Business Standard

Wine unit to come up in Solan

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Puneet Pal Singh Gill New Delhi/ Ludhiana
US-based Future Wine and Spirit Brand Pvt Ltd, a fruit wine manufacturing company having brand names "Sutter House" and "Water Fall," will soon come up with a wine-manufacturing unit in Solan in Himachal Pradesh with an investment of Rs 5 crore.
 
This will be the company's second unit, the first one being at Badhu, also in Himachal Pradesh.
 
By 2008, the company is also planning to export its products to African countries, China, and Pakistan and other South Asian countries.
 
The firm will launch white rum, vodka, grape wine, jam, jelly, and fruit juice by April.
 
Started in 2003 by Ludhiana-based Vikram Vyas, and US-based NRIs Sanjeev Chaddha and Sandeep Sharma, Future Wine and Spirit Brand manufactures fruit wines and ciders in 16 flavours, and a premium whisky brand called Evening Salute.
 
Executive Director Vyas recently launched the products for the Punjab market. With this launch, the company has become the only Indian company selling wine in Punjab.
 
Speaking to Business Standard, Vyas said: "Our manufacturing unit will have a capacity of 450,000 litres annually, translating roughly into 50,000 cases per year. Our present manufacturing unit has a production capacity of 30,000 cases per year. So after the new plant, the construction of which is under way, starts production, we will become the third-biggest wine manufacturer in India."
 
Discussing the company's plans, Vikram said by April the firm would be launching its products in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Goa.
 
"Goa is the most favoured destination for us because of foreign tourists. Even in Himachal Pradesh, almost 99 per cent of our customers are tourists. So we are basically focusing on states where the inflow of tourists is maximum. We will be launching white rum and vodka in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Chandigarh and Rajasthan. Rum and vodka will be available in different fruit flavours like orange, pineapple, peach, etc," he said.
 
"In Himachal Pradesh, from where we started our operations in 2003, we sell around 2,000 cases of wine and we are targeting to sell around 1,000-odd cases in Punjab. Our wine has an alcohol content of 11.4 per cent and is available in the price range Rs 160-250," Vyas said.
 
"Both our plants are located in Himachal Pradesh because the state has fruits in abundance. Besides, the people growing fruits there don't have a fixed market and resources to sell their produce in a proper way. We buy their produce directly."

 
 

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First Published: Dec 26 2006 | 12:00 AM IST

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