Aman Rastogi, founder of Zenzi, has been a sparkling water enthusiast since 2016. On a business trip to India in 2019, he noticed a dearth of affordable and flavorful sparkling water in the country. He realized that there was very little awareness about the product. With the high level of diabetes prevalent amongst the population, he felt that the Indian consumer was in the utmost need of a healthy alternative to soft drinks. This birthed ‘Zenzi’. Zenzi aims to bring new exciting guilt-free drinks to a market that is saturated with unhealthy options loaded with sugar and artificial flavors.

Rastogi states that sparkling water in India is a premium product, with prices as high as Rs 140 for a 330ml bottle. The company wants to disrupt the market by introducing sparkling water to a larger audience. He adds, “We are establishing sparkling water as an affordable healthy alternative to other carbonated beverages and juices that contain large amounts of sugar and artificial flavors. Our beverages are calorie-free, sugar-free, use no artificial sweeteners and are 100% natural.”

Journey so far

Speaking of the brand’s journey, Rastogi recalls, “When I first decided to launch Zenzi, I knew it would require a lot of research and networking. Initially, I studied the market to understand the competitive landscape and determine where similar beverages were produced. I realized early on that working with a co-manufacturer would be the best approach to avoid needing my factory and to accelerate the speed to launch.” Zenzi uses a co-packer located in Bhiwandi to manufacture and package our bottles from start to finish. “I focused on manufacturing because I knew the product needed to be ready before I would be able to do anything else. I began connecting with co-packing plants across Mumbai and started reaching out to flavor houses to test different flavor profiles and ran several trials until I was landed on the four flavors currently for sale.”

According to him, it took many iterations to get it to a place aligned to his expectations, and then things started picking up. He shares, “While the trials were happening, I searched for and found a branding agency that could help bring my vision for Zenzi to life. From there on, I focused on building my brand, any relevant assets, and ensuring consistency across the flavor profiles and over-brand image. I worked on a bottle mold, ran bottling and labeling trials until I was finally ready for launch.”

Product range & packaging design

Zenzi is available in four unique fruit and botanical flavor combinations – Lime Ginger, Watermelon Mint, Mango Hibiscus, and Lychee Rose. According to Rastogi, each product is made with premium hand-picked natural flavors that are locally sourced in India. “Since launching, my main focus has been growing sales and expanding my reach through marketing, but I’m also thinking ahead in terms of what new flavors to launch or whether it makes sense to expand my product line,” he adds.

The packaging design of the Zenzi bottle is unique, colorful and shelf appealing. Speaking of which, Rastogi adds, “The landscapes depicted on the bottles portray some of my favorite places in the world.” He has further plans to add new sceneries for each unique flavor to keep things exciting for its consumers.

Zenzi sparkling water bottles come in the pack of 4, 12, and 24 and are available on the company’s website, Amazon and Flipkart. Over the next five years, the brand’s focus is to scale and be present wherever water is available. Currently, the business plan involves a mix of direct-to-consumer sales such as Amazon, Flipkart, Shopify and offline sales channels through various retailers and distributors.

Marketing strategies & expansion plans

While Zenzi is a niche product, the concept of sparkling water applies to all audiences. Rastogi states, “In 2022, the plan for Zenzi is to scale our online sales channels, sponsor events and collaborate with influencers to expand our reach, and tackle the offline market through strong partnerships and gain visibility and brand awareness all over Mumbai.”

According to him, currently, Zenzi is focused exclusively on the B2C sector. During the pandemic, the brand was busy driving awareness at the individual level and on its path to establishing a substantial online presence. “Once we’ve established a concrete online presence, we will start to expand into the B2B space, including restaurants, cafes, hotels, movie theaters, train stations, kirana stores, and airports. Our goal is to be served everywhere water is served. We also hope to make an impact on improving the water sanitation in India and ultimately help provide clean water to the underprivileged, which is part of the Zenzi’s larger missions.”