Paper Boat brings Thandai to cool down the upcoming summer effects

Paper Boat recently launched a mission to revive those long forgotten liquid traditions, by packaging good old goodness. A few years, several sips, and a successful run of “Drinks and Memories” later, Paper Boat is proud to announce a brand new chapter in this continuous unfolding of Indian food legacy – a foray into “Foods and Memories”.

The beverages brand has launched Chikki with Fair Trade peanuts and jaggery.

Paper Boat Chikki will not only look out for the preservation of this age-old recipe, but will also look out for its farmers. It will be the first Chikki, and the first Indian brand, to proudly wear a Fair Trade Certificate – which means its highest-quality peanuts and jaggery have been made with ethical farming practices, and much of the proceeds from their cultivation go back towards the betterment of their farmers’ communities.

Paper Boat drinks are prepared and packaged in a stringent 1000-grade pharmaceutical industry standard, while Paper Boat Chikki can boast of being safely and hygienically manufactured and packaged in the rigorous and exacting standards maintained by international chocolatiers.

"Foods and memories is an exciting proposition for us. With our first step in the foods category, we want to truly commemorate that timeless snack that came replete with crackling paper and sticky fingers - chikki! We don't want to merely make chikki - our ambition is to make the best, the tastiest, and the most conscientious chikki” Neeraj Kakkar, Co-Founder and CEO of Hector Beverages.

Paper Boat Chikki’s packaging dons colours and cues that are familiar from the drinks portfolio. Priced at Rs. 10/- for a 31g bar, and Rs. 12/- for a 36g bar, Paper Boat Chikki is ready to bring Chikki (and sticky fingers!) back to tiffin boxes of all sizes, and appetites of all kinds.

Paper Boat Chikki is available in Delhi-NCR region across modern trade and general trade outlets. 

Paper Boat, a brand of non-carbonated beverages and energy drinks produced and marketed by Hector Beverages has now forayed into publishing new authors, bringing aspiring talent and providing them a platform for showcasing their storytelling skills.

In the past, Paper Boat has reprinted timeless classics like Three Men in a Boat, Jungle Book and Ramayana - this time they launch their publishing arm with 'Half Pants, Full Pants', a collection of short stories by Anand Suspi.

Anand was the Creative Head of Lowe Delhi between 2007 and 2010. Currently, he lives in Gurgaon and is the co-founder of an ad agency called AndAnd Brand Partners.

Neeraj Kakkar and Neeraj Biyani, the co-founders of Hector Beverages Pvt. Ltd, the company that makes traditional drinks under the Paper Boat brand, expect to grow to Rs100 crore in 2017.

Currently, the company has a total of nine year-round products including flavours such as jamun kala khatta, aamras, aam panna, anar and chilli guava. The seasonal products introduced by the company include Thandai, Serbet-e-khaas, Rose Tamarind and Panakam, among others.

Arvind Singhal, Chairman, Retail Consultancy Technopak Advisors Pvt. Ltd., said, "The Company has been innovative in terms of product, packaging and marketing to create the consumer wow factor. It can certainly take credit for that."

Kannan Sitaram, Indian Equity Partners, said, "Paper Boat founders had solid consumer insight that traditional beverages will work, especially when they come without preservatives. There is strong consumer support because of the authenticity of the products."

Kakkar added, "There is a shift from commodities to brand play. It happened in many countries and it is happening in India right now."

According to filings with the Registrar of Companies, for fiscal year 2014 Hector Beverages earned revenue of Rs15.9 crore. For FY15, it was closer to Rs25 crore (estimated post-adjustments). The numbers for the year to March 2016 are not available. The company expects to grow to Rs100 crore this year.

Having ramped up its production capacity significantly, Paper Boat is now concentrating on improving distribution.

Biyani said, "We can double our numbers everywhere if we could focus on and improve our distribution."

Currently, Paper Boat is available in 70,000-100,000 outlets compared to, say, the leading soft drinks brands which are present in more than 1.2 million outlets. For now, the brand enjoys a significant presence in metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai.

Kakkar added, "Our current challenge is how to go deeper with a product which has a shelf life of four-six months."

To increase its reach, Hector Beverages has tied up with Indo Nissin Foods Pvt. Ltd, the Japanese company which makes Top Ramen noodles. It hopes to piggyback on Indo Nissin's distribution network to expand into the tier II markets and some rural pockets.

Kakkar expects 60 percent of Paper Boat's business to come from Indo Nissin's distribution network.

Paper Boat, a beverage brand, which produces non-carbonated beverages and energy drinks, marketed by Hector Beverages has decided to venture into the Indian snack food category.

Reports say that Paper Boat has its eye on the snack food shelves by coming up with traditional Indian snack.

As per an interview done by ET, Neeraj Kakkar, co-founder, hector beverages, a Bangalore-based company, said, "Foods will give us reverse seasonality. Beverages have high traction in summer; we hope to keep growth momentum with foods through the year."

He also added that the company is going to stick its essence, 'Drinks and Memories’, which it uses in its beverage and will focus only on Indian ethnic snacks.

It is going to create similar aura and will live up to it as it has aced in marking its stamp for coming out with the unique flavours, which reminds of childhood memories.

Kakkar said the product will be 'fair trade' certified (where farmers are offered better prices than others).

ET also reports, Devendra Chawla, Retailer Future Group president food and FMCG, also mentor to Paper Boat, said: "Extending the brand to ethnic foods which aren't easily available and which can be made relevant for the younger generation with innovative packaging and formats, also adds to business across all months."

This summer, Paper Boat brings back the taste of a near-forgotten memory: running out of school when the bell rang, a coin clutched in our hands, straight to the thela laden with mouthwatering guavas. With the new drink, Chilli Guava, relive inseparable friendships – exactly like chilli powder and guavas – sweet, sour, with a tang of spiceand a raw bite.

A second surprise this summer will be Paper Boat Neer More.Straight from the heart of South India, this recipe spells instant relief from parched afternoons of ceaseless cricket.

“Summers are here and this season we are launching new drinks that will strengthen our presence region-wise. As always, we have worked very hard to stay true to our promise of preserving authentic recipes that don’t just taste great, but have the ability to instantly take you back to your childhood,” shared Neeraj Kakkar, Co-Founder and CEO, Hector Beverages Pvt Ltd.

To spread the word about these new drinks, Paper Boat will be airing short films across television and digital platforms.

The summer campaign will also see two films dedicated to Paper Boat’s all-time class-toppers, Aamras and AamPanna. Conceptualized and written by Lowe Lintas, four short stories (one each for Chilli Guava, Neer More, Aamras and Aam Panna) explore memories triggered by the drinks themselves. The campaign was shot over four days at various locations in Mumbai.

Adding much heft to the films is Gulzar’s simple, enduring and evocative poetry – and he lends his voice to its recital too. Paper Boat continues to use the glorious soundtrack from Malgudi Days in a rendition that is guaranteed to mesmerize.

The 20-second films are supported by a marketing plan that has been designed to maximize reach for the new products. This includes airtime across general entertainment channels (GEC), English news,and prominent spots during theIndian Premier League (IPL).

RI Bureau

Hector Beverages has hired communications consultancy firm Maxus to look after its media account for its Paper Boat brand.

On Thursday, the company said that Maxus was given the account after a multi-agency pitch.

Hector Beverages sells packaged beverages in local flavors including Jal Jeera, Aam Panna and Kaanji.

Lately, Hector Beverages signed an agreement with Indo Nissin, which makes the Top Ramen noodles, for distributing its beverages across general trade stores.

The two firms had said the distribution partnership would help increase Hector's coverage in small cities and towns.