Radico Khaitan Unveils Contessa Select Rum

Radico Khaitan Ltd (formerly Rampur Distillery & Chemicals Co), the Rs 300-crore Delhi-based liquor manufacturing company, yesterday launched Contessa Select -- a premium brand rum which is an extension of the company's flagship brand Contessa XXX. The flagship brand already enjoys a market share of 25 per cent in the country and with Contessa Select, Radico Khaitan expects a rapid expansion of its market base.

The new brand is packaged in a mono carton and is priced at Rs 150. In April this year, Radico also plans to launch two new whisky brands in the premium segment to expand its presence in the whisky, brandy, gin and vodka segments. Speaking to Business Standard, Amar Sinha, president (sales and marketing), said that while there are extensive plans to bring in more whisky brands in the near future, the company does not have any immediate plans in the rum segment, following the launch of Contessa Select.

 

Over the next three years, the company expects to generate about Rs 100 crore by way of sales through the new marketing initiative, Sinha added. The principal objective of the strategy is to introduce new IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) products in the country.

Radico has a marketing tie-up with global scotch giant Whyte and Mackay, a subsidiary of the $1370 million American Brands Inc. The company could, in the future, consider entering into similar tie-ups with other global leaders and is talking to some parties in this regard, said Lalit Khaitan, vice chairman and managing director of Radico Khaitan Ltd. The test launch of Contessa Select was done in Uttar Pradesh. The company plans to organise a nationwide launch after the rum is introduced in Calcutta. According to Sinha, the company does not anticipate serious competition threats from other players in the domestic market.

During current fiscal, it expects to touch profit of Rs 40 crore from sales of all its products, Sinha added. The rum would be manufactured at the firms primary unit -- Rampur Distillery -- which has a total capacity of 51 million litres per annum. Rampur Distillery is one of the leading manufacturers of rectified spirits , extra neutral alcohol and high quality liquors in the country.