One brand looking to capitalise on the growing market is Loca Loka, a tequila label co-founded by music composer Anirudh Ravichander, actor Rana Daggubati, and entrepreneur Sreeharsha Vadlamudi. The company plans to enter the Indian market this October, starting with major metro cities, Fortune India reported.
“We’re planning the India launch sometime in October. Before that, we’ll be launching in Dubai in September, and after India, it will be Australia and the UK,” Ravichander told the magazine.
Although the brand was founded by Indian entrepreneurs, Loca Loka was first launched in the United States in select retail stores in Los Angeles, New York, and New Jersey in mid-June 2024.
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“We are Indians as individuals, we always aspire to create something global. And Loca Loka stands for that. It is a global brand first, and then it is coming to India, after 12 months of being consumed in mature tequila-consuming countries,” said Baahubali-fame actor Daggubati.
“It takes time for us to set everything up before we actually enter the market.
“When we hit it with Loca Loka here in India, we want to hit it right,” Ravichander added.
Since its launch, Loca Loka has managed to gain a strong base in the US, where it is available across 12 states. The brand made inroads into Singapore and is preparing to enter Southeast Asian markets including the Philippines and Malaysia, according to the founders.
“In the US, we’ve done really well. Our sales have exceeded expectations. From where we started a year ago, we’ve seen 10X volume growth month-on-month. We’ve also won several awards in the American market, including a gold and a silver at the San Francisco Spirit Awards for both our variants. The Indian diaspora has been a major support,” said Vadlamudi.
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The company, incorporated in Singapore, recently raised $12 million from a Singapore-based family office. It now operates with a 15-member international team, managing different geographies.
Before hitting the domestic retail market, Loca Loka will debut in duty-free stores at key airports across India. The brand has signed an agreement with GMR Airports, and both of its tequila offerings, Blanco and Reposado, will soon be available in Hyderabad and Delhi.
“The Philippines is coming up at the end of July. Malaysia is opening in August. There are a lot of duty-free openings lined up this year and we’re opening in almost 11 airports. So, Hyderabad and Delhi will open by the end of this month or early next month,” Vadlamudi chipped in.
For the domestic rollout, Loca Loka will initially focus on Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, with licensing and paperwork is underway in several states including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Haryana.
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While the price of the alcobev in the Indian market has not been revealed, Vadlamudi confirmed that Loca Loka will be priced “competitively with legacy brands”.
“We can’t disclose the pricing at this point because it will be determined once we enter individual state markets, but we’re in a very competitive range with other brands, including legacy players,” he said.
Tequila giant Diageo, for example, launched its Don Julio range in India in 2023, with prices for Don Julio Blanco and Reposado starting at around ₹8,000.
