Diageo India invests ₹45 crore for craft and innovation hub in Goa

The hub, spread over four acres, will have end-to-end capabilities addressing requirements like distillation capabilities for malt, gin and rum; maturation infrastructure and blending capability for spirits; an automated bottling and packaging line for craft spirits and a modern warehouse for incoming and finished products. In addition, it will have a consumer experience centre.

The hub was inaugurated by Subhash Shirodkar, minister, water resource development, co-operation and provedoria, government of Goa.

 It will serve as an incubator for select start-ups, providing them with infrastructure to build their offerings.

When fully operational with a capacity of 20,000 cases a month, the hub will employ 250 people locally. This, it said, will have a long-term focus on driving ‘grain-to-glass’ sustainability, nurturing the craft spirits ecosystem in India as well as continued commitment to the state of Goa.It will have over 40% operations powered by in-house renewable electricity generated by the solar plant and steam turbine.

Over the last two years, the distillery has made a significant improvement of over 45% in water use efficiency through various water conservation, process improvement and utility efficiency processes, it said.

“Goa is a hotbed for craft (liquor), demand for which is growing rapidly both in India and globally, among consumers who are keen to further discover and enjoy fine spirits,”  Hina Nagarajan, MD & CEO, Diageo India said, India’s alcoholic beverages market is estimated to be $52.5 billion dollars, according to the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% till 2023.

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