G&T maker Salud Beverages gets funding from actor Rana Daggubati

Bengaluru: Alcobev startup Salud Beverages, which has entered India’s liquor industry with a ready-to-drink gin and tonic range, has raised funds from actor Rana Daggubati.

The financial details of the investment are unknown.

Like beer, India’s gin market is undergoing a renaissance of sorts with a host of regional brands surfacing over the last 3-4 years. A week ago, Nao Spirits and Beverages, the maker of Greater Than and Hapusa gins, raised $2 million in a series A funding round. Radico Khaitan Ltd.’s Jaisalmer and Stranger & Sons by Third Eye distillery are other new gin brands in India.


Whisky makers too are delving into gin. Recently, single-malt maker Amrut Distilleries launched the Nilgiris gin, concocted from herbs found in the eponymous mountains in South India.

“When Salud approached me with their vision and long-term plan, brand ethos, and product portfolio, it was an easy decision to make,” Daggubati, a serial entrepreneur, said in a press statement.

Positioned as a lifestyle liquor brand, Salud has launched three flavours of bottled gin and tonic. The Bengaluru-based company plans to launch non-alcoholic beverages as well.

“We want to impact the alcoholic, and non-alcoholic beverage landscape alongside being unique. We are confident to soon transform into a global Indian lifestyle brand,” said Salud founder Ajay Shetty, a former banker and winemaker.