Packaged juice players such as Dabur and PepsiCo will soon have competition from Yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali.
“We plan to hit the market with various fruit and vegetable juices from February-March next year,” Ramdev told Business Line . His firm already sells various ayurvedic products for health care, dental care, body cleansers, besides chyavanprash. These products are being sold in the open market or through Patanjali Chikitsalaya, Patanjali Arogya Kendra and Swadeshi Kendra and Krishi Kendra’ exclusive stores.
Patanjali will mainly focus on aloe vera, amla and tomato flavours.
Aloe vera and amla are known for their herbal medicinal properties. Aloe vera is widely used in the cosmetics and alternative medicine industries and is said to have healing properties, while amla, or gooseberry, is considered useful for purifying blood and controlling diabetes. Currently, a couple of companies sell aloe vera juice, but Ramdev said these were expensive. He claimed that his products would be much cheaper.
According to current industry estimates, the organised packaged juice market stands at about Rs 1,400-1,500 crore. Normally, packaged juices are available in orange, apple, pineapple and mixed fruit juice in paper cartons.
According to Technopak, the branded and packaged fruit juice and nectar market was worth Rs 1,000 crore in 2012 and is projected to grow at 20-25 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR). It is largely concentrated in the urban region.
Packaged water
Ramdev also plans to enter the bottled water market from next month. “The brand ‘Divya Jal’ will be available in and around Lucknow and Haridwar first,” he said. Two bottling plants (in Haridwar and Lucknow), each having a daily capacity of one lakh bottles, have been set up. These will supply bottled water within a distance of 200-250 km. The firm also plans to expand pan-India in the near future.
According to a study by IKON, a market research firm, the bottled water market, which includes both organised and unorganised players, is estimated at Rs 8,000 crore and is expected to touch the Rs 10,000 crore mark by 2013, growing at a CAGR of 19 per cent.
The bottled water market is supposed to be highly fragmented with over 1,800 brands. These brands are led by regional, national and international outfits. Also, the sales of bottled water are driven by the southern region followed by the western region. Bisleri, Aquafina and Kinley are among the leading players in this space.