PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2016

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW 43 PET planet Insider Vol. 17 No. 11/16 www.petpla.net Bisleri launches its Pop range New flavours for trend-conscious consumers By Kay Barton April 12, 2016, Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd. We met: Ms Anjana Ghosh, Director With a national production volume of around over 150 million bottles per year, Bisleri has a justifiable claim to be the undisputed leader of the market for bottled water on the Indian subcontinent. Almost 23 years after its last development in the CSD sector, the company has surprised the market with the launch of “Pop”, a completely new range of products, currently comprising four new flavours of drinks, packaged in PET and cans. Just a few days after the initial launch of Pop and in 35°C heat, we meet with one of the people behind the idea: Director Anjana Ghosh, who spoke to us at the plant in Mumbai. “Our research showed that, in the current market, buyers view exist- ing CSDs as offering too little variety. This was the basis for the develop- ment of the Pop range; the idea of making something brand new in terms of flavour,” Ghosh explains. And she’s right: all four products, namely “Spyci”, “Limonata”, “Pina Colada” and “Fonzo” taste completely differ- ent from conventional products on the market. “In principle, every variety has its own particular attribute, which makes it stand out from the soft drinks competition. We deliberately oriented ourselves to the requirements of the Indian consumers.” This deliberate decision to pre- sent a particularly Indian character is manifested in the flavours. Spyci has a hint of Indian spices; Limonata has an enhanced lemonade taste; Pina Colada is the first drink of its kind in India; and Fonzo represents a “first”, in its combination of mango, orange and peach for the first time. Bisleri has consciously created a product that has not been conceived as an export. Pop is currently available in the PET bottle sizes of 200ml and 300ml and as a 250ml can, all at a comparatively low retail price. In this way, Bisleri is focusing primarily on the strongly growing trend for single-serve buyers aged from 16 to 35. The CSDs are currently being bottled in the com- pany’s own factories in Bangalore and Rudrapur; at franchise holders Oriental Beverages and Asianlac; and at co-packers Pushpam and Tethyst. PET bottles are currently leaving the production line at an 85% capacity. Current output is 6.4 million batches, or around 650 million bottles per year. PET amounts to 70% of production, with cans accounting for the balance. Equipment from Shyam and Sidel is used for bottle blowing, while technol- ogy from Hymec and Hilden is used for bottling. Preforms are supplied by Chemco, the large scale proces- sor, with necks conforming to the PCO 1881 standard. Finished bottle weight is 21.5g; Bisleri buys closure caps from Aglo Polymers and Secure. Looking to additional projects, Ms Ghosh adds: “We’ll have to see how the Pop range does on the market. As soon as long term results are evident, we will make decisions regarding fur- ther investments.” www.bisleri.com Director Anjana Gosh at Bisleri office