Success Story: Saurabh Munjal Founder of Healthier Beverage Lahori Zeera Producing 20 Lakh Bottles per day; with Turnover Target of 1000 Crore in FY 23

The Story of Lahori Zeera:  In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards healthier beverage options. People are looking for alternatives to sugary sodas and alcoholic drinks, and entrepreneurs like Saurabh Munjal are stepping up to meet the demand. Munjal is one of the owners of Lahori Zeera, a natural refreshment drink that has taken the beverage industry by storm. The brand’s name was inspired by the most regularly used ingredient in their drinks, rock salt. As a result, the name Lahori was coined.

Lahori Zeera is a refreshing drink that is made without any alcoholic content. It is made using homegrown culinary skills and natural ingredients, giving it a unique taste that has won over fans. But the story of Lahori Zeera began long before it became a household name. Saurabh Munjal, together with two of his cousins, Saurabh Bhutna and Nikhil Doda, created Lahori Zeera. Recognizing that there are hardly any big participants in the desi drink category, the Punjab-based firm developed its own brand.

Early Life and Career of Gaurav Munjal

Gaurav Munjal has business in his blood. He was born into a business family in Punjab. His father and brother run a regulated B2B pharma venture. So entrepreneurship abilities came naturally to him as business talks have been a dinner table discussion since his childhood. He did his schooling at St. Stephens School. He pursued a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Punjab University. After graduation, He obtained his MBA from the Management Development Institute of Singapore. Saurabh also completed an Entrepreneurship course in Singapore.

Saurabh began his entrepreneurial career in 2012, while he was still pursuing his MBA degree. He created a trade finance venture which earned a peak revenue of 15 Million Dollars. After operating it for a few years, he returned to India and started a venture in the Hospitality sector. The hospitality venture is named Heritage Haveli, a highway retreat, which is located in Punjab. Saurabh is successfully running these both ventures to date.

The Birth of Lahori Zeera

Saurabh’s cousin Nikhil and his family always used to experiment with the drinks. They used to experiment by adding spice available in the home kitchen in drinks so as to enhance their taste. On one occasion, Saurabh Munjal and his other cousin Saurabh Bhutna tasted the Zeera drink made by Nikhil, and they agreed that it had the potential to be sold commercially. Seeing the vacuum in the natural desi drink segment, they decided to begin their startup in the natural refreshment drink category. Finally, in 2017 Saurabh Munjal along with his cousin Nikhil Doda and Saurabh Bhutna started Archian Foods, the parent company of Lahori Zeera. They started manufacturing desi refreshment drinks under the brand name Lahori Zeera.

Growth Story of Lahori Zeera 

The idea of introducing naturally flavored beverages inspired by the traditional basket of Indian favorites that are more relatable to the public and packed with the goodness of natural ingredients from the Indian kitchen became an instant hit. This desi-flavored drink gave consumers the choice of selecting a beverage that is more suited to the Indian taste. The drink offers distinct alternatives to traditional tea, coffee, and colas. The use of a completely automated process in bottle packaging helped the company to produce more bottles per day to keep pace with increasing demands. The online and tech-enabled business model helped the brand to reach a wider audience in a shorter span of time.

Current Success of Lahori Zeera

The startup now operates a state-of-the-art fully-automated manufacturing facility in Roopnagar, Punjab. The startup is also planning to open manufacturing units in other states to increase its presence in pan India. Currently, Lahori Zeera has become famous in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and UP. It was introduced in eight more states in 2022. As of 2022, the startup sells its products through a large chain of more than 500 distributors. Due to its increasing popularity, the advances go up to 10-12 days in seasonal months.

The Lahori Zeera brand has now also diversified its product range based on customer preferences. It is now sold in Nimbu, Kacha Aam, shikanji, and Imli variants apart from the Zeera. The company now produces around 20 lakh bottles per day. Seeing the potential of the company, Verlinvest invested 15 Million Dollars in the startup in 2022. In FY 2021, the company generated a revenue of Rs 80 crore. It earned a revenue of approx 250 crores in FY 22. It is expected to earn a revenue of around 1000 crores in FY23.