New Delhi: Dabur India Ltd will launch ready-to-drink fruit-based mocktails, or non-alcoholic versions of popular cocktails, under its fruit juice brand Real.
This is the first time mocktails will be available in a ready-to-drink format in India. Priced at Rs110 for a 1-litre tetra pack, Real mocktails will be sold at modern-trade stores, open format outlets and across online marketplaces, said Mayank Kumar, marketing head (foods), Dabur India.
Dabur’s fruit juice brand Real is currently sold across 300,000 retail outlets, and Dabur will make Real mocktails available at 10-15% of these outlets to start with. “We’ll also look at making the Real mocktails available at select liquor stores, besides pubs and bars,” Kumar added.
Real mocktails will initially come in two variants: Virgin Mary and Pina Colada. The company will later extend the range with variants like fizzy mocktails, and will look at bringing in other formats of packaging, such as cans.
Real mocktails, Kumar said, are crafted by professional mixologists and are expected to be the preferred option for non-alcoholic beverage at parties. “While there is awareness and demand for mocktails, creating a mocktail at home is always a tedious process. Consumers want to enjoy the same (as in bars and restaurants) upscale experience at home but are unsure about the right ingredients, blend and process, and think it is an expert’s job. We are taking away the trouble associated with creating a mocktail,” Kumar said.
Dabur currently sells 16 fruit juices under Real brand, and has a 9.8% market share in the entire non-fizzy beverages market in India, Dabur said.
According to data compiled by market researcher Euromonitor International, Dabur had a 43.5% market share (retail value) in the 100% juice segment in 2016, and 49.7% (retail volume) in the nectar—non-carbonated soft drink that has fruit content, but it is 100% fruit juice—segment in 2016.
While Dabur may be the first company to launch mocktails in ready-to-drink format, home-grown Hamdard Laboratories, the maker of Rooh Afza, had launched the ready-to-drink segment with Rooh Afza Fusion, which is a blend of pure fruit juice with Rooh Afza concentrate.
Non-alcoholic functional beverage is a growing segment in India backed by rapid urbanization, rising disposable income and growing health consciousness among the youth. The market for functional beverages is projected to reach Rs848 crore by 2021, growing at 3% annually in retail value terms, according to a study by Euromonitor.