A CONSULTING & MARKETING FIRM - Wine, Spirits & Beer
FERMENTRAS
India is a vast and flourishing opportunity for the international wine and spirits industry,
and while the market for premium wine & spirits is one of the fastest growing in the
world, high taxes and complex legal structures unique to each of the 29 states and 7
union territories makes the process tedious.
This coupled with a highly conservative
drinking culture makes it almost
overwhelming for companies
to reach the target consumer.
Fermentras has a rich
understanding of
the wine & spirits
industry
in India
and
beyond.
We aim to make your
journey to India, effortless and prolific.
We effectively “manufacture, distill and bottle" your India experience, for you.
PRODUCTS
Liquid Sunshine
A specialist marketing and communications company, born out of the love for whisky.
PARTNERS & ASSOCIATES
Vinovie International LLP
Vinovie is a Sales & Marketing company
focussed on building International &
DomesticBrands (Wines/Spirits/Beer).
TEAM
Rukn was the Managing Director for Remy Cointreau responsible for the Indian Subcontinent & Gulf from 2009 to 2015 and was instrumental in setting up a distillery in a Joint Venture to produce India’s most premium Brandy ‘Janus’ with Sula Vineyards. Prior to this, he was the Asst. Vice President at Pernod Ricard India and over the years managed the Wine business, Import Division (BIO) & Export of IMFL brands to the Gulf & African markets. He also setup the successful ‘Nine Hills’ Winery for Pernod Ricard in India. Rukn has previously worked with Nestle, E&J Gallo Winery and the Oberoi Group of Hotels.
Over the years he has launched several wine & spirit brands in India including LXIII Cognac, Jacob’s Creek Australian Wine, Mount Gay Rum, Metaxa Brandy, St. Remy Brandy, Piper Heidsieck Champagne etc. He is currently the Vice President of India’s ‘Wine Society’ and a judge for ‘Sommelier India’.
RUKN LUTHRA
Founder & Managing Director
Set up DiVitas Capital, a boutique investment banking and family office in August 2006. Was a Principal with AF Ferguson & Co. (KPMG affiliate) until KPMG was set up in 1993 when he joined them. Arjun spent two years with KPMG in London and was admitted as a Partner in 1996. He set up KPMG’s Corporate Finance business in Delhi in 1997, then co-founded a high technology services start-up funded by venture capitalists, returned to Investment Banking with ANZ Investment Bank in Mumbai as Head of Mergers & Acquisitions (2002-05).
Arjun has significant experience as an auditor, on due diligences, as a banker and as a deal maker.
ARJUN SAWHNY
Chief Financial Advisor
Served as Director - Manufacturing at Seagrams (India) from 1996 and was appointed to the company's Executive Committee. Was promoted as Vice President – Manufacturing upon the acquisition by Pernod Ricard
Purwez headed Pernod Ricard's Manufacturing Department for over fifteen years, during which they produced some of the most successful brands in their respective categories in the Indian Liquor Industry and grew in size from 4 mm to over 17 mm (9Litre) cases per annum, within a span of eight years. Retired as Executive Vice President - Manufacturing in 2011.
PURWEZ PATEL
Technical Advisor
Deepak is a London based brand practitioner who leverages his 25+ years of global experience in brand strategy, communications, and new business development to grow the global footprint of Fermentras. Before relocating to the UK in 2023, Deepak lived in Tokyo, Japan for six years developing the ‘Mizunara Cask’ & Japanese whisky business for Fermentras
Prior to that he worked at Shell plc, where he managed corporate and marketing communications, global promotions development for Shell's F1 sponsorship of Ferrari (Racetrack to Road) and headed the Shell LPG brand globally. As a truly global citizen, he has also lived and worked in the Sultanate of Oman, Vietnam, India, Japan, and the UK.
His passion to travel, embrace challenges and cultures, coupled with a disciplined work ethic has enabled him to straddle the east and the west with equal ease, enhancing his understanding of the business ethos, cultures, and attitudes to build strong business relationships for Fermentras.
DEEPAK SURI
International Business Advisor
With 30 years industry experience, Ronan has formidable expertise and insight in the global beverage alcohol sector.
Career highlights include 16 years with Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard developing the Jameson and Bushmills Irish Whiskey brands throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific and in key Southern, Central & Eastern European markets, as well as Global Travel Retail. From 2013 to 2016, he launched Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur for Ornua in the U.S., Germany, France and Denmark.
Through his business development consultancy, Next Step International, established in 2007, Ronan provides guidance to and sets up route-to-market for beverage alcohol businesses in Europe and North America. Current clients include Heaven’s Door American Whiskey, Hinch Distillery Irish Whiskey, Luxardo liqueurs from Italy and Shevet Craft Beer from Israel.
Ronan holds a B.A. (hons) in International Marketing & Languages from Dublin City University and is a member of the Institute of Sales Management (London).
Ronan Gillespie
International Business Advisor
Rishab is an evangelist who’s on a quest of changing the way India consumes gourmet condiments. An ESSEC graduate, with a basic understanding of French and Italian, and having spent a decade launching luxury brands across the fine spirits, haute horlogerie, & automotive sectors, he has cracked the code of positioning ‘luxe’ in India.
His forte includes but is not limited to – organising exclusive experiential events, raging club parties, loyalty programmes for HNIs, conducting HNI visits to brand Maisons or product placements with celebrity/influencers in leading lifestyle print and digital media. On the commercial end, he’s successfully created channels of distribution.
A keen eye for detail, he’s executed high-quality merchandising, conducted multiple brand workshops, and managed other 5P’s of marketing.
Rishab Suresh
Brand Ambassador & Marketing Advisor
Dr Jack Mayo has helped several artisanal whisky, and gin distilleries in the UK, Europe and Africa come to fruition from concept through to mature spirit. His in-depth knowledge of the production and operations processes for start-up distilleries and craft scale producers provides his consultancy with a unique slant on lean operations, flexible and adaptable plant design, and novel and interesting spirits production.
His expertise is across malt whisky, grain whisky, rum, vodka and rectified spirits such as gin, absinthe, and akvavit.
He guides plant and equipment sourcing, expert liaisoning with engineers and designers, provides production staff training and aids with staff recruitment and onboarding.
Jack Mayo
Scotch - Consultant Distiller Blender & Projects
