No nostalgia, Svami tonic water wants to shock & awe with quirky, infused flavours

The world over, gin (and tonic) is having a kind of resurgence. India, too, has felt the wave in the past few years. While only roughly one per cent of the country drinks gin, it’s no tiny number given India's billion-plus population. And that makes India the world’s fifth-largest gin consumer.

Spotting an opportunity in the G&T space in 2016, Sahil Jatana, co-founder of Svami Drinks, swooped in to create a niche product, buoyed by the promising numbers that India held. The 30-something Jatana, along with Aneesh Bhasin and Rahul Mehra, took advantage of the rising demand for gin, and created the country’s first indigenously-made tonic water.

Here are excerpts from a chat with Jatana.

Q. From a corporate career to entrepreneur, how did the transition happen?
Sahil Jatana: In 2011, after a successful corporate career, I was bitten by the entrepreneur bug. I wanted to set up a cafe on my own, but Mumbai is not an easy place. Thanks to my affinity for coffee, I reached out to the Coffee Board of India and asked them if there was a way that I could enhance my knowledge about coffee, and the way it is procured etc.

That led to a 5-day workshop which taught everything - the journey from bean to cup, massive labs, coffee roasters, and the works. This led to setting up an online coffee store that was India’s first retailing beans.


Q. How did the evolution of Svami Drinks come about?
SJ: Svami started off with a basic need: to have better mixers. Even while different kinds of spirits were flooding the market in 2016, we felt that everyone was more or less doing the same thing. There was nothing exciting or made specific for the drinks.

When Svami launched in February 2018, we wanted to capture the market with “adult beverages”. We wanted to be a game-changer, and not just play on nostalgia with already-familiar flavours. Our intention was to shock and awe the consumer with flavours that were known to have existed.

Q. So, what is the brand positioning that you adopted?
SJ: It’s almost close to a year since Svami launched in Mumbai, and the response has been very favourable. There is a growing demand for tonic water as a standalone beverage. Our cucumber tonic water, can be had on its own, and makes for a great smashing, summery drink. It’s reminiscent of drinking something with alcohol and yet not alcoholic, with a distinct flavour.

While tonic water, historically, has had a remedial connotation, we pre-empted the need with craft gins coming to India. That precipitated the requirement for a fruity tonic water to go with the infusions. And thus, we claim to be an all-out mixer, and not just tonic water, with our line-up including ginger ale, flavoured sodas, and juniper-infused tonic water.

Q. These are seemingly new entrants in the Indian milieu. How do you plan to popularise them?
SJ: Apart from retailing in Foodhall and Modern Bazaar in Mumbai and Delhi, we have been working closely with bars and cafes which don't have a liquor licence to drive these beverages. The growing consumption of gin means there is a demand for a flavoured tonic water - and we want to own that space with Svami Drinks.

We are proud to be the first Indian company to make tonic water in the country. Apart from the metros, we also want to expand our footprints in Rajasthan, which with its luxurious homestays and 5-star properties, is high on tourism. And with small batches being created, we are optimistic that we can customise demands better.

We are also looking at developing a range of zero-proof cocktails - non-alcoholic cocktails - which will have infused tonic waters.

Q. What, according to you, is likely to be the next wave when it comes to spirits?
SJ: The way I see it, the next wave is certainly going to be a gingerale-centric one. There is a global push from alcohol-beverage brands towards it, and there will be a gradual ripple effect felt in India as well.