Will Goa’s feni be able to garner a larger share outside the state?

Sambit Datta in Mumbai

At a time when global liquor brands have taken sizeable swigs of the Indian market, Goa’s famed magic potion ‘feni’ is not allowed entry in several states in the country.

But that’s not deterring one of Goa’s major feni manufacturers, Madame Rosa Distillery from diversifying. While feni is out of bounds for most other Indian states — since feni is considered a country liquor it is banned in other states other than Goa which manufactures it — in an endeavour to magnify its presence across the country, the company is all set to make a foray into the liquer segment, initially starting with four flavours mango, anise, chocolate mint and almond. Under the brand name Madame Rosa 1933, the liquer will be launched in all major cities across the country. Targeted at all the segments of the society, the product will be priced between Rs 200 and Rs 500.

According to Madame Rosa Distillery’s managing director Mr Valentino Vaz: “We are fighting an absurd and sad situation wherein feni is exported and sold all around the globe, but most of the states within India do not allow it to be retailed.”

Observers in the food and beverages industry opine that the Goan feni reigns supreme among a number of traditional drinks going by its
popularity.

The Rs 6-crore Madame Rosa Distillery, the largest distillers, bottlers and exporters of feni with popular brands like Big Boss, Godfather, PVV 1922, and Dom Pedro, has launched a matured premium cashew feni in a violin shaped bottle under the brand name “Serenade”.

“Our company has been instrumental in conceptualising the packaging of products and making them popular internationally. The company has made significant inroads in the export market catering to Europe, Middle East and Canada. The company has recently exported more than thousand cases to Dubai and London and supplies feni to most of the popular restaurants worldwide where Goan food is available,” says Mr Cedric Vaz, director, Madame Rosa
Distillery.

Feni connoisseurs have also urged for international registration of feni on the basis of geographical indication under the terms of the Lisbon agreement of the World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation.

Internationally, feni is getting popularised with demand coming mainly from tourists at beach resorts.