Tata Global Beverages : rsquo; premium natural mineral water brand Himalayan enters the USA market

Tata Global Beverages' (TGB) premium natural mineral water brand 'Himalayan', will now enter the USA market in a phased manner, through an agreement signed by its subsidiary with Talking Rain Beverage Company®, the maker of Sparkling Ice® flavored sparkling waters to distribute and market the brand. This makes Himalayan which is backed by the trust and credibility of the Tata brand, one of the first premium Indian FMCG brands to target the broader American audience. This agreement will give Himalayan the benefit of Talking Rain's extensive go to market and execution capabilities in the U.S, which synergize well with TGB's product expertise and marketing capability. The premium end of the water market in the country is growing rapidly and Himalayan is well positioned to leverage the growth in this segment.

Himalayan water is a premium source water, from a pure and pristine underground moving stream aquifer, which is about 400 feet below the surface, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Every drop travels through layers of rock, sand and silt for over 20 years. These layers act as natural filters and during this journey, allow the water to pick up essential minerals from which it acquires its unique composition and taste.
Himalayan is currently available in India and Singapore. The brand recently launched a Sparkling variant in select markets in India and is piloting its flavoured water 'Orchard Pure' in the Delhi/NCR region.

Ajoy Misra, Managing Director & CEO, TGB said 'We're happy to be partnering with Talking Rain Beverage Company® for a phased launch of Himalayan in the U.S market. The strength of their distribution network and category expertise will help the brand make a strong foray into the U.S market. Himalayan is a key part of our functional waters portfolio. We believe in the product's potential and are confident it has the attributes to become a global premium brand. The brand has been making steady progress in India and we are expanding its reach and strengthening the product portfolio.'

'We are proud to announce a strategic alliance between Talking Rain and Tata Global Beverages,' stated Marcus Smith, President of Talking Rain Beverage Co. 'Since 2012, we have worked diligently to create a strong and strategic direct-store-delivery distribution network, comprising more than 300 distributors covering every county in the United States. We are thrilled that the groundwork laid by the company and our distributor and retail partners has allowed the opportunity for a partnership of this kind, and we look forward to playing an instrumental role in the successful U.S. market entry for Himalayan Natural Mineral Water.'

About Talking Rain® Beverage Company

An iconic brand in the Seattle-area for 30 years, Talking Rain is a Washington-based beverage company situated in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. This innovative company is outselling global brands in flavor-categories across the U.S., while beginning to find success internationally with the brand's bold-flavored, lightly carbonated sparkling water.

A part of the Talking Rain product portfolio for over 20 years, Sparkling Ice beverages were often overlooked, until a major organizational shift in 2010 where the new leadership team refocused the company's efforts on this diamond in the rough. At that time, Talking Rain started to build a strong marketing, sales and manufacturing team to focus efforts on this flavored, zero-calorie carbonated beverage, which was quietly building a strong following in the Northwest since entering the marketplace.

Since 2011, this strategic focus on Sparkling Ice has ignited the brand, resulting in 5900%sales growth from 2010-2015, and surpassing $650 million in retail sales that same year.