Rana Daggubati's tequila brand to launch in India in October
What's the story
The tequila brand Loca Loka, co-founded by music composer Anirudh Ravichander, actor Rana Daggubati, and entrepreneur Sreeharsha Vadlamudi, is set to launch in India this October. The announcement was made by Ravichander in an interview with Fortune India. He said the brand will first debut in Dubai in September before coming to tier-1 cities across India.
Global plans
Vision to create a global brand
The aim of the three co-founders is "to build a global brand by producing original Mexican tequila with complete control over the product." Interestingly, Daggubati and co. chose to keep India out of their plans initially so they could enter with a product that had already found success in mature markets. "It is a global brand first, and then it is coming to India—after 12 months of being consumed in mature tequila-drinking countries," said Daggubati.
Market growth
Brand's growth in the US market
Vadlamudi claimed that the brand has experienced 10x growth in 2024 in the U.S., thanks to support from the Indian diaspora. He said, "Our sales have exceeded expectations... We've also won several awards in the American market—including a gold and a silver at the San Francisco Spirits Awards for both our variants." The brand is now looking to expand into Southeast Asian countries before its India debut.
Market entry
Targeting duty-free stores at airports in India
In India, Loca Loka plans to start by targeting duty-free stores at airports. Per Fortune India, the brand has a deal with GMR Airports, and its two variants, Blanco and Reposado, will be available at Hyderabad and Delhi airports in a few weeks. While the exact pricing hasn't been revealed yet, Vadlamudi hinted that it'll be competitively priced compared to legacy players like Diageo's Don Julio brand, which launched in India earlier this year.
Work
Daggubati's upcoming projects
Meanwhile, on the work front, Daggubati was last seen in Rana Naidu Season 2 alongside Daggubati Venkatesh, Surveen Chawla, and Arjun Rampal. It streams on Netflix. Moreover, he has collaborated with the makers of Baahubali to present actor Ram Pothineni's upcoming Telugu film.