Interview with Rajiv Sangoi- Go RIO!...

Silver Ice Beverages (SIB) was formed in 2007 by three young and budding entrepreneurs: Rahul Sangoi, Rajiv Sangoi and Rohan Sangoi. Their primary goal was to develop SIB into a dynamic beverage company by introducing fresh and innovative beverages for the cola and lemonade saturated Indian market. The aim was to create great tasting Indian products having an international feel. Hence along with the taste the focus was also on packaging of the product. The result was “RIO-flavored sparkling drink.”

The business was started with a sum of 15 lakhs where the savings and investment of 3 brothers were utilized. The drink today is only one year old however it has spread across Pune and also beyond Pune. As it is a new business there are lots of opportunities to grow and there is still a lot to gain ahead. The interesting part revealed is that the names given to the flavors are also directly positioned to the mindset of what youth would like to have and prefer to have. There is a passion, wildness and coolness reflecting in drinks with its 3 flavors’, Mango Passion, Wild Berry and Peach- Blue Berry. “We have spent lot of amount in packaging and have made sure that it remains appealing and attracts youths” says Mr. Rajiv. And the packaging done is surely very effective and appealing. No doubt the competition in the market with the other drinks is very high however the positive sign is there is no direct competition in the market. Since all the 3 founders are young, they are able to relate what taste a young boy or a girl of 15 to 30 years would like to prefer. At the same time there is a unique way adopted for marketing the drink. Most of the publicity has been by word of mouth. The company believes in interactive marketing and thus participates in various college fest where the drink gets heavily notice, liked and appreciated. Various events like rock shows, fresher's parties etc. are also sponsored by “RIO” which brings it more closely to the hearts of youth. Such marketing tactics help the brand connect better with the target audience. There is a lot of opportunity left for the young drink to grow and grab the taste buds and pockets of consumers. With the short period of 1 year the growth observed is around 400%, which is tremendous. There will be future efforts to nationalize the drink and capture a share of market.

Thus the efforts made by the three brothers have resulted in RIO successfully creating niche market for itself to stand for it. Wishing all the best to RIO for its growth and congratulating Mr. Rajiv and his brothers for success, we wish more young people come up with innovative ideas and get themselves rolling in the market.