Bacardi rolls out white Breezer
Bacardi, the world’s largest privately-held spirits company, is rejigging i= ts Breezer ready-to-drink (RTD) portfolio in India. This will also see Baca= rdi’s local arm contributing to a product innovation in the company’s globa= l offerings.
Bacardi Martini India Ltd (BMIL) is showing up with a colourless Breeze= r, Clear Lemon, which is being rolled into the market. For the first time, = Breezer will have colourless liquid in its portfolio.
It is believed= that some of Bacardi’s other markets like Thailand, for instance, have loo= ked at the possible introduction of Breezer Clear Lemon.
The move is indicative of Bacardi’s growing confidence in the domestic = RTD market, which made a tepid start few years ago, with several players op= ting out after the initial interest. Bacardi Breezer with 4.8% alcohol stre= ngth is solely driving RTD sales, with annualised volume of roughly 6.5-lak= h cases.
The introduction of Clear Lemon will also see Bacardi rejigging its RTD= portfolio in the country. While the three core flavours=97orange, lime and= cranberry=97stays, clear lemon is seen replacing Blueberry. Another flavou= r, Jamaican passion may have a cyclical market stint based on the pull fact= or.
“The launch of Clear Lemon is in keeping with the increasing popularity= of white spirits in India. We also did a consumer survey and realised the = Bacardi is usually associated with colour and that our younger consumers wo= uld like something colourless, hence the launch. It is a flavour that will = suit the Indian palette,” said BMIL marketing controller Gautam Gangoli.
BMIL is the 74:26 joint venture between Bacardi and their local partner= Gemini Distilleries in Mysore.
Although white spirits has a small b= ase, its growth has far outperformed the total spirits market in the last f= ew years. Last year, while the overall market grew 8-9%, the white spirits = market grew 35% and players say that the main competition today is not from= other brands but from other segments. “The consumer is not static today an= d prefers different spirits at different times.”
