Soft drinks concentrate brand Rasna brings Made in India soft drink called ‘Indie Cola’. It is entering a segment that is dominated by the likes of Coca-Cola, Thums Up and Pepsi. Yet, Piruz Khambatta, chairman and managing director, Pioma Industries, the maker of Rasna, says they do not plan to compete with international brands. This fruit cola product is brought out for the middle class families in small towns, than for the upmarket metro audiences.
The multinational Cola brands are known for their big-budget advertising and celebrity endorsements. But Indie Cola may not see any of that and apart from social media; Rasna has planned to do more POS-driven marketing.
In the soft drinks concentrate market, Rasna enjoys a majority market share, at 80-90 per cent. In the powder drinks category, Rasna has no competition. However, Indie Cola will also face competition across categories – from fruit juice brands like Frooti and Appy to even powdered iced tea mix brands like Nestea and Lipton.
“We will definitely be taking market share from juices and other soft drinks. Somebody can even move from iced tea to this drink,” he adds. During the COVID pandemic, consumers became more sensitive about the origins of their products and also of its health impact. Indie Cola caters to both these trends, as it is positioning itself as a Made in India fruit cola.
While the product doesn’t claim to have any health benefits, it doesn’t have any preservatives, caffeine or phosphoric acid – ingredients that make health-conscious people wary of cola drinks.
Unlike regular colas, Indie cola may not give the kick because it doesn’t have caffeine. But except the kick, Indie Cola will taste as good as any other cola.
Though Rasna’s soft drinks concentrates are available in a wide variety of flavours – orange, mango, pineapple, guava, litchi, watermelon – its cola will not be flavoured. Now
Rasna will be test marketing Indie Cola in Maharashtra and will then launch it in medium towns.