Will Indian Policy Makers Stop Sitting On Fence ?  It’s the time when policy makers at Udyog Bhavan, New Delhi, are feeling a bit hot under the collar. Top bureaucrats at the Ministry of Commerce are feeling the pressure to slash import duties on wine and spirits.
This time the heat is a bit more intense as the European Union (EU) and India are in the final stages of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) -- talks for which began five years ago in 2007. Both parties hope to strike a deal before their annual summit in February this year.
The issue has been in news since 2007 when European Union and Washington had filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation against unfair trade barriers.
Government officials believe that the issue cannot be left to ‘status quo’, as the EU and the US have been compelling on taking an early decision on the matter. “There is a strong possibility that some duty reductions for wines and high-end whiskies may be incorporated in the coming union budget,” one government official hinted.
“Intense efforts are underway. Both the sides are determined to conclude the negotiations, preferably before the India-EU Summit in February here,” Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar was quoted as saying.
It may appear to hang in balance, but Indian officials indicate they are prepared to make concessions within the framework of the EU.
However, the real challenge will be how the negotiation gaps can actually be nar... ..read more |
Tequila Much Loved and Misunderstood  I am fascinated by the tequila category on many levels. As a spirits marketer/business man, I marvel at the growth and proliferation of a category that started as an adjunct to Mexican food and has since become mainstream and global. It is also the story of the rise and fall of brands.
As an observer of consumer behaviour and motivation, I’m fascinated by the mythology that surrounds the category; how the drinking patterns have changed over the years; and how brand perceptions have shifted.
Join me on a brief but hopefully entertaining journey on the tequila trail.
About Tequila
Tequila has a long pedigree. It is North America’s first indigenous spirit, introduced to the Spanish conquerors by the Aztecs who called it Pulque. Like cognac, champagne and other spirits, there are classification requirements. It is a spirit derived from the blue Agave plant that must come from Jalisco province and most often comes from the town Tequila in that area.
What’s the difference between Mezcal and Tequila? Well, technically speaking, Tequila is a form of Mezcal the same way that Cognac is a form of brandy. There are other differences in the Agave used, the provenance and the distillation process. But the biggest difference is probably in consumer perceptions. But, Tequila is the product category that has the dominant share of sales and consumption around the worl... ..read more |
Building Your Career And You,The Brand For the past twelve months I have had the pleasure of writing a number of articles for Spiritz about brands, the liquor industry and the trends facing us. During 2012 I want to change tack and speak predominantly about you, the reader, your personal brand and how you can build your career. As I approach my 69thbirthday I look back on 42 enjoyable years in the liquor industry. I have had my successes, I have had my failures. I have built great relationships, I have done a lot of things right but equally I have done a number of things wrong. I have over the years appointed and brought into the industry a number of young people who today hold very senior positions. It gives me great pleasure to have been and continue to be a mentor for some of them and someone they can speak to independently, without any political bias, someone with whom they can share their innermost thoughts. Someone who can hopefully help them avoid the mistakes that he himself made.
So where do you fit into the picture? In all of the articles I have written I have always emphasized that virtually everything is a brand. Every reader of this article is a brand, yes you. I am a brand, but as I approach 70 I have reinvented myself as a niche brand. I have a view that there is no such thing as retirement; it is simply the new direction. I am following the new ... ..read more |
Sobieski Adds Flavours To Its Vodka The Polish Vodka major is slowly but strongly making its presence registered on Indian spirits scene. After the successful launch of Sobieski’s regular brand of vodka in India last year, Belvedere-NV Group Joint Venture Company has introduced three very interesting flavours: green apple, lemon and cranberry.
These new flavours will initially be available in Haryana and will be slowly launched in Punjab, Delhi, Chandigarh, followed by MUC (Maharashtra and Up country by March end). The NV Group’s distribution strength will come very handy for Sobieski’s pan India growth. The registration process for the new variants is on in these places.
Xavier Degroote, International Development Director, Belvedere Group, the man behind Sobieski’s Indian avatar told Spiritz, “We decided to launch cranberry as coloured vodka which is very unusual for India because usually the coloured vodka are BIO and not BII. We do hope that this unique point will convince more easily the consumer about its qualitative difference.”
Cranberry Difference
Excited about the new flavours, Degroote explained that when one pours it in the glass, he will recognize the cranberry flavour and aromas. “Even if you dilute it with other drinks, the flavour of cranberry remains in the glass. That is what substantially differentiates us from our competitors.” The re... ..read more |
