By: Chanda Kumar
Last updated : July 20, 2018 10:22 am
Drunken Monkey grew from 4 smoothie bars in Hyderabad in the first year, to 50 outlets in 12 Indian cities in 2017. Today, the brand is creating a revolution in the smoothie business. We spoke with Samrat Reddy, Founder & Managing Director, Drunken Monkey to learn more about the growth plans of the brand.
What is the growth of milkshake & smoothie bars/ QSR chain in India today? Is it going beyond the bigger cities?
The global smoothie market is projected to reach US$ 17 Billion in
How does Drunken Monkey standout among other competitors in the category through customer service & experience at its outlets?
In India, we do not have direct competition. There are a few smoothie players, but they are restricted to limited regions. For example - there would be a smoothie player located only in Chennai or only in Mumbai. There isn’t anyone who has expanded across India or created a brand across India like us. Hence, in terms of competition, our spread across India, in itself sets us apart. Apart from that it is the variety of the menu. Our menu is very large and has over 170 varieties. We have smoothies for every interest and palette – one can chose a smoothie based on what fruit they want and also what function they want from it: detox, meal replacement etc. Further, we do not directly promote health. Apart from some indulgent and coffee smoothies, all the fresh fruit smoothies and shakes are 100% natural, made from local produce and do not contain any artificial flavors, preservatives or even ice. We simply promote a lifestyle making smoothies appear cooler. Our tagline “Naturally High” encourages people to stay naturally high on life making sure we don’t preach as we believe that people are intelligent to make their own decisions.
Any creative disruptions done by Drunken Monkey to stand out from crowd at retail and grab consumer's attention? New formats/ innovations at retail?
Drunken Monkey has around 170 smoothie options. Every retail Food & Beverage chain has stuck to the proven formula of a limited and focussed menu (e.g. Mc Donald’s, Starbucks, KFC). Here at Drunken Monkey, we want to try something different and spoil the customer for choice. The downsides are confusion on what to order, people take time to understand such a vast menu and logistics is tougher. But we still want to do it because - We are here for the long haul, a customer who comes for the 2nd time and 3rd time is always fascinated with how much he/she can explore. When you have so many options and various cuisines in the food industry, why should the beverage industry fall back? Why not give the customers the freedom to choose from various options? We do exactly that at Drunken Monkey.
How important is it to influence the customer at the point of sale in a category such as smoothies?
The biggest challenge here is to educate the customer, that smoothies are not your routine milk shakes. Smoothies are fruits in liquid form. Fruits are the most primitive and the healthiest form of food that man has been consuming since millions of years. Drunken Monkey sees itself as a crusader for the smoothie revolution. It is important to make every customer understand what we barter, (not sell) . We want to give them something meaningful in exchange for the currency they give us. To put in clear words if someone does not have the knowledge of the value of platinum, you will never be able to convince the person to buy platinum. So it is super important to communicate the product and why the product is good.
Can you tell us about Drunken Monkey's expansion plans?
The brand is planning to launch 150 outlets in India by the end of 2019. The expansion plan is not only relegated to India but also covers overseas. After establishing its dominance in the domestic market by 2021, it aspires to launch over 500 smoothie bars across 5 countries. The growth plan also includes introducing smoothies which have a higher shelf life and can be distributed at the supermarkets in India.