Long ago, Portuguese had arrived on the shores of Mattancherry, opening a direct sea route from Europe to India. But tragedy struck just before it could anchor at the harbour — stuck on the sea one stormy night and led astray by the fierce winds, the magnificent Escondida came up against the ragged coast, sinking her to the bottom of the ocean floor before dawnbreak. The precious cargo was long believed to be destroyed, without having quenched anyone’s thirst.
Years later, with a legacy of 40 golden years, an ingenious AlcoBev startup was launched with a motto, ‘Drink Smart and Drink Responsibly’ to bring back the secret treasured recipe of alcohol. It predominantly aims to offer an exemplary astonishment for the taste buds with a mid-premium range of alcohol products.
A Bridge of Conceptualization
With nostalgic reminiscences of his childhood days interrelated with the Cochin Harbour Bridge, Deepu K Prakash recalls his thought of giving the brand name, “Harbour Bridge”. Having a parent company in the name VL7, intensely attached with his great grandparents Vava and Lekshmi, the startup revokes the traditional impression with a profound legacy of the art of making fresh beers, meads and many more-to-come alcohol products.
“The people’s colonial mindset has been changed. Now, they mostly prefer to drink the new Indianized version of alcohol. It is noteworthy to witness that our products are gradually subjugating the worldwide market too,” said Deepu.
His educational days, which he spent in Switzerland and Australia, helped him to get exposed to international brands and their taste cultures. Recreating authentic recipes across the world with a pinch of Indian aroma is what the founder aims with Harbour Bridge.
The Pillars of Bridge
The startup currently offers a wide array of Whiskey with an exotic amalgamation of natural ingredients through the exceptional hands of one of the renowned blenders of Kerala, Mr. Radhakrishna Nair. The esoteric recipe of this authentic brand is sheltered in his sedulous preparation of 5-7 months of manufacturing proceedings.
Acknowledging the genuine backing of the brand’s core team, Deepu said, “We genuinely wish to give a premium class experience to customers with mid-premium products.”
What’s in the Menu
The range of beverages, which is said to be packed with natural ingredients, is available in different flavours. Harbor Bridge is going to bring coconut whiskey to Kerala. If coconut whiskey is one of their specialties, rice beer is their new launch. That too, the Beer is going to be brewed with Kerala’s own ‘jeerakasala rice’. Currently, the company is collaborating with a Singapore Company to make Bio Beer. It has the authenticity of an alcoholic flavour but it is gluten free, sugar free and with no amount of uric acid.
Flavour of Future
While most drinkers prefer fancy brands imported from around the world, India is tapping on this market with its own share of brands offering alcoholic beverages to discerning consumers. With a worth of $18 billion, the Indian alcohol market is exploding and there cannot be a better time for startups to enter the segment.
According to the founder, “In next 5 years, it is going to grow 5.26%. By 2027, we will have a $22 billion whiskey market. We are as of now concentrating on 2-3% of the market, the revenue we are looking for. We are currently planning for an internal and abroad expansion plan which will further spread across the African, Asian, Australian market.”
Deviation from Conventional Investors
The first product launched by Deepu’s alcohol startup is a wheat-based mid-premium whiskey made in Goa. Since it is a startup, it has not started its own distillery, but leased in Goa. By the next financial year, the founder said Kerala will also start getting the Harbour Bridge and the licensing process is also in progress. Although many people come forward ready for funding, Deepu is looking for those who have vision and interest in the alcohol business.
The startup is currently floating in a bootstrap space. Though the hot-shot brand is receiving many export orders and has ambitious expansion plans in the pipeline, it’s quite common to get approached by many conventional investors who are in this industrial ecosystem for a fairly long time. But the founder Deepu is revealing that he is contemplating creating an out of the box investor collaboration.
“I personally prefer investments from those who can take forward my passion and ideas. Someone who is fairly capable to pull off the R&D of the company with a much larger vision,” he asserted.
Get in touch with Harbour Bridge Founder Deepu K Prakash on 8075740640
