Dive Brief:
- Starbucks plans to sell Himalayan bottled water in its Singapore outlets, marking an expansion of its recent deal with Himalayan’s parent company, India’s Tata Group.
- Starbucks plans to roll out the Himalayan water in other countries across the globe. Market conjecture is that Starbucks plans to bring Himalayan to the U.S. next.
- Regardless of Starbucks’ plans, Himalayan is almost certainly en route to America. Shortly after acquiring Himalayan in 2008, Tata said its long-term plan was to distribute the water in the U.S. through its Eight O’ Clock Coffee subsidiary.
Himalayan bottled water has to be the surest win we’ve seen in quite some time. First off, Tata and Starbucks have clearly thrown some marketing prowess into the brand. The bottles are gorgeous. Second, can you think of a phrase that evokes purity more than “water from the Himalayas”? The challenge, of course, will be moving bottled water from the other side of the globe. That’s not a cheap process—but it’s one that brands like Evian and Fiji have shown can be done.