Made for millennials: Auric develops men’s energy drink based on Ayurveda concept
This is the latest product for the company who produces Ayurvedic cold beverages targeting a range of health areas including skin, immune, cognitive (calmness), metabolism, and women’s sexual wellness.
These beverages are a blend of coconut water, fruit juice, and Ayurvedic herbs.
Five months ago, it also launched an Ayurveda inspired tea, coffee and hot chocolate hot beverage series.
The latest product to join Auric’s cold beverage Ayurvedic range is targeted for men’s energy, specifically men’s sexual health.
Clean energy drink
Typically, energy drinks in India contain shilajit, a popular natural ingredient touted to enhance testosterone levels, energy and improve immunity.
However, the concern with shilajit is that it not approved as a food ingredient by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Therefore, Auric’s formulation includes botanical including ashwagandha, shedheveli and gokshura.
The beverages are certified by FSSAI, and the firm recommends taking one bottle daily (250mL), on an empty stomach.
The drink is targeted for men in their 20s to 40s.
Purpose driven
Auric was founded by Deepak Agarwal in 2018 to develop food and beverage products that delivered health benefits.
“At my previous career at Unilever, I observed people were using shampoos for the purpose of cleaning or a specific function such as anti-dandruff,” he said.
“On the other hand, consumers were buying foods and beverages primarily for taste, pleasure and refreshment. It’s strange that what goes inside our body is for pleasure but what goes outside our bodies is for purpose,
“So, I was trying to solve this irony by introducing food and beverage products that are going to have purpose and benefit to our bodies.
“Today, globally, Ayurveda is just a $5 billion market. But yoga is $100 billion market and traditional Chinese medicine is a $50 billion market,
“So, I was trying to address this gap and needed to create products that would suit millennials lifestyles since they are going to carry Ayurveda into the future generations.”
For instance, its cold beverage for skin health contains aloe vera and turmeric and Gotu Kola.
Ready to drink
Agarwal said its cold beverage Ayurvedic range is ready-to-drink, which is different from other Ayurvedic products in the market.
“Most of the products that are being made for drinking need to be diluted in water or liquids, or are in the form of teas which need to be brewed.
“I personally believe that today's millennials do not have time, and therefore you need to provide them with convenient solutions.”
In India, there are some Ayurvedic products addressing men’s health especially for those in the 40 to 60 age group, but these are mostly delivered in the form of tablets.
“We wanted to use beverage as a format, because it is easily consumed especially among the younger population.”
Agarwal was quick to add that he does not market the beverages for its health benefits, but rather, the ingredients in the beverages deliver the purposed benefits.
Market presence
Auric’s products are sold on its online store in India, as well as on Amazon India and US.
Agarwal told us the company first tested its beverages on Amazon US last year in a pilot sales test with three Ayurvedic beverages targeting mind, body and skin health. With positive feedback, it plans to introduce more products into US soon.
Sales for the company doubled in FY20 compared to FY19. Over the last three months, sales have grown more than 20% month-on-month.
The company will focus on building its online presence over the next year, “We believe that a lot of awareness and transaction can be done online but when the time is right, we will enter into the retail stores.”
In terms of products, Auric is exploring a sparkling beverage line, powders, as well as supplements.
