Fruit-flavoured water from Bisleri soon

Bottled water major Bisleri International plans to launch fruit-flavoured water before the start of the festive season this year, a top company official said.

"We plan to launch flavored water and the research forthe same is on. We are waiting for the right time to launchit. We want to hit on the right flavour like peach or green apple or anything which is different and appealing to our consumers. We are also looking at value-added flavoured water like natural ayurvedic additive.

"It will cater to consumers, who are tired of plain water or sweetened carbonated drinks," Bisleri's director Anjana Ghosh told PTI in Mumbai.

Today's consumer has become very health-conscious andis very keen on having something different like having afruity taste added to water, Ghosh said.    

The company is betting big on this segment as it holds an immense potential coupled with very little competition.

Bisleri, which enjoys 65 per cent market share in the branded water segment, is also eyeing a sharp growth in sales during the festive season that begins from August and expects to double its revenues this fiscal, Ghosh said.

The company that recently launched its premium brand with medical values Vedica, is expecting a 50 per cent growth in sales from this brand, Ghosh said.

With so many brands launched and to meet the growing demand in the bottled-water segment that is growing at 40 per cent year on year, the company plans to scale-up itsproduction units.

It would be opening 10-15 bottling units in the next six months.

"This month itself five of our plants are coming up in Ratnagiri, Thane, Nashik, Kolhapur and Pune," Ghosh said.

At present, the company has 52 bottling plants across the country. On Bisleri's overseas plans, Ghosh said the company was in talks with local beverage-makers in Sri Lanka, the UAE, Bangladesh and Oman to set up units and franchise the Bisleri brand.

The company also plans to expand its global footprint this fiscal. Currently, it exports its products to Singapore.