Neeraj Kakkar: CEO & Co-Founder at Paper Boat

Neeraj Kakkar is the CEO and Co-founder of Hector Beverages Pvt. Ltd. which manufactures Paper Boat drinks, Tzinga Energy drinks, and many more interesting works in the pipeline. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Paper Boat. Neeraj Kakkar along with James Nuttall, Suhas Misra, and Neeraj Biyani launched Paper Boat in 2013 which is headquartered in Bengaluru, India. He also served as the former General Manager at the Coca-Cola Company, India.

He currently resides in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. He has a passion for poker. He came from a small town and worked for Coca-Cola India and later established his own venture in Bengaluru.

Neeraj Kakkar - Biography

Neeraj Kakkar - Education
Neeraj Kakkar - Professional Life
Neeraj Kakkar - Hector Beverages
Neeraj Kakkar - Paper Boat

Neeraj Kakkar - Education

Neeraj Kakkar is born & brought up in Haryana. Neeraj pursued Post Graduate Program in Management (PGDM) from Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon (1996-1998). He later did a general management course, Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Wharton School (2008-2010).

Neeraj Kakkar - Professional Life

Neeraj worked as a Summer intern at Mckinsey and Helion Ventures. He also worked with Union Carbide and later joined Wipro as well.

Neeraj worked for the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. from October 2001 to July 2008. He was the General Manager, employed to examine area operations and various other roles for six long years.

After fleeing to Wharton for his second MBA in 2008, he established his own venture, Hector Beverages and its portal Paper Boat in 2013.

• Neeraj is a Palmer Scholar, which is one of the Highest Academic Honor
• He is designated as the Co-President of Wharton General Management Club
• He holds a respective position as a Co-Chair in Wharton Leadership Lectures Committee

Neeraj Kakkar - Hector Beverages

Currently, Hector Beverages has two manufacturing plants: one in Mysuru, another in Manesar, Gurgaon. The company produces up to ten million pouches per month.

The first-ever production plant of the company was established in Manesar in 2010. However, Paper Boat's popularity raised intensive demand for fruit drinks in Manesar. While the plant at Manesar did not keep up with the fortunate production. The location did not have adequate facilities for manufacturing coconut water, sugarcane juice, and drinks that the company was looking to launch.

Thus, they found a satisfactory location to launch drinks as per their requirements. They constructed a larger setup in Mysuru, Karnataka in 2014. Mysuru plant recorded a production capacity of 380 bottles per minute while the Manesar plant recorded only 80 bottles per minute.

Asa Griggs Candler | Founder | Coca-Cola | Atlanta Mayor and Builder |

Asa Griggs Candler was the Founder of Coca-Cola. He bought the Coca-Cola recipefrom chemist John Stith Pemberton worth $1,750 in the year 1888. Candlerestablished The Coca-Cola company in 1892 and developed it as a major company.Moreover, he was elected as the 41st Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He s…

StartupTalkyMegha Rani

Neeraj Kakkar - Paper Boat

Paper Boat was launched by its parent company Hector Beverages in August 2013. Paper Boat manufactures a range of traditional, indigenous drinks such as Aam Panna, Jaljeera, and Aam Ras. The laid-back office of Paper Boat named Finchley Castle is located in Bengaluru, India.

The company retains the traditional recipes with innovation to emanate inherited Indian drinks to an urban market reach. Artificial coloring or preservatives are highly avoided to make their products reliable.

How Neeraj Kakkar Started Paper Boat?

The idea of manufacturing traditional Indian drinks propounded through the collective intellect of the four original founders of Hector Beverages.

The company was founded by Neeraj Kakkar, Neeraj Biyani, Suhas Misra, and James Nuttall. Three among these four were colleagues at Coca-Cola, India. While, James Nutall was an American student, who studied with Kakkar at Wharton School and came to India to collaborate his efforts in the drinks business.

The company launched its first energy drink, Tzinga, in 2011. Later, Misra and Nutall left the company, they sold their shares to the remaining co-founders, Biyani and Kakkar.

After one and a half years, Kakkar proposed the idea of launching Aam Panna and the story of traditional drinks continued thereafter. Kakkar raised several efforts to bring a variety of Indian flavors and the rest is history.

Paper Boat Products

The products of the Paper Boat range through a variety of traditional drinks obtained from fruits. Some of them include Aam Ras, Alphonso Aam, Jamun Kala Khatta, Chilli Guava, Nimbu Pani, Kokum, Kanji, Sugarcane juice, Lychee Ras, Apple and Orange, Coconut Water, Panakam, etc.

The company also manufactures drinks made via milk like Butter Milk, Thandai, Badam Milk, Neer Milk, Neer More, Sherbet-e-Khas etc.

The company diversified its products by producing Indian snacks as well. Some of them include, Chikki, Banana Chips, Aam Papad, Bakarwadi, Namak Para, Gur Para, Shakar Para, Jaljeera, etc.

Paper Boat exclusively exports its products across the US, UK, France, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, UAE, and Malaysia. The company spent a significant amount of money on advertising and marketing. Paper Boat has consecutively launched several traditional Indian flavored drinks overseas. It has diversified into producing snacks as well.

Nestlé | Largest food and beverage company | Company Profile |

Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified informationon different startups and organizations. The content in this post has beenapproved by the organization it is based on. Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company, in terms of revenue.It is a Swiss Compa…

StartupTalkySarika Anand

Conclusion

Neeraj Kakkar introduced Paper Boats to the world which most often symbolize life. Like life, the paper boat won't float forever, the paper boat is fragile but it brings hope and innocence.

Paper Boat believes in providing their consumers a good time with their drinks with native tastes and experiences. The company's inspiration lies in emulating these tastes and experiences standing tall on a benchmark of hygiene and safety. The company aims to get the good moments out for you while avoiding the unpleasant bits.

FAQs

Who is Neeraj Kakkar?

Neeraj Kakkar is the co-founder and CEO of Paper Boat & Hector Beverages.

Is Paper Boat an Indian company?

Paper Boat is a brand of traditional Indian beverages and foods produced and marketed by Hector Beverages, which is headquartered in Bengaluru, India. Paper Boat was launched by Hector Beverages in August 2013.

Who is the owner of Paper Boat?

Paper Boat is a brand of traditional Indian beverages and food products owned by Hector Beverages. Hector Beverages was founded by Neeraj Kakkar, James Nuttall, Neeraj Biyani, and Suhas Misra.

Is Paper Boat juice healthy?

While Paper Boat sells non-carbonated drinks, the products are still high in sugar and aren't considered healthier than other beverages such as fruit juice.

Who is the CEO of Paper Boat?

Neeraj Kakkar is the CEO of Paper Boat.

What is the valuation of Paper Boat?

Paper Boat's valuation in 2019 was estimated to be $130Million.