Russian drinks companies prepare for expansion to India

One of Russia's largest mineral water producers, Holding Aqua, has signed an agreement on exports to India, the economy minister of Russia's Stavropol Region, Denis Polyubin, announced on Wednesday.

The contract will mark the first ever shipments of the iconic Russian mineral water brands Yessentuki and Narzan from the springs of the Caucasus Mountains to New Delhi.

The minister specified that under the deal, Holding Aqua will export several products to India, such as Yessentuki 4 and Yessentuki 17 table water, as well as the Godzhi and Narzan mineral drinks, adding that despite sanctions, Russia is continuing to expand its exports.

Holding Aqua is the only legal bottler and distributor of the sparkling drinks made from water from North Caucasus mineral springs. The company has six production facilities with a capacity of 300 million bottles of water per year. All mineral water bottling plants are located in the town of Mineralnye Vody in Stavropol Region.

Currently the products are undergoing certification in New Delhi for future deliveries, the official noted.

The Yessentuki and Narzan water brands are known around the world, and have been exported to 15 countries, including Canada, the US, China and New Zealand, according to the company's CEO Svyatoslav Vilk.

Since the beginning of 2021 over 260 tons of the mineral water has been exported from Stavropol Region to the US, data from Russia's Agriculture Ministry showed.

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