Lisa Srao, Chairman & Managing Director, I Brands Beverages
Lisa Srao is the only woman in the Indian spirits industry to have started a business from scratch. The remarkable success of her company I Brands Beverages within a short span has established her as an astute business woman.
Settling in India after her marriage, Lisa discovered an opportunity in the premium liquor segment in the ‘mass market’ category in India and took an entrepreneurial plunge with an initial capital of less than Rs 10 lakhs. She and her small team invested two years in extensive R&D. They researched the blend, packaging and the price segment carefully and finally launched Granton Whisky in Uttarakhand as a test market.
Today, six years after the Granton launch, I Brands Beverages under Lisa’s leadership has emerged as a fast-growing, award-winning company. It has four products in its portfolio – the flagship semi-premium Granton Whisky, which has been awarded for best packaging; premium Three Royals Whisky, which has been awarded for best packaging; Jamaican flavoured dark rum, Rum 99; and premium brandy Granton XO Brandy which has also received the jury award for best blend in its category.
I Brands is receiving a phenomenal response from all its markets in India and internationally. It currently operates in 15 States in India but is working towards achieving a pan-India presence in the next five years. The company has just begun exporting to South East Asia: Cambodia in the first phase and China, Vietnam & Laos in the second phase.