Alcobev brand Skull X eyes Indian market

Skinny Witch is the latest addition to the family run alcoholic brand House of Skull X. Noticing a growing inclination in the consumption of Prosecco, Skull X decided to introduce the wine lovers of the world to a guilt-free version of their favourite drink.

With a vision to create a Prosecco that's free of any added sugar, the vintners, trained in the traditional manner of producing wines in Italy decided to supplement the sugar with the best quality natural ingredients and so, a women-centric company 'Skinny Witch' was born. The company is an ode to all the health-conscious connoisseurs of wine out there.

Dedicated to their goals of creating a delicious drink without added sugars in a brand with a clean ingredient ethos, Skinny Witch has worked with the finest vineyards. Having won several accolades for their impeccable taste, Skinny Witch's sugar-free Prosecco range has two delicious Proseccos to choose from: Skinny Witch Rosé Prosecco and skinny Witch Prosecco DOCG. Aman Chopra, CEO, Skull X, elaborates his future plans in an interaction with Bizz Buzz.

Can you give us a description of your company operations in the UK?

Skull X started 12 years ago after an ice fishing trip in Eastern Europe where I learnt that the best vodka in the world is made by the locals for the locals, and it never leaves the small towns it's produced in, which I considered an injustice. I worked tirelessly for 10 years to create the best vodka, using the best ingredients and filters in Slovakia to ensure Skull X was the best of the best. The team had the goal of creating the world's smoothest vodka and after 10 years, they did and they alleviated the burn factor, ensuring the vodka is as smooth as can be. Now the company is a manufacturer of vodkas and low sugar Prosecco with global distribution.

What is your game plan for the Indian market?

The Indian market is a brilliant market that Skull X worked hard to penetrate and continue with their company's goals of brining the best drinks to the consumer. Currently, Skull X have launched their platinum filtered vodka and their Skinny with Prosecco range which includes a Brut DOC Prosecco and a Rose DOC Prosecco both of which are low sugar, guilt-free and award winning. They plan to expand their range to include more ultra-premium liquor including four different types of premium tequila that rivals the best of the market. Alongside this, we plan to introduce our low sugar wine range, Skinny Angels in the near future as well. The brand's focus remains on providing the finest quality drinks to the consumer.

What do you expect from the Indian market?

The Indian consumer is unlike many across the world, with an affinity for the best products and luxury, the team felt Skull X was the perfect fit. The Indian consumer is more aware of the brands they enjoy and the quality of the products than most other consumers and with such keen concern for the quality, Skull X fills a void in the Indian market with Skull X which is considered the world's smoothest vodka and low sugar Skinny Witch Proseccos. The range under the Skull X umbrella is perfect for the Indian market.

What is kind of portfolio you plan to bring to India?

The brand has an ethos of using clean, low sugar, natural ingredients to ensure the quality of our products every time and will continue to maintain this as we develop our range. Currently our range consists of our Skull X platinum vodka and our low sugar Skinny Witch Proseccos. The brand aims to develop this to include a tequila range, made using the finest ingredients, via the traditional means of producing tequila that will rival market leaders. There are also plans for a low sugar wine range and Skull X edition II, plans for which are still under wraps. The goal of providing the best quality drinks from the best places will remain central to our plans.

What has been your experience of the Indian market so far?

We have seen tremendous success in the Indian market so far. With the Indian division being headed by Roshini Nath and Jessica Bedi and spearheaded by Raju Vaziraney, our incredible team have worked tirelessly to ensure we were ready to be received by the market. We launched with the Spiritz Achievers award in July of 2022 where Skull X won a Gold award in liquid tasting and packaging and Skinny Witch won the silver in liquid tasting and a Double Gold for packaging. This reinstated our faith in the brand for the Indian market as after being awarded the Masters award in smoothness by the Spirits Business Magazine in the UK in 2019, we knew we created the best product for the UK and seeing such success for the India market was reassuring. We have also seen great success since product has become available in Delhi as there has been wonderful support and great accolades for the brand.

Which markets in India excite you the most?

We are really excited to expand into as much of the Indian market as possible as it is such an up-and-coming market with such a growing culture of enjoying higher quality drinks, both inside the home and outside.

Are you planning manufacturing facilities in India and where?

Currently our concentration has remained on importing the best drinks from the best parts of the world and making them available in India. For this reason, that is not in the works for us at this time, but we are open to this and will reconsider at a later take. The option does absolutely remain open.

What kind of financial projections would you like to make for the first three years of operations?

As of now, our company focus has remained on brand growth and development. We are excited about the prospect of furthering Skull X in India and as such have not considered financial projects at this time. As a new brand our concentration cannot waiver from this and we will not consider such projections until 18 months into the brands launch in India as this is a secondary factor for us.