Archian Foods, which specializes in classic beverages such as Lahori Zeera, Lahori Nimboo, and Lahori Shikanji, is looking to grow its presence across India in the next two years, co-founder and CEO Saurabh Munjal announced at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit on April 8.
Munjal embraced growing competition in the value beverages category, viewing it as an indicator of growth for the whole category. He highlighted that pricing has been a success driver for them, pointing out that starting at a Rs 10 price point allowed the brand to resonate with value-driven Indian consumers.
With increasing curiosity about regional and traditional drinks, even international companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, along with Indian brands such as Parle Agro and Bisleri, have jumped into the category. Munjal finds this an encouraging trend: “We were the first movers, and now everyone wants in. It only helps grow the category.”
Archian is now in final discussions to raise Rs 400-450 crore from Motilal Oswal‘s private equity arm and other investors, after having received an earlier Rs 170 crore investment from Belgium-based Verlinvest.
The company, which was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Punjab, has been profitable since FY22 and saw its profits rise from Rs 3 crore in FY22 to Rs 23 crore in FY24.
This growth comes on the heels of India‘s non-alcoholic ready-to-drink (NARTD) market‘s further expansion at a rapid rate, reaching Rs 73,617 crore in sales by December 2024, as reported by Nielsen.
