Mr. Samrat Reddy is the Founder and Managing Director of the Drunken Monkey- the only Indian smoothie bar chain with a pan Indian presence.Started in February 2016, Drunken Monkey was initially a single smoothie bar in Hyderabad. Today the company boasts of 120+ outlets across the country and is still growing! Samrat Reddy can be best described as someone who is continuously looking for novelty, speed, and competition. After acquiring an Engineering Degree from Chennai, he worked in Australia for a while before moving to Scotland for MBA from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. It was in Scotland that he actually thought of setting up a smoothie business. He was highly inspired by Starbucks and wanted to make smoothies a cult drink, similar to what Starbucks did to coffee!
After everything that’s happened with the pandemic, this new year is a year where all of us would agree that health and wellness is the most important wealth one can possess. Drunken monkey aims to be a torchbearer for the same and promote our vision of a naturally high lifestyle. This year we expect to gain momentum to what we call a smoothie revolution. We expect that through our efforts smoothies become a part of every Indian’s lifestyle and daily diet.
Following the pandemic, consumer preferences shifted dramatically in favor of healthy, organic foods. Many businesses opened in late 2020 and early 2021 with a focus on healthy, farm-to-table food. However, with the global success of COVID-19, this tendency is likely to become a way of life for many in the future years.
Market-trend-based strategies for the food and beverages market will include shifting to natural ingredients, introducing functional beverages, collaborating with e-commerce platforms to increase sales. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, are in higher demand as consumers recognize the need of leading cleaner and healthier lifestyles. The food and beverage market will welcome more products featuring these components in 2022. COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst to boost the demand for healthy products. The aim is to expand to not just in the metros but to tier ii and iii cities too.
Given the expanding coronavirus frequency in the country, various health and immune-boosting aspects of an organic, nutritious diet are becoming increasingly popular. As a result, growth in ‘health-based’ restaurants and brands pushing healthy lifestyle products is projected in the market.
An increase in preventive eating habits and an overall rise in health consciousness have been creating new growth opportunities in the juice and smoothie bar industry, evidenced by the fact that the industry’s size continues to grow. Revenue in the Juices and Smoothie segment amounts to US$1,850m in 2021. The market is expected to grow annually by 3.57% (CAGR 2021-2026) and that’s thanks in part to how millennials have embraced smoothies as a lifestyle. The juice and smoothie bar industry size will undoubtedly continue to grow over the next several years. Smoothie bars, realizing the business potential are sneaking into small sites that other caterers cannot reach. Packaging healthy punch to boot, many brands are coming up to serve the health freaks.
Compared to 5 years ago, today the number of people putting wellness at the forefront of their minds has risen meteorically. From marathons and cross-fit training to extreme fitness, meditation, and yoga to green beauty products, health, and wellness trends are more mainstream than ever. Health is no longer about going to the gym or following a particular diet, it is a lifestyle.
Drunken Monkey has grown from strength to strength, expanding the business to achieve its goal to make Drunken Monkey synonymous with smoothies and smoothies synonymous with Drunken Monkey, thus bringing about a “Smoothie Revolution”. Effective utilization of the “first-mover advantage” ensued the brand to be a pioneer in the natural smoothie segment
Thus, smoothie chains are a great way to add additional profit for any restaurateur. They don’t take a lot of space or equipment, and one can cater to their customer’s nutritional needs and whims in just moments. As more and more commercial players move into the business, competition is emulating the differentiation that has been so successful in the coffee market.