For the first time ever the target audience is neither divided on gender nor on age. It’s an easy drink for all above the age of 21 years thereby uniting the generations.
ah! Ventures has invested in Barbrew, a beverages startup coming up with Barneys Hard Seltzers through its First Gear Platform. This is ah! Ventures’ 74th investment and 11th investment in 2021. ah! Ventures plan to do 50+ investments in 2021 totaling to INR 150+ CR (~21MN US$).
Barneys Hard Seltzer is a new age drink developed after deeply understanding the trends of the alcohol industry. It is India’s first refreshing alternative to beer, wine, and cocktails. The drink is a zero sugar/ low calorie/ no carb alcoholic product crafted precisely with elements like jasmine & lemongrass making the blends premium and unique at the world level. Their vision is to be a next-generation alcoholic drink for the health-conscious category/ fitness enthusiasts thereby creating a new segment of “Hard Seltzers” in India.
As per research, 1.3 billion people consume 20 billion bottles of alcohol every year. With 327 % growth rate globally, hard seltzers will capture 30 % of the market in the next 5 years.
At its core, the company is addressing three major pain points. A trending segment in the US but not so trending segment in India due to its non-existence. There is no healthy beverage in the alcohol industry and post-pandemic health is the topmost concern for every human being. Also, till date, we do not have any drink, which can give you a 7-star experience at an affordable price. Barneys Hard Seltzer is filing all the above gaps by being the first ones to launch hard seltzers in India.
For the first time ever the target audience is neither divided on gender nor on age. It’s an easy drink for all above the age of 21 years thereby uniting the generations.
Ruchi Gupta, Co-founder said, “Today, a real competitor to a big player is not another big player but a new startup with innovative ideas and passionate mindset. Barneys is here to stay and become the most inspiring story of Pandemic 2020. We aim to be a global brand. We are thankful to the entire team of ah! Ventures for helping us take our first step towards our dream project.”
“We are equally proud to make this an Indian Product. It’s equally heartening to see that our stakeholders uphold the same belief. The journey started with mixing flavors during lockdown to creating patent-pending blends, Barneys has come a long way.”, she added.
Amit Kumar, Partner, ah! Ventures said, “We are excited about what the team at Barbrew Beverages is doing. They are trying to bring in new trends in India and we are sure Barneys will soon be everyone’s favorite drink. This space has massive potential because it’s an untapped market and we are sure with the founding team’s passion and high spirits, Barneys Hard Seltzers will be a huge success.”
Source: Business World
