Caribbean conglomerate ANSA McAL plans to launch its Carib beer brand in India next year.
The Trinidad and Tobago-based group is teaming up on a venture in India with local distiller Globus Spirits.
The venture, Globus ANSA, will brew Carib in the country. ANSA McAL said it was lining up the launch of Carib in India in January.
“We are estimating that trial brewing will begin in July/August,” a company spokesperson told Just Drinks. “Our quality team will work with Globus to select a qualified brewery and subsequently complete three trial brewery runs. Based on [its] success, we expect to launch Carib in India in January 2025.”
Globus Spirits’ business spans products from sanitiser and CO2 to bioethanol and consumer spirits brands.
The company’s three consumer spirits distilleries are in Rajasthan, West Bengal and Haryana.
ANSA McAL said Carib would initially go on sale in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
“We are excited by the growth prospective of the country. We have been looking at the Indian market for the past few years, building our knowledge of the market, [of the] key players and brands,” the spokesperson said.
In a separate statement when the venture was announced, ANSA McAL CEO Anthony Sabaga III said: “We are confident that our collaboration will allow us to seize the growing demand for high-quality beverages by captivating palates with our distinctive products.”
In a stock-exchange filing, the publicly listed Globus Spirits said the “primary objective” of the “equally owned venture” is to manufacture and distribute beer in India, with the “initial focus” on Carib.
Speaking to Just Drinks, the ANSA McAL spokesperson indicated the companies would look to build a range of brands to sell in India.
“Initially we are seeking to start with Carib beer. However, we are blessed to have a wide portfolio of products that we believe the Indian market will appreciate,” the spokesperson said.
“We will be focusing on the Carib brand. However, we will be open to consider other third-party brands in the future.”
ANSA McAL’s Carib business has four breweries: one in Trinidad and Tobago, another in Grenada, a third in St Kitts and Nevis and a fourth in the US. The company markets beers and RTDs in more than 30 countries.
In the first nine months of Globus Spirits’ 2024 financial year, it generated revenue of Rs18.2bn ($218.3m), with a third coming from its consumer business.
The revenue Globus Spirits generated from its consumer business rose 6% in the nine-month period despite a 2% fall in volumes.
The company, which markets brands including Governors’ Reserve whisky and Snoski vodka, estimated its consumer sales amounted to 11m cases. Its bulk alcohol sales were around 160m litres.
Globus Spirits also has an RTD arm, Bored Beverages, which was set up in 2020. Its brands include Not Out.
