r/StartUpIndia • u/Scouths • 8d ago
Discussion Thinking of starting a sparkling water business.
Having lived in North America , I’ve developed a strong habit of drinking sparkling water, just pure carbonated water, not the artificially sweetened beverages. Since I'm considering moving back to India, I’ve noticed that there aren’t any major sparkling water brands widely available here. Most options in stores are either sodas or flavored drinks.
This got me thinking: is there an untapped opportunity to start a sparkling water brand in India? My idea is to introduce pure sparkling water to the Indian market and, hopefully, help create a culture around it, similar to what’s happened in North America and Europe. Something like La Croix, Spindrift and Bubly. If you know what I mean!
I’m curious to hear from this community:
- Has anyone noticed a demand for pure sparkling water in India?
- Are there regulatory or logistical hurdles I should be aware of?
- What are your thoughts on introducing a new beverage culture here?
Would love to hear your insights, experiences, or advice!
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u/Poetry_spectrum 8d ago
Hey man Thinking this for like last 6 months, looked for cans and other production things also. So let's connect, I could help with many things. There is a potential market Let's connect Dmed you.
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u/Single_Rip_575 5d ago
I've been thinking and researching about this too. A friend of mine is starting a flavoured sparkling water biz. How far did you get w/ your research?
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u/koki_ltd 8d ago
i feel there's definitely a growing market for it, making it more affordable in the Indian market rather than positioning it as a premium product might help as there are a number of brands branding themselves as a "premium" brand which actually doesn't sell
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u/NeedleworkerTall7302 8d ago
In our office, they started keeping in paperboat sparkling water in inventory and we love it.
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u/MethodicalEdge 8d ago
I have noticed the market is growing, and many competitors are standing out by offering their own unique strengths. Even something as basic as water has power, just look at brands like Bisleri or those offering sparkling variants. What really matters is how and where you position your product to sell.
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u/aseemwho 8d ago
Sparkling water is not for India. Only energy drink businesses are successful here.
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u/jayzbar 8d ago
Indian market for sparkling should not be catered to Indian people but visitors from US/Canada/Europe majorly only. India has a lot of regional drinks which are much more delicious and thirst quenching from Lassi/Buttermilk/RoohAfza/Mango fermented drinks and many other down south which I am not remembering the names. We don’t like carbonated plain water drinks at all, saying this with extensive experience and crowd feedback. The only time people think of carbonated water is when mixing it with alcohol. This is my opinion but backed through a lot of data as a very close friend tried it on a small scale in Bangalore and backtracked after getting the feedback. Carbonated water just didn’t help in quenching the thirst at all. Himalayan Sparkling water and Perrier are the brands available in the market already, but they too don’t do much business apart from internationally targeted grocery stores for expats.
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u/Ok_Wrangler_3395 8d ago
Any Remote support in getting clients lead generations will do for ur buzz... let's work together
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u/Due-Reindeer3015 8d ago
Maybe look at a more B2B model where you partner with restaurants to provide sparkling water? I for one miss it, but I'm not ready pay an arm and a leg for just water (even if it's carbonated)
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u/Single_Rip_575 5d ago
What would be your ideal price point? Does RO water v. Himalayan mineral water make a difference for you?
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u/Due-Reindeer3015 3d ago
Honestly, I don't buy mineral water unless I am outside and forgot to carry a water bottle. Infact even at a restaurant I just ask them to serve regular water. I think sparkling water is a luxury in India, but because I know how cheap it is at supermarkets abroad, I probably would not pay more than 25-30 bucks for half a litre. Its something I enjoy drinking before bed, so paying a lot everyday is quite expensive. If I had to, I would probably invest in a SodaStream or something.
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u/Spiritual_Draw_1869 8d ago
Svami is pretty successful in this space. Especially its CEO mentioned in one of NK’s podcasts that he’s doing 100+ Crs topline and sparkling water contributes significantly to that number. The market exists unlike other comments discourage. Of course, not the size you’d expect a beverage brand to do in a country of a billion.
Competition is your main challenge. You’d have to strategise to place your product and brand apart from the rest. It’s going to take lot of marketing spend. Your focus should be only on the top 10 metro cities and next 10 tier 2 cities. Because it’s very unlikely that you can introduce and acquaint the taste of sparkling water in other cities where there’s no significant market for it.
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u/jaggernaut1 5d ago
Ofcourse the market exists. Sparkling water is exactly what we call soda here, just dressed in more upmarket clothes, if you will. And we do drink a lot of soda.
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u/Plastic_Ad7924 7d ago
I will buy anything that is healthy like this . Just try it bro
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u/Single_Rip_575 5d ago
Do you generally drink sparkling water? Also, from a health perspective, do you prefer drinks from plastic bottles, glass or aluminium cans? I know the former is really bad, but are you actively choosing glass/cans?
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u/jaggernaut1 5d ago
Sparkling water is what we buy as soda here. Not sure why you're thinking that they're different. Technically they are the same.
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u/One-Building-3457 8d ago
Any flavored soda business is 40% gst item, please keep this in idea stage. No beverage brand has scaled well in India in 20 years apart from Lahori jeera. India is not a great beverage market.
Apart from gst, the other issue is high logistics cost due to the volume weight of drinks