<p>If one were to walk down memory lane, and spend a few moments reveling in the tingle of the myriad traditional beverages that every region of India has on offer, one would be treated to a kaleidoscope of flavours and time-honoured recipes.<br /><br /></p>.<p>While several tastes might be getting lost, Hector Beverages has set a mission for itself — to find, collect and share the traditional juicy treats of India. The company’s Paper Boat packaged drink concept has added a new dimension to the way traditional beverages — such as Aam Panna, Aamras, Neer More and Jaljeera — are savoured, turning the whole experience fun and new-age, yet as nostalgic as ever.<br /><br />“The biggest challenge that we face is to compete with nostalgia...,” Hector Beverages Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Neeraj Kakkar tells Deccan Herald, stating that the company’s objective through Paper Boat is to ensure that the beverages’ essence be preserved for the future generations to enjoy. <br /><br />India’s varied climate calls for some of the best ‘hand-crafted’ drinks to be made and had. While most Indian households brew their beverage adhering to a hereditary charm, a visit to the Paper Boat factory in Mysuru lends a glimpse into the mixology between tradition and technology.<br /><br />Process perfect<br /><br />Spread over 4.8 acres, the facility eloquently weaves together a step-by-step process which is designed to maximise efficiency and quality, while retaining authenticity and originality in taste. <br /><br />After getting into sterilised lab coats, we are led to the first ‘noticeable’ process, which gives Paper Boat its uniqueness. Kakkar says that one of the earliest elements that’s bound to capture customers’ fancy is the product packaging. <br /><br />The first operation is assembling the pouches for the drinks. “We get the spout and cap separately, which are fixed together as part of this process. The pouch is stitched together by an all-woman staff, on a 12-hour fixed shift,” Kakkar says. The pouch-making process, which is one of the few processes involving direct human intervention at the facility, achieves a whopping 800 pouches per person per hour, and is fascinating. <br /><br />Next, leading us through the corridor lining the many rooms where machines are busy juice-making, Kakkar takes a moment to reminisce the story of Paper Boat. “When we started the company as an outcome of a friend’s idea, we intended to develop something less-expensive, environmentally less-damaging, and a different product that people wanted to just pick off the shelf,” he says.<br /><br />It must be noted that Hector Beverages began its journey by foraying into the energy drinks category, with the launch of Tzinga, which today occupies only 1-2% of its business. <br /><br />The company has so far raised Rs 230 crore from Sequoia Capital and N R Narayana Murthy-led Catamaran Ventures.<br /><br />“We wanted to develop a functional beverages company, one that offered thirst-quenchers. We did begin with energy drinks, but when the Paper Boat idea came about, we realised that drinks like aam panna and solkadhi are timeless, and are the true functional beverages of India,” Kakkar adds.<br /><br />Second stop, the syrup section, where the drink is actually put together. We can see huge 4,000-litre cauldrons receiving sugar, which is brought from the pump to the container, and mixed with water. The raw syrup recipe is heated at 85°C, and then cooled to 35-40°C. Carbon-based chemicals are added to remove impurities in the form of suspended solids and powdery substances, and then the syrup goes through the filter press. Later, clear syrup is stored in a simple syrup tank, from where it heads to the required blending tank as per the required drink, where the right flavour is added with the syrup to form the drink. We observe a tank blending the Chilli Guava drink together.<br />The CIP (Cleaning in Place) room comes next, where the tanks are cleaned on a daily basis, according to an automated process that takes an hour for each tank.<br /><br />Next on the factory floor is the critical pasteurisation area for heat treatment. The beverage is typically heated at 90-99°C, meant to improve its shelf life, by reducing the complete microbial load within. From here, the beverage heads to the filling area, where it is pumped from buffer tanks into pouches by pneumatically air-pressed pistons. “This process ensures that any microbial entrance into the beverage is stopped, and the whole checklist is conducted as a pharma industry exercise, rather than that in the F&B industry,” Kakkar informs.<br /><br />Within four hours, the product reaches the filling area from the syrup section. It is a marvel to see how modern industrial best practices are working at nurturing and preserving some of the best kept secrets of India’s palate, and reviving those ‘good old days’. In the final process, an air dryer removes water out of the pouches, from where they move into the PPT (Post Pasteurisation Tunnel), passing through hot water of 65°C for 5-6 minutes. Then, they pass through a cooling tunnel with ambient temperature at 25-30°C. Lastly, the final ‘perfect’ pouches are collected and packaged into boxes for dispatch to retailers, or to the warehouse for storage.<br /><br />Tastes of yore<br /><br />We are taken to a sampling room, where we get to taste all the beverages that Paper Boat has to offer, and even a few upcoming ones. “Every 15 minutes, sampling of material takes place, before going through physio-chemical and microbial testing,” Kakkar says.<br /><br />Even as the process seems sci-fi, the flavours that flow out are delicately memorable. “Each recipe takes around one-and-half years to be put into production… Turning unbranded tastes into branded products takes years of trust,” he adds.<br /><br />One of the biggest areas that the company wants to strive at is sourcing, with majority of the needed fruits not being commercially grown in India. Also, finding interesting beverage ideas along with their right recipes is something that the company has achieved. <br /><br />Meanwhile, the Mysuru facility, with its busy 260 staff, is testimony to the way India’s retail market is blossoming, with opportunities for anyone with unique ideas. Paper Boat’s endeavour is to give Indian customers a taste of Indianness, and though in a small way, it seems to have steered the Hector Beverages ship in the right direction.<br /><br /><em>We did begin with energy drinks, but when the Paper Boat idea came about, we realised that drinks like aam panna and solkadhi are timeless, and are the true functional beverages of India.</em><br />Neeraj Kakkar<br />Hector Beverages Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer <br /></p>
<p>If one were to walk down memory lane, and spend a few moments reveling in the tingle of the myriad traditional beverages that every region of India has on offer, one would be treated to a kaleidoscope of flavours and time-honoured recipes.<br /><br /></p>.<p>While several tastes might be getting lost, Hector Beverages has set a mission for itself — to find, collect and share the traditional juicy treats of India. The company’s Paper Boat packaged drink concept has added a new dimension to the way traditional beverages — such as Aam Panna, Aamras, Neer More and Jaljeera — are savoured, turning the whole experience fun and new-age, yet as nostalgic as ever.<br /><br />“The biggest challenge that we face is to compete with nostalgia...,” Hector Beverages Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Neeraj Kakkar tells Deccan Herald, stating that the company’s objective through Paper Boat is to ensure that the beverages’ essence be preserved for the future generations to enjoy. <br /><br />India’s varied climate calls for some of the best ‘hand-crafted’ drinks to be made and had. While most Indian households brew their beverage adhering to a hereditary charm, a visit to the Paper Boat factory in Mysuru lends a glimpse into the mixology between tradition and technology.<br /><br />Process perfect<br /><br />Spread over 4.8 acres, the facility eloquently weaves together a step-by-step process which is designed to maximise efficiency and quality, while retaining authenticity and originality in taste. <br /><br />After getting into sterilised lab coats, we are led to the first ‘noticeable’ process, which gives Paper Boat its uniqueness. Kakkar says that one of the earliest elements that’s bound to capture customers’ fancy is the product packaging. <br /><br />The first operation is assembling the pouches for the drinks. “We get the spout and cap separately, which are fixed together as part of this process. The pouch is stitched together by an all-woman staff, on a 12-hour fixed shift,” Kakkar says. The pouch-making process, which is one of the few processes involving direct human intervention at the facility, achieves a whopping 800 pouches per person per hour, and is fascinating. <br /><br />Next, leading us through the corridor lining the many rooms where machines are busy juice-making, Kakkar takes a moment to reminisce the story of Paper Boat. “When we started the company as an outcome of a friend’s idea, we intended to develop something less-expensive, environmentally less-damaging, and a different product that people wanted to just pick off the shelf,” he says.<br /><br />It must be noted that Hector Beverages began its journey by foraying into the energy drinks category, with the launch of Tzinga, which today occupies only 1-2% of its business. <br /><br />The company has so far raised Rs 230 crore from Sequoia Capital and N R Narayana Murthy-led Catamaran Ventures.<br /><br />“We wanted to develop a functional beverages company, one that offered thirst-quenchers. We did begin with energy drinks, but when the Paper Boat idea came about, we realised that drinks like aam panna and solkadhi are timeless, and are the true functional beverages of India,” Kakkar adds.<br /><br />Second stop, the syrup section, where the drink is actually put together. We can see huge 4,000-litre cauldrons receiving sugar, which is brought from the pump to the container, and mixed with water. The raw syrup recipe is heated at 85°C, and then cooled to 35-40°C. Carbon-based chemicals are added to remove impurities in the form of suspended solids and powdery substances, and then the syrup goes through the filter press. Later, clear syrup is stored in a simple syrup tank, from where it heads to the required blending tank as per the required drink, where the right flavour is added with the syrup to form the drink. We observe a tank blending the Chilli Guava drink together.<br />The CIP (Cleaning in Place) room comes next, where the tanks are cleaned on a daily basis, according to an automated process that takes an hour for each tank.<br /><br />Next on the factory floor is the critical pasteurisation area for heat treatment. The beverage is typically heated at 90-99°C, meant to improve its shelf life, by reducing the complete microbial load within. From here, the beverage heads to the filling area, where it is pumped from buffer tanks into pouches by pneumatically air-pressed pistons. “This process ensures that any microbial entrance into the beverage is stopped, and the whole checklist is conducted as a pharma industry exercise, rather than that in the F&B industry,” Kakkar informs.<br /><br />Within four hours, the product reaches the filling area from the syrup section. It is a marvel to see how modern industrial best practices are working at nurturing and preserving some of the best kept secrets of India’s palate, and reviving those ‘good old days’. In the final process, an air dryer removes water out of the pouches, from where they move into the PPT (Post Pasteurisation Tunnel), passing through hot water of 65°C for 5-6 minutes. Then, they pass through a cooling tunnel with ambient temperature at 25-30°C. Lastly, the final ‘perfect’ pouches are collected and packaged into boxes for dispatch to retailers, or to the warehouse for storage.<br /><br />Tastes of yore<br /><br />We are taken to a sampling room, where we get to taste all the beverages that Paper Boat has to offer, and even a few upcoming ones. “Every 15 minutes, sampling of material takes place, before going through physio-chemical and microbial testing,” Kakkar says.<br /><br />Even as the process seems sci-fi, the flavours that flow out are delicately memorable. “Each recipe takes around one-and-half years to be put into production… Turning unbranded tastes into branded products takes years of trust,” he adds.<br /><br />One of the biggest areas that the company wants to strive at is sourcing, with majority of the needed fruits not being commercially grown in India. Also, finding interesting beverage ideas along with their right recipes is something that the company has achieved. <br /><br />Meanwhile, the Mysuru facility, with its busy 260 staff, is testimony to the way India’s retail market is blossoming, with opportunities for anyone with unique ideas. Paper Boat’s endeavour is to give Indian customers a taste of Indianness, and though in a small way, it seems to have steered the Hector Beverages ship in the right direction.<br /><br /><em>We did begin with energy drinks, but when the Paper Boat idea came about, we realised that drinks like aam panna and solkadhi are timeless, and are the true functional beverages of India.</em><br />Neeraj Kakkar<br />Hector Beverages Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer <br /></p>
