Casa de Spirits ready to join Indian alcobev market party

The party drink category has remained relatively unchanged over the past decade with the same set of brands offering consumers a very similar experience. When we started to work on our product, we had a clear vision to create something different that resonated with the tastes and sentiments of young adults of legal drinking age. Keeping this goal in mind, we have carefully crafted everything, from our product look and feel to its taste and identity, to create a cool and fun drink. As Goa enhances its reputation as a party destination, Casa de Spirits gets ready to launch its brands from Goa to other States in India. In an exclusive interview with Bizz Buzz, Carl Sequeira, one of the founders of Casa de Spirits unveils the company's game plan

Sustainability is definitely going to be something we focus on, as a brand. Once the product is launched and available in the market, one of our first goals will be to slowly move our bottle packaging from its current material, to being made completely from recycled paper. As we grow as a brand, we will constantly look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment as well as set up initiatives to draw attention to issues that align with our brand ethos

We first had the idea for CaSa de Spirits during a visit to Goa. We observed that the Alcobev industry has continued to grow during the lock down with noticeable changes in consumer behaviour across all segments. Consumers had begun experimenting with new spirits at home, even moving on to more premium products. With people returning to bars and restaurants, we realised that there was a gap in the market in terms of the party drink segment and so we set out to create something that was fun, new, and disruptive. To begin with, CaSa is launching a cool new party drink in December 2021. CaSa also plans to launch two new spirits by the end of 2022

How was Casa de Spirits conceptualized and how will it evolve?

We first had the idea for CaSa de Spirits during a visit to Goa. We observed that the Alcobev industry has continued to grow during the lock down with noticeable changes in consumer behaviours across all segments. Consumers had begun experimenting with new spirits at home, even moving on to more premium products. With people returning to bars and restaurants, we realised that there was a gap in the market in terms of the party drink segment and so we set out to create something that was fun, new, and disruptive. To begin with, CaSa is launching a cool new party drink in December 2021. CaSa also plans to launch two new spirits by the end of 2022.

What are the verticals for the business?

Currently we only have the domestic vertical for our first product, which is set to launch in Goa in December 2021. This will be followed by an international launch by the first half of 2022. We have two more products in the pipeline, scheduled to be launched in 2022. We plan to allocate 60 to 70 per cent of our product to international markets depending on the distributor and demand.

Are you looking for venture capital funding to grow the business?

We are definitely looking to venture capital funding to grow the business further. Our company vision is to have an initial portfolio of three spirits launched in the market by the end of 2022. Venture capital funding will play a huge part in our growth story as we plan to launch new lines of products as well as expand our distribution both internationally as well as across India.

What kind of product portfolio are you planning?

In December we plan to launch our first product which is a cool party drink. The product will be launched in Goa and then in international markets. After the launch of our party drink, we aim to launch a premium spirit, in the first half of 2022, followed by a third spirit later that year.

What is the marketing game plan?

In one simple word, our marketing game plan is to be disruptive. Given our vast experience as marketers, we have approached our brands from a marketing-first approach.

Everything from our product designs to our communication across our owned platforms have been crafted to tie-in closely with popular cultural trends, be it music, aesthetic, sentiments and tastes. We will obviously go the traditional marketing route that is well known in the industry, but we also plan to create a clear distinction in the minds of consumers. We will achieve this through bold communication and design.

Which states are you planning to launch your brands?

As of now we are planning to launch our first product only in Goa. Once it is launched in Goa, we also plan to launch it internationally, in 2022. Our aim is to eventually to make our party drink available in a few strategic states across the country.

How do you plan to disrupt the market?

The party drink category has remained relatively unchanged over the past decade with the same set of brands offering consumers a very similar experience. When we started to work on our product, we had a clear vision to create something different that resonated with the tastes and sentiments of young adults of legal drinking age. Keeping this goal in mind, we have carefully crafted everything, from our product look and feel to its taste and identity, to create a cool and fun drink. Our unique marketing coupled with great branding, taste and pricing strategy make us optimistic that our product will make an impact in the party drinks segment.

What kind of production capacity, are you planning and how?

As of now we are planning to launch with 12,000 to 15,000 cases in the first phase. We are working with a contract manufacturer to produce our spirits.

Are you looking to rope in a strategic partner?

At the conceptualization phase of our brand we roped in two Alco-bev industry stalwarts, Shatbhi Basu and Binaisha Sundaram, to join us and drive the brand's product development and distribution, respectively.

What are the environmental initiatives do you plan to incorporate to make the business more sustainable?

Sustainability is definitely going to be something we focus on, as a brand. Once the product is launched and available in the market, one of our first goals will be to slowly move our bottle packaging from its current material, to being made completely from recycled paper. As we grow as a brand, we will constantly look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment as well as set up initiatives to draw attention to issues that align with our brand ethos.