Aroma of Paan in Canadian Liqueur

When Indian and western flavours are blissfully married in an interesting and unique alcoholic beverage, Jaan is born. Jaan, life in Hindi, is truly bringing a new taste to hundreds of thousands of alcohol connoisseurs around the globe. It is bringing the traditional flavour of India’s age-old paan or beetle leaf, with a global twist in the evening cocktails of many westerners who are perhaps experiencing it for the first time in their life.

It all started more than a decade back in a suburb of a Canadian cosmopolitan, Toronto. Passion and imagination of an Indian- origin entrepreneur created this unique and proprietary liqueur brand called Jaan Paan Liqueur with the flavour of paan and few more exotic Indian spices.

Jaan Paan Liqueur is locally made in Ontario, Canada and is inspired by two cultures becoming one, where the east meets the west. Since Jaan Paan Liqueur has been in the market, it has been recognised globally by several of the top alcoholic beverage competitions for its top quality, innovation and taste. To date, Jaan Paan Liqueur has won over 25 international spirits competition’s medals, got several accolades and celebrity endorsements from Chefs like Vikram Vij, Sanjeev Kapoor, Roger Mooking and others.

The Man Behind

Meet Raj Dhanjal, the Founder of Jaan, who was born in India. He came to Canada in 1970 at a young age of eight. Though he embraced his new home but also kept alive Indian heritage and culture in his heart.

He obtained Bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Toronto, and worked as a Project Management Consultant for over 30 years, primarily in the financial sector of Canada. However, his creative flair and love towards food & beverages eventually induced him to undertake this entrepreneurial venture. “I had absolutely no commercial experience in this field but wanted to create something unique in alcobev that nobody has in the market.” told Dhanjal.

He created this unique and proprietary liqueur named Jaan Paan Liqueur with flavour of paan and a few more exotic Indian spices.

Success was not Easy

However, his entrepreneurial journey was, as expected, not smooth. It took many years from ideation to production but Dhanjal’s passion kept him going. Initial idea came in 2007. Research, development, and branding took another three years before the paan liqueur could be launched.

“It took me several years to come up with the formula. When I first created the paan liqueur almost all the Indians who tasted it, loved it. But outside the Indian community people were apprehensive. They could not identify with the flavour as they had no frame of reference”, Dhanjal explained.

But instead of being deterred, he took the setback as a challenge. He did lots of market research and focused group study. He blended the flavours of vanilla, maple and citrus into the original concoction – and it worked!

This blend of paan along with spices like cardamom, anise, cinnamon, rose, clove and the right amount of vanilla, maple, and citrus made the desired amalgamation.

Versatility is the Key

“The taste of Jaan Paan Liqueur is amazing, but what I get excited about is its versatility,” said Dhanjal with confidence. According to him, Jaan Paan Liqueur can be enjoyed in so many ways – straight on the rocks or mixed in your favourite cocktail. It really elevates and transforms an ordinary cocktail into something extraordinary! Add Jaan Paan Liqueur to your whisky or mojito or guava juice and you are not going to be disappointed.

But the versatility of his paan flavour is not just restricted to alcoholic beverages. “We also produce Jaan Chocolates, which are dark chocolates infused with a touch of paan flavour,” informed the entrepreneur. In fact, Jaan Paan Liqueur can be added to the desserts like gulab jamun or drizzled over ras malai.

Product Extensions

Though Jaan Paan Liqueur is the flagship product that started the Jaan brand, it really is a specialty and a niche product. Recognising this “limitation”, Dhanjal decided to leverage the versatility and uniqueness of the paan flavour by incorporating it into other product extensions. For example, the Jaan Canadian Whisky is finished in oak barrels previously used to age Jaan Paan Liqueur – a concept similar to finishing whiskies in Sherry casks. The result is an innovative two-time Platinum award winning Canadian whisky which according to Dhanjal is “exceptionally smooth and bold, yet balanced, with intriguing floral, spicy and fruity notes.”

His company has also launched a beer brand called Simha – a refreshing lager with a hint of paan flavour.

Expansion Plans

Jaan is based upon a distributed production model that allows the company to vary output to match its sales volume. At the moment, Jaan brand partners with a number of distillers to produce its products. “Working with existing distillers frees us to focus on sales and marketing side of the business. This approach allows us to be flexible and nimble to produce our products in various markets,” asserted the entrepreneur. Covid-19 induced setbacks, coupled with demand volatility and inflationary pressure, did impact his business though. However, the scenario is improving fast. Company is planning to launch ready-to- drink beverages (RTB) named Mumbai Mule (a cocktail premixed with Jaan Whisky, ginger beer and lime juice), and Jaan Mojito.

“Stay tuned for our exciting new Jaan Gin, scheduled for late 2022 launch,” informed Dhanjal enthusiastically. Last year, the company produced 20,000 cases of Jaan Paan Liqueur and 10,000 cases of Jaan Whisky (each case having six bottles). These numbers are only set to increase with the product expansion plan and increasing global foot prints that the company is expected to achieve.

Global Vision

“When we look at the alcoholic beverages industry in the west, we see products which are unique to different countries. Like Mexico has Tequila, China has Baijiu. Japan has Sake, Korea has Soju, Scotland has Scotch, Greeks have Ouzo. India must have her own. There is no reason why the west can’t embrace the taste of paan liqueur – which truly has a unique Indian taste,” affirmed the man with conviction and a clear vision.

His vision has led him to expand the brand beyond Canada. Today Jaan Paan Liqueur is also available in the US, the UK and Australia. By end of the year, it will reach New Zealand.

Jaan brand has not arrived in India yet but Dhanjal is open to a partnership for a joint venture in India. “We believe the future for Jaan in India is immense and it would be the ideal market to embrace the Jaan brand and all its product offerings. We will look for a partner who understands the Indian market and its rigmarole of legalities well,” he reiterates. For him, sky doesn’t seem to be the limit!