Post Your Comment
Paper Boat sails in to the food category
The ethnic drinks maker is taking its brand philosophy across multiple categories
Neeraj Kakkar, co-founder and CEO, Hector Beverages
Image: Bmaximage
In a classic case of brand extension, ethnic drinks maker Hector Beverages today announced its foray into the food category with Paper Boat chikki. Launched under the brand name of its popular drinks range, Paper Boat, the peanut-jaggery chikki promises to carry forward the brand promise of food and memories.
The packaging of the product is in-line with colours and cues of the brand’s drinks portfolio, and is priced at Rs. 10 for a 31g bar, and Rs. 12 for a 36g bar. It is currently available only in the Delhi-NCR region, across modern trade and general trade outlets.
In an interview to ForbesIndia in 2016, the makers had spoken about diversification into other verticals.
"Foods and memories is an exciting proposition for us. With our first step in the foods category, we want to truly commemorate that timeless snack that came replete with crackling paper and sticky fingers - chikki!” says Neeraj Kakkar, co-founder and CEO, Hector Beverages. The makers also added that Paper Boat Chikki is the first Indian brand to get a FairTrade Certificate.
“We grow peanuts as a rotation crop with cotton. Until now we only had demand for FairTrade cotton and our peanuts used to be sold in the mandi. But with the introduction of Paper Boat Chikki we will now be able to also get better price and FairTrade Premium for our peanuts,” says Sailesh Patel, CEO of Rapar and Dhrangadhra Farmers Producer Co, a farmer producer company. Which is a hybrid between cooperatives and a private company.
This is Paper Boat’s second major diversification under the Paper Boat brand. Earlier this month, the makers announced their foray into publishing with ‘Half Pants, Full Pants’, a collection of short autobiographical stories, about a little boy growing up in sleepy Shimoga written by Anand Suspi. Although Paper Boat had in 2016 reprinted classics like ‘Three Men in a Boat’, ‘Jungle Book’ and ‘Ramayana’ in the past, this book marked the launch their publishing arm.
