Macedonian wine brand Dalvina has been launched in India by DrinksRus Beverages Pvt Ltd, an Australian-run company, the Business Standard reports.
The company will be starting distribution in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh this year, and later it desires to expand to other regions, company officials have said.
Babu Srinivasan, CEO of DrinksRus Pty Ltd, said at the launch of the brand in Chennai that the company was an "exclusive importer and distributor of the Dalvina brand of beverages in India. Our plan is to launch seven categories out of the total 15 under the brand in India and will be focusing on the two states, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, for the current year".
According to the Macedonian Ambassador to India, Toni Atanasovski, the wine market in India is very attractive and is growing at high rates. Ambassador Atanasovski added that wines are related to the history of Macedonia, where there are 35 wineries functioning. Dalvina is one of the top five brands in the country, he said.
The company is also holding negotiations with a Swiss firm to launch a non-alcoholic beverage, a vitamin water in India. It also plans to bring Rakia to India, which is Macedonia's best known national drink, said Zlate Niceski, Director at DrinksRus Pty Ltd.
Srinivasan said he expected that the company would use the low level of competition in the country to make initial profits. The product's price starts from RS 350 excluding duty and would go up to RS 1,500-2,000 per bottle, again excluding duty.
