Ajay Shetty on Salud Beverages' Growth, Unique Offerings, and Future in the RTD Market
StartupTalky presents Recap'24, a series of exclusive interviews where we connect with founders and industry leaders to reflect on their journey in 2024 and discuss their vision for the future.
The beverages market in India is projected to grow by 3.43% from 2025 to 2029, resulting in a market volume of $4.6bn by 2029. The industry is experiencing a growing demand for premium, innovative, and ready-to-drink (RTD) products that fit modern consumer lifestyles. One company leading the way is Salud Beverages, a brand that has redefined social drinking with its unique range of RTD beverages.
In this edition of Recap'24, we spotlight Mr. Ajay Shetty, Founder, and CEO of Salud Beverages Private Limited. From conceptualising the idea to creating one of India’s most exciting lifestyle brands, Shetty shares valuable insights into the company’s journey, key milestones, and vision for the future of the RTD beverage market.
StartupTalky: Could you briefly share the story behind Salud Beverages and how it evolved from an idea to a leading RTD lifestyle brand in India?
Mr. Shetty: Salud Beverages was founded with the vision of creating a unique ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage that combines convenience, innovation, and lifestyle. Recognizing a gap in India’s beverage market for premium, pre-mixed drinks that cater to evolving consumer preferences, Salud set out to redefine social drinking experiences.
The brand’s journey began with its flagship product, Salud G&T 2.0, a refreshing gin and tonic crafted with high-quality ingredients and a focus on simplicity and flavor. The brand now emphasizes its dynamic range of flavored RTD beverages, including Salud Cranberry, Viking, and Fiesta. Each variant is crafted to deliver a distinct and refreshing experience that caters to diverse palates, reinforcing Salud’s commitment to innovation and quality.
In addition to beverages, Salud is also focused on strengthening its merchandise category. Recognizing the growing consumer desire for lifestyle products that reflect personal style and brand affinity, Salud is creating a curated range of premium merchandise. This includes clothing and accessories designed to embody the brand’s ethos of fun, freedom, and modern living. The merchandise line complements Salud’s core products, fostering a holistic brand experience that resonates with its community of young, trend-conscious consumers.
From its inception, Salud positioned itself as more than just a beverage company—it embraced a lifestyle ethos that resonates with the millennial and Gen Z audience. Its identity blends music, fashion, and culture, fostering a dynamic community around the brand. Collaborating with artists, hosting events, and curating experiences, Salud quickly grew into a lifestyle-driven label with a global outlook.
With a strategic focus on beverage innovation and a growing merchandise line, Salud is creating a holistic brand ecosystem. This approach positions Salud as more than a drinks label—it’s a cultural force at the intersection of premium beverages, contemporary fashion, and modern living.
StartupTalky: What are the key trends and opportunities shaping the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) beverage market in India?
Mr. Shetty: The Indian beverage market is undergoing a dynamic transformation, driven by changing consumer preferences that emphasize convenience, wellness, and premium experiences. Modern consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are no longer looking for just a drink to quench their thirst—they seek products that resonate with their values and enhance their lifestyles. This shift has fueled the growth of the RTD (Ready-to-Drink) segment, which offers the perfect blend of convenience, premium quality, and innovative flavors.
With an increasing preference for mindful indulgence, RTDs have become the drink of choice for social gatherings and casual occasions, offering a balance of exciting flavors and ease of consumption. The rising demand for conscious, low-alcohol, and functional beverages reflects a growing focus on wellness, pushing brands to innovate and expand their portfolios to remain relevant.
In this rapidly evolving market, brands that prioritize premiumization, conscious options, and lifestyle-driven experiences are gaining traction. Today’s consumers seek more than just products—they value experiences that foster community, connection and shared passions. This shift from a product-centric approach to an experience-driven strategy is a defining trend in the industry, with success relying on meaningful engagement, the creation of brand loyalty, and the ability to adapt to future trends.
Vivek Dev Jacob
StartupTalky: How has the Indian consumer's approach to RTD beverages changed in recent years, and how does Salud cater to these shifts?
Mr. Shetty: In recent years, the Indian consumer’s approach to RTD beverages has shifted significantly, reflecting broader changes in lifestyle, preferences, and wellness. Modern consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are increasingly seeking convenience without compromising on quality. They are moving away from traditional, heavy alcoholic drinks in favor of lighter, ready-to-consume options that are both indulgent and mindful. This shift is accompanied by a growing demand for low-alcohol and functional beverages that align with their wellness goals.
Additionally, there is an increasing preference for premium, unique, and flavor-forward experiences in RTDs, as consumers are looking for drinks that offer more than just refreshments but also enhance their social and lifestyle experiences. As a result, RTDs are becoming more popular for casual consumption, house parties, and social gatherings where convenience and quality are paramount.
Salud Beverages has effectively tapped into these evolving consumer preferences by offering a range of premium, innovative RTD products that cater to the changing demands of the modern Indian drinker. The brand's focus on creating high-quality, ready-to-serve beverages with unique flavor profiles positions Salud as a go-to brand for consumers looking for a balance of convenience and indulgence.
Salud’s portfolio, which includes drinks like Salud Cranberry, Fiesta, and Viking, offers a refreshing take on classic beverages. Additionally, Salud’s efforts to build a strong merchandise category and connect with consumers through experiences, such as branded events and collaborations, reflect the growing trend of lifestyle-driven consumption. By staying attuned to the needs of today’s conscious, experience-driven consumers, Salud is continuing to shape the future of the RTD market in India.
StartupTalky: Your production model leverages leased facilities. How has this strategy helped Salud scale operations while maintaining profitability?
Mr. Shetty: Salud operates through a leased production model, enabling the company to scale operations efficiently while maintaining profitability. This approach eliminates the need for significant upfront investments and the time required to build and own a distillery, allowing Salud to focus on product innovation and market expansion. Despite leveraging leased facilities, the company retains full ownership of its products, branding, and operations, ensuring complete control and consistency across all offerings.
StartupTalky: How was 2024 for Salud? What new products were added, and how did they perform?
Mr. Shetty: Last year, Salud focused heavily on expanding both its Ready-to-Drink (RTD) beverage offerings and merchandise category, with a strategic emphasis on strengthening the lifestyle aspect of the brand.
The RTD segment continued to thrive as consumer demand for convenient, high-quality, and innovative beverages grew. Salud maintained its position as a leader in this space with products like Salud Cranberry, Fiesta, and Viking, which offered a mix of premium flavors, quality, and ease of consumption. These RTDs cater to the growing trend of indulgent yet mindful drinking, appealing particularly to the millennial and Gen Z audiences who seek both convenience and wellness in their beverages.
Building on their success in RTD beverages, Salud launched limited-edition collections during the holiday season, specifically designed to appeal to Gen Z and Millennials. These ranges were a significant part of their strategy to diversify and connect with broader audiences. These unique, limited-edition collections generated significant excitement and bolstered Salud's presence in both the RTD beverage and lifestyle categories.
This dual focus on innovative beverages and exclusive merchandise helped Salud not only expand its product offerings but also strengthen its cultural relevance, positioning itself as more than just a beverage brand but as a lifestyle movement.
StartupTalky: Salud has expanded into lifestyle merchandising and NFTs. How do these offerings align with your brand's vision and consumer engagement strategy?
Mr. Shetty: Salud’s expansion into lifestyle merchandising and NFTs is a natural extension of the brand’s vision to not only provide premium beverages but also create a holistic cultural experience that resonates deeply with its community. At the core of Salud's identity is a commitment to blending beverages, fashion, music, and pop culture into a unified lifestyle brand. This approach ensures that consumers are not just purchasing a product but are becoming part of a larger, shared experience that celebrates individuality and modern living.
The lifestyle merchandising initiative—featuring exclusive apparel, accessories, and collaborations—strengthens this brand ethos by offering products that align with the values and passions of Salud’s audience. This shift goes beyond traditional product offerings, creating a deeper connection with the consumer, and allowing them to engage with the brand in different ways, whether through fashion, experiences, or events.
Moreover, Salud's foray into NFTs taps into the growing trend of digital ownership and collectibles, engaging tech-savvy and culturally aware consumers who are increasingly seeking exclusive, digital-first products. NFTs provide an innovative avenue for the brand to offer unique, limited-edition digital assets that resonate with the lifestyle of the modern consumer.
Both initiatives—merchandising and NFTs—are key components of Salud’s broader engagement strategy, designed to build community, foster loyalty, and position the brand as a cultural movement rather than just a beverage company.
StartupTalky: What challenges have you faced in the RTD industry, and how did you overcome them to make Salud successful?
Mr. Shetty: In the RTD (Ready-to-Drink) industry, Salud has faced several challenges, particularly in adapting to the rapidly changing market and understanding diverse consumer preferences.
One of the key hurdles was ensuring that our products aligned with the evolving tastes and expectations of modern consumers. As younger, urban consumers increasingly demand convenience, premium quality, and innovative flavors, Salud needed to stay ahead of these trends while maintaining the authenticity of our brand. We tackled this challenge by investing heavily in research and product innovation, ensuring that our RTD offerings not only met but exceeded consumer expectations for flavor, quality, and convenience.
Another significant challenge was navigating the complex regulatory landscape in India. Each state has its own set of regulations governing production, labeling, and distribution, which made compliance a careful and often time-consuming process. We overcame this challenge by building a strong understanding of the regulations in each market we entered and collaborating closely with local partners to ensure smooth operations.
Moreover, building a reliable distribution network was crucial. The RTD market is highly competitive, and finding trustworthy local distributors who aligned with our values was essential. By focusing on strategic partnerships and continuously adapting to market dynamics, we were able to successfully position Salud as a leading RTD brand in India. Our commitment to offering high-quality, innovative, and convenient products helped us not only overcome these challenges but thrive in the competitive RTD landscape.
StartupTalky: What are your plans to expand into new markets and launch new products to keep growing Salud?
Mr. Shetty: At Salud, we are actively focused on expanding our presence both locally and internationally to fuel our growth. Domestically, our strategy involves strengthening our footprint in key markets such as Pondicherry, Haryana, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Punjab. Internationally, we’re making significant strides through strategic partnerships that allow us to reach global audiences.
A pivotal step in our global expansion is our distribution agreement with Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), a part of the Emirates Group. This 11-country, intercontinental partnership, starting with a successful launch in the United Arab Emirates, paves the way for further international growth. Moving forward, we aim to explore new markets that align with our brand ethos and premium offerings, targeting regions with a strong demand for high-quality spirits and RTD beverages.
Our expansion plans are guided by in-depth market research, localized marketing strategies, and scalable distribution channels to ensure that Salud resonates with diverse consumer bases while maintaining our brand’s core values. We are also actively seeking partnerships and collaborations that enable us to connect with international audiences on a deeper level.
On the product front, our commitment to innovation drives us to continuously develop new flavors and premium offerings that cater to the evolving preferences of our consumers. As part of this vision, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new Salud Shots in Goa. These shots are designed to resonate with our audience, seamlessly aligning with our expansion and product strategies.
By delivering an immersive and premium lifestyle experience, we aim to position Salud for global growth and make a lasting impact on the beverage industry.
Nadeesh Kareemdathil
StartupTalky: As a founder, what advice would you give to entrepreneurs entering the RTD market or similar industries?
Mr. Shetty: As a founder, one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is the importance of perseverance and adaptability. Challenges are inevitable in any venture, but your ability to navigate setbacks and stay resilient will define your success. Stay focused on your vision while remaining open to pivoting when necessary.
Understanding your market and customers is critical—seek feedback, listen to your audience, and consistently improve your product to meet their needs. While passion is essential, it’s equally important to approach business decisions with a level head. Keep emotions in check, maintain a strategic mindset, and view both successes and failures as opportunities to learn and grow.
Entering the RTD market or similar industries requires a balance of creativity, market insight, and a commitment to delivering quality, all while staying agile in the face of change.
