I'm a beverage consultant for early-stage drink and CPG brands. I start with the market: who is buying, what is already on the shelf, and where the price gaps are. Then I shape a brand position around what I find, and build the product that can hold that position on a real production line.
Category and competitor scan, price-ladder mapping, channel and consumer research, and a diagnostic of the product and operational gaps in the brand today.
Who the drink is for, what the brand stands for, where it sits on shelf and on price, and how the range is built around that.
Flavour architecture, formulation and trials, vendor sourcing, packaging specifications and a costed recipe for every SKU.
Cost modelling, line set-up, quality systems, food safety and regulatory readiness, supply chain and a launch plan.
At Foxtrot Beverages I set up the manufacturing facility and led new products, including co-branded launches with leading global brands. After that came Third Eye Distillery and Hygge Brew, and now independent work with beverage and CPG brands.
Svami is the Mumbai drinks brand of Foxtrot Beverages, founded in 2016 as a response to the gin revival. It makes all-natural premium mixers, including tonic waters, ginger ale and sodas, with low-sugar versions among the first in Asia, and it does the recipes, brewing and bottling in-house.
The range has since grown into non-alcoholic ready-to-drink cocktails and co-branded launches, including mixers with Moët Hennessy India and a cucumber Kölsch with Bira 91.
It is where I built the factory and led new products. Everything I now bring to other brands was tested there first.
A limited-edition non-alcoholic Vanilla Cola inspired by the 90s cola float, made with Mumbai sneaker and streetwear store Superkicks. It sold at Superkicks stores in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore, on Svami's site and on Amazon.
Read the story ↗A 6% ABV kölsch brewed at Bira 91's Limited Release Taproom in Bangalore, built around cucumber, the most unusual flavour in Svami's tonic range.
Read the story ↗Three limited-edition non-alcoholic mixers made exclusively for Belvedere, Glenmorangie and Hennessy, built on Indian flavours such as pomelo, tangerine, ginger and cinnamon, to make cocktails at home.
Read the story ↗A sugar-free 2 Cal Cola and a low-sugar Salted Lemonade, both priced at ₹65, aimed at taking Svami into non-metro markets and everyday occasions.
Read the story ↗A range of alcohol-free ready-to-drink serves for people who want the complexity of a good drink without the booze: a low-calorie Rum & Coke flavoured with vanilla, caramel and cinnamon, a botanical Gin & Tonic, and a strawberry Pink Gin & Tonic.
Read the story ↗Alongside this independent work, I consult at wedothings, a business consultancy and creative studio for strategy, brand systems and brand marketing. It is a separate practice from this one, and I bring my beverage and product experience to the projects I take on there.
Cin cin.