Briefing newspersons yesterday on the company's plans, KSN Raju, MD said the vineyards and winery located in Bijapur, the district known for growing fine wine variety grapes, were producing a million litres and would soon establish another winery near the city with a capacity of 2 million litres, thus tripling its output.
The 2 year old company has already invested Rs. 50 million in the project and expects to invest further Rs. 100 million in the next 2 years towards its expansion plans.
''Kinvah, presently available in three reds and two whites, is very Indian in its make up and has no derivatives added. It is fruity with just a hint of sweetness and goes well with spicy Indian food,'' he said according to a report.
He said during the current year, Nandi would add 15 new varieties to its Kinvah brand, taking the total number to 20 by end of the year. The ambitious plans also include launching Rose and sparkling wines in 2009. ''We want to popularise the concept of social drinking. It is a known fact that wine is much healthier option when compared to other forms of alcohol,'' he added.
Kinvah, launched in October has already achieved the sale of 1000 cases a month according to the company which also claims that it became the largest selling wine brand in the city for the month of December 2008 (one wonders what Grover Vineyards, the largest wine producer in Karnataka would have to say to that!).
Formally unveiling the brand, Raju said that the company also planned to set up a unit in Nashik and tying up with a bottling unit in Maharashtra.
The company plans to import wine from Australia and Italy and is also reportedly negotiating with UK importers to make its wines available for the Indian restaurants. It does not seem to be fazed by the severe recession being faced by the UK market which is already saturated and is considered to be one of the toughest markets to be cracked despite the increasing number of Indian restaurants and consumption of Indian food.
For a follow-up on the company achieving its targets and executing the grandiose plans, watch out this space. |