Wild Tiger Beverages, the Indian spirits company created by entrepreneur Gautom Menon will showcase its Gindia gin at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo alongside the company’s familiar rum lines and some surprises.
A Silver Partner (#Virtual Stand WS-S4), Wild Tiger aims to extend its (tiger) footprint in travel retail and its range of spirits. It is also eyeing expansion in Europe.
Wild Tiger Beverages Founder Gautom Menon said: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and the call has been answered by the progressive Moodie Davitt team. We at Wild Tiger Beverages are thrilled to take a leap into the inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo. We believe this initiative to be a much-needed one, which would benefit suppliers, regardless of their geographies or size.”
Menon will feature his Wild Tiger rum expressions, which include Wild Tiger Special Reserve, Wild Tiger Spiced, Wild Tiger Coco and Wild Tiger Rare Blend (RRP US$34.90). Adipoli White Rum (US$19) and other Adipoli variants will also be highlighted.
The Expo spotlight, however, will be on Gindia, the new craft gin brand which Menon plans to launch shortly in travel retail.
Produced at Wild Tiger’s distillery in Kerala, India, Gindia is distilled from grain. The spirit (43% ABV) features 23 botanicals including Himalayan Juniper, Assam Tea, green cardamom, black pepper, clove and orange peel.
Gindia is presented in a pearly white bottle made from recycled glass. Its design depicts the key botanicals in eco-friendly inks. ‘Dia – The Gin Goddess’, the brand’s mascot, was developed by Wild Tiger designers Paul George Vedanayagam and Deva Slvaraj.
Wild Tiger also has other products up its sleeve. “We’ve been working hard to expand our spirits portfolio and have curated trendy products which are around the US$20 RRP for 1-litre variants in vodka and liqueurs. We will reveal more details on those at the Expo,” Menon said.
Menon said that Wild Tiger sees a “renaissance” for gin and rum in Europe and is targeting the region accordingly.
Considering the impact of COVID-19 on the travel retail industry, Menon said: “Business travel is unlikely to ever return to pre-COVID levels. I think leisure travel will come back because man’s inherent nature is to explore, seek and experience. So, keeping this is in mind, product offers should be catered accordingly to entice the leisure traveller and returning nationals.”
Rum momentsWild Tiger’s rum portfolio includes Special Reserve rum (40% ABV), India Spiced rum (38% ABV) and Ginger liqueur (25%ABV). 
As reported, a third variant in the Wild Tiger rum line-up – Wild Tiger coco – launched in the Americas last year. |
Menon believes products which have a sustainable story will thrive as consumers increasingly gravitate towards such brands.
In a post COVID-19 marketplace, Menon is adamant that there should be “more weightage given to co-branding opportunities and partnerships between brands and retailers”.
“The focus should move away from margins alone,” he said.
According to Menon, brands must rethink packaging, promotion and story-telling to ensure their products stand out in the channel.
“It boils down to the stand-out packaging and how the story is communicated on it by way of QR codes, neck tags, shelf displays and so on,” he said.
Menon noted the key role of craft and niche spirits in travel retail. “There will always be a space for craft spirit,” he said. “Especially the brands who offer real points of differentiation which go beyond production techniques and family heritage.
“Wild Tiger has its own story to tell. We have made our own niche and will continue to make our mark; not just in travel retail but also in the preservation of wild tigers.”
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