Rasna Eyeing 30% Growth in FY26: Chairman Piruz Khambatta

Instant drink maker Rasna is looking at a 30 per cent growth in 2025-26 on the back of doubling of uptake in quick commerce, accelerated demand from urban centres, exports and new products, Rasna International Chairman Piruz Khambatta said on Friday.

The company, which introduced its new "richer, thicker and tastier" fruit drink powder with an eye on a significant share in the Rs 20,000-crore fruit drink market in India, is investing around Rs 45-50 crore on a new plant in Patna for manufacturing Litchi concentrates.

"With exports we are talking about 30 per cent growth this year," Khambatta said here during an interaction.

He was responding to a query on the overall growth prospects in the upcoming fiscal year.

Elaborating, he said, "Two new segments have opened up for us, where the growth is almost 30-40 per cent -- one is the quick commerce, and one is the regular e-commerce. Both are growing quickly."

Quick commerce is actually growing a little bit at the cost of modern trade, where there is consolidation with only few players in the fray, he noted, adding that the company expects quick commerce to double in the next fiscal year.

The rural market, where Rs 5-10 packs are prevalent, is expected to grow 7-8 per cent, Khambatta said, adding, "but thanks to this thick product (newly launched powder concentrates), I see the maximum growth in the urban centres, the mass urban centres, where I see almost 30-40 per cent growth."

The Rs 10 product can also get market share from the fruit drinks, which is a very big market, he noted.

Stating that the company's exports are also growing, he said it is a big portfolio with four brands and private labels for big retailers and the company's exports have doubled from what was during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rasna plans to export the newly launched thicker and tastier fruit drink powder, he said, adding, "there we are looking more at bottles and tins" unlike India where sales are mostly in pouches.

At present, the company exports to over 60 countries in five continents.

In the domestic market, the company is looking to strengthen pan-India presence by adding new distributors by the end of next year and expanding retail reach to 1 lakh outlets.

When asked about fresh investments, he said for the new fiscal there will not be new projects but the company is setting up a new plant in Patna, where litchi concentrates will be produced with a capacity of around 2 million cases annually.

The investment in the plant is around Rs 45-50 crore, he added.

"We are looking at more expansion abroad, for which things are being planned... We are also looking at some new products," Khambatta said without disclosing details.