In Conversation with Mr Ganesh Iyer, India's 1st Water Sommelier and Managing Partner Zero Percent India Pvt Ltd.

For now we cater to approximately 850 plus hotels & restaurants plus a sizable HNI base in the form of D2C in the Indian subcontinent. Our presence in the market has expanded now to 38-40 cities across India and we hope to take this to 60-65 cities by the end of this year.

1. Please tell us about Veen and the brand's journey in the last 10 years?

Finns don’t talk too much. But once they do, it usually leads to an action. A conversation between friends led to the birth of VEEN in Finland in December 2006. The pursuit for perfection hasn’t stopped since. The Name VEEN is derived from VEEN Emonen, Mother of Water as the Finnish Epic Kalevala has it.

Currently we have springs in the Arctic Wilderness of Finnish Lapland and Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan which primarily caters to the Indian Subcontinent.

VEEN foray into the Indian Market began in 2012 as India’s First  Mineral Water Brand in Premium Glass Packaging and since then for a decade now it has held its position as the Market Leader in its category and  predominantly being a HoReCa ( Hotels , Restaurants & Caterers) Player. However, looking at the way the market has evolved or is continuously changing post pandemic times , VEEN as a brand is now open to explore retail, ecommerce routes to ensure that patrons are able to access VEEN either within the comforts of their homes or at their neighborhood stores.

For now we cater to approximately 850 plus hotels & restaurants plus a sizable HNI base in the form of D2C in the Indian subcontinent. Our presence in the market has expanded now to 38-40 cities across India and we hope to take this to 60-65 cities by the end of this year. How we achieved this is by constant training and educational programs for the hotels and restaurants associates  on the difference and importance of natural mineral water in a food grade clear glass bottle in the culinary environment. Today VEEN is served in some of the finest culinary establishments in India- Indian Accent, Farmlore, Bastian, Akina, HOSA, Masque, TresInd, St Regis, Six Senses, Rambagh Palace, etc.

2. What is your revenue model? How much do you charge for your product? Share details of the products?

VEEN Since its inception has been exclusively catering to B2B - HoReCa( Hotels, Restaurants & Caterers) . Some of the leading culinary establishments serve VEEN. We are probably the only beverage brand across the world to claim to be exclusive to HoReCa’s delight. VEEN is sourced and bottled in the world's first and only carbon Negative country - Bhutan which makes the brand extremely unique. The plant at the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan produces 4 SKUs.

VEEN Still 660ml - Price to Hotels & Restaurants at INR 105 plus

VEEN Still 330ml - Price to Hotels & Restaurants at 75 plus

VEEN Sparkling 660ml - Price to Hotels & Restaurants at INR 105 plus

VEEN Sparkling 330ml - Price to Hotels & Restaurants at INR 75 plus

3. Who is your target audience? How did you acquire your first customer? What marketing methods do you use to acquire your customers now?

As stated above we are an exclusive B2B brand catering to Horeca. Our first B2B customer was Marriott International and still is. Apart from that some of the leading business houses in India have been using VEEN since inception for their home consumption. So in a way before D2C became a buzzword, we were already catering directly to home consumers since 2012. On the last count we have close to 400 plus HNI households on a Pan India Basis.

Being the first natural mineral water brand in India to do premium glass packaging way back in 2012 when the whole segment was besotted with plastic. VEEN today takes pride in the fact that we have changed the dining experience with Natural Mineral Water on the culinary tables.

Today thanks to our passionate and relentless approach towards training and education of the hotel and restaurant fraternity towards mineral water not just as a revenue tool but also as a complete dining experience we have in a way achieved the unthinkable by creating conversations around mineral water and its properties and how water can be paired with food , wine etc

4. Have you raised any external funding, please share the details?

We are looking at raising funds in the next 18-24 months

5. Who do you see yourself competing with? What is the USP of your brand? Future plans?

VEEN is Nicknamed as “Michelin Star '' Water simply because some of the marquee Michelin Star culinary establishments across the world serve VEEN. VEEN ’s foray into the Indian market was nothing short of unexpected and dramatic purely on account of the Indian market’s obsession with Cheap & Best. What VEEN offered then and till date to the culinary establishments was International Brand and Design at Indian Price Point so much so that we have paved the way for half a dozen me -too glass water brands today which are sold at half the premium as that of VEEN. So VEEN continues to be a market leader in the HoReCa segment in the mineral water category with premium glass packaging and to command premium pricing. The brand’s core values rest on the following .

(A) Strong International Presence

(B) A Exclusive HoReCa Brand and Nicknamed “ Michelin Star “ Water

(C) India’s First Natural Mineral Water Brand in Premium & Award Winning Glass Packaging

(D) Bottled in the World ’s First & Only Carbon Negative Country - BHUTAN.

Future Plans are to continue & focus in the ever expanding HoReCa segment and eventually to look at ECommerce full fledge

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