Russia's Kristall Distillery exploring possibility of exporting alcohol to India

MOSCOW. Nov 24 (Interfax) - The Kaluga Kristall Distillery, the main production company of PJSC Kristall Alcohol Group (Kristall AG), is exploring the possibility of supplying its products to the Indian alcohol market.

The company said that this is part of an agreement with India's M/S Blue Billion Group to study the Indian market's potential for Kaluga-based products.

"The study aims to determine the optimal positioning of the distillery's products in one of the world's largest consumer markets, including an analysis of the target audience, price segment, effective promotion channels, and details of entering key Indian states," according to the press release.

Opportunities are expected to be explored for supplying liqueurs and gin to India for the HoReCa segment and ready-to-drink cocktails for retail.

The results of the study will form the basis for developing an export strategy and determining the format for further cooperation between the parties on the Indian market, according to the press release.

The Kaluga Kristall Distillery is among Russia's top 10 producers of strong alcohol. Its products are exported to 61 Russian regions, as well as to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and China.

The distillery boosted output 2.1-fold year-on-year to 619,000 decaliters of liquor in 2024, with sales jumping nearly 2.2-fold year-on-year to 595,000 dal. Vodka production dropped 21.2% year-on-year to 1.67 million dal, and the sales volume fell 19.4% to 1.708 million dal. The distillery is focusing on producing higher-margin liquor.

PJSC Kristall AG conducted an IPO on the Moscow Exchange in February 2024, raising 1.15 billion rubles at 9.5 rubles per share.