NEW DELHI – Fast moving consumer goods major Parle Agro Tuesday has announced the launch of India’s first coffee-flavoured carbonated drink Café Cuba.
With this move, Prakash Chauhan-led FMCG major is going to re-enter the carbonated soft drinks (CSD) segment 20 years after it sold off the home-grown iconic soft drink brands Thums Up, Limca, Gold Spot, Citra and Maaza to Coca Cola.
The product, available in 250 ml cans priced Rs 20, was recently test-marketed in big cities and is now being taken to smaller towns and rural markets.
According to reports, Parle Agro has allocated Rs 50 crore (US$8 million) as marketing campaign investments. It is also seeking to expand its distribution network from 80,000 outlets to 1.5 million.
“A first-of-its-kind product in the market, Cafe’ Cuba is a bold new beverage. It is the smooth combination of the flavor of roasted coffee beans with strong carbonated fizz. It is an exciting new taste and is sure to live up to Parle Agro’s commitment of ‘Refreshing India’,” the company said in a statement.
With its launch, the company introduces an innovative category, ‘Coffee Rush’ into the CSD segment.
The company claimed to raise the bar for innovation in its trademark style by adding a twist to an otherwise stagnated flavoured drinks market.
Making the announcement, Prakash Chauhan, Chairman and Managing Director, Parle Agro said, “We are excited to be creating a completely new category for the CSD segment and are proud to be the leaders when it comes to innovations and trends in this segment.
Having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, Parle Agro has always believed in refreshing India with innovative products and refreshing the market with new categories.”
“Throughout our journey, we have catered to the Indian consumer, offering innovative products with our deep rooted understanding of their preferences.
The launch of Cafe’ Cuba is an extension of this belief. We have spent a great amount of time and effort in creating a product that India truly wants and we feel this is the best time for us to enter the market.
Cafe’ Cuba is the dream project of Parle Agro and we are thrilled to offer it to our consumers,” Chauhan said.
