is limited to Delhi and Mumbai. “Himalayan does not have a pan-India presence and is available mainly in the two metros, but partners such as Pepsi (through Nourishco, the JV between Pepsi and the Tatas) have been helping in penetrating the northern markets,” he said.
Tata Global Beverages has been segmenting the water category with Nourishco’s offerings such as Tata Water Plus and Tata Gluco+ at the lower segments of the market and Himalayan at the premium end.
Currently, Himalayan has limited volumes and it will take time to make money in the Indian market. But the brand is not in a hurry to reap profits. Building scale more than profitability is what the brand is striving for today. As Poddar said, “We are not looking at profits for Himalayan immediately. It is about building scale and now with Starbucks, we hope to achieve this.”
Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants, said, “Like Evian brand of water derives its equity from the Alps, Himalayan is from the Himalayas, and the credibility of its source is going to be its biggest equity as it goes global.”