United Spirits invests in non-alcoholic drink start-ups

Diageo’s majority-owned Indian business, United Spirits has taken “strategic minority investments” in domestic start-ups V9 Beverages and Indie Brews and Spirits.

V9 Beverages Pvt Ltd markets and sells India’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit brand Sober Gin, Sober Rum and Sober Whisky.  The group   has bought a 15 percent stake in the company for Rs22.9 m, as per the report.

Indie Brews & Spirits is the maker of Quaffine, India’s first cold brew coffee liqueur. The group has also taken a 25 percent stake in Indie Brew and Spirits for Rs 50 m, report added. Founded in 2022 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Indie Brew and Spirits produces cold-brew-coffee liqueur.

In a statement, Diageo India said, “In line with our strategy of exploring opportunities in new growth engines, these strategic minority investments allow us to partner with breakthrough start-up entrepreneurs to experiment in the emerging consumer trends of the non-alcohol and coffee liqueur category, respectively.”