jmd launches h2go club soda

The Rs 250-crore homegrown JMD group of companies which has popular dairy brands like Indana and edible oil brand Priya and Sheetal in its kitty, is diversifying into manufacture and marketing of beverages.

While the launch of packaged soda under brand H2Go is slated next week, the company is readying to enter the Rs 1,000-crore packaged bottled water in the next couple of months.

The group has formed a new company called JMD Beverages Pvt Ltd for its beverages business headed by Sanjay Dhingra. It has recently commissioned a 60-bottles-per-minute bottling plant in Delhi with an investment of Rs 1 crore. The company plans to compete directly with market leader Parle Agros Bisleri by offering its branded packaged water in 1.2 litre PET bottles priced at Rs 10.

For its club soda, the company has commissioned a 30-bottles-per-minute plant in Delhi and plans to introduce 650 ml bottle of H2Go priced at Rs 10. The company plans to launch the product in 1,500-ml packs too.

According to a JMD official, the company expects to get a ISI certification for its packaged bottled water plant soon, However, no certification is needed to manufacture and market soda in the country.