Rasna to extend retail network to 1 lakh outlets by end of 2026: Chairman Piruz Khambatta

Rasna International will extend its retail network to 100,000 outlets by the end of 2026, targeting a growth of 30 per cent, said Rasna Chairman Piruz Khambatta. Speaking to ANI, Rasna Chairman said, "We expect a growth of 25 to 30 per cent this year. We expect a growth in our exports as Rasna is the cheapest drink globally."Rasna Chairman said that 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.

Khambatta highlighted Rasna's localised supply chain as a key advantage in global markets.

"We are using Indian raw material, Indian fruit, sugar, and due to this, we are very price competitive in the world market. So we are able to fight tariff better than the other countries," he noted.

This strategic move aligns with the rapid growth of the global fruit concentrate market, which was valued at USD 2.46 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 7.27 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 14.50 per cent from 2024 to 2031.

Khambatta also spoke about the impact of US tariffs on the company's exports.

He said that the company is better equipped than competitors from other countries to withstand tariff pressures.

"Generally the products of China are cheapest in the world. But when it comes to companies like Rasna, we are the cheapest products of the world in the powder drink segment," he said.

According to Khambatta, Rasna, India's iconic beverage brand has positioned itself as uniquely resilient to these challenges amid the growing concerns over global tariff wars that is set to affect the international trade.

He emphasised that this competitive pricing isn't due to quality compromises but stems from the company's high production volumes.

"We are the cheapest not because our quality is not good but our volumes are very high. Because of the higher volume, we are able to give better price," he explained.

Despite its optimistic global outlook, Khambatta acknowledged several domestic challenges.

"The growth we were expecting in rural demand is still missing. Disposable income of rural population has not increased as expected," he said.

"Summer came early this year. This is good for industry like us. This also brings logistics challenges. We are facing delivery issues. Our challenge is to how fast we can deliver our products to our outlets," Khambatta explained.