Meet the entrepreneurs bringing RC Cola’s southern hospitality to Nepal, and learn how they’re leveraging creative and innovative beverage marketing trends.
Who are Ventura / RC Cola Nepal?
Ventura Bottlers is a Nepalese company focusing on carbonated soft drinks (CSD), serving as their country’s official bottler of RC Cola. Led by CEO Kavin Aryal and founder Subash Acharya, the duo decided that the best way to break into the Nepalese market and carve out their niche in the large CSD category was to partner with RC Cola, an internationally known brand.
Kavin and Subash spotted a huge opportunity in the Nepalese market, which had not seen any new brands enter the space since the 1970s. With a limited number of options for consumers, RC Cola’s fresh flavor and branding had the potential to disrupt a largely stagnant market and win over a new generation of consumers. At the moment, RC Cola products are Ventura’s introductory products into the market, but they plan on further expanding their offerings in the future.
Having studied at a university in the southern U.S., Kavin was particularly excited to introduce RC Cola to Nepal. A global entrepreneur with experience marketing and launching American products in other countries, Kavin knew that the company’s proud southern heritage was an important selling point for beverage marketing in Nepal.
The name “Ventura,” which means “good fortune” in Italian, was chosen as the business’ name by Subash. Work on the company began in late 2018, and after deciding to partner with RC Cola, the company was up and running as a bottler within six months.
Accomplishments and Successes
Embracing a creative, innovative approach towards beverage marketing trends that’s tailored to their target audience has proved a huge success for Ventura and RC Cola Nepal. The company sponsored three local events that helped create buzz and foster brand loyalty among Nepalese consumers.
RC Cola Nepal was a leading sponsor of the Everest Premier League, Nepal’s most prominent cricket tournament. But the brand didn’t limit its presence to major sporting events - it also sponsored local youth sporting events, which generated organic interest in the company, and made a positive first impression upon those who were not previously aware of RC Cola Nepal.
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Diversifying its outreach efforts, Ventura sponsored both a music video launch and TikTok challenge. By implementing strategies targeting cultural and sporting events, the brand leveraged the beverage marketing trends of social media memes and user-generated content to its benefit.
Utilizing music videos, TikTok challenges, and sporting events sponsorships, RC Cola Nepal has enjoyed a boost in brand awareness among the public and greater interest in its products. They’ve wisely centered the brand in the spaces that are a natural fit for their audience, and introduced RC Cola in the ways that are most suitable for their unique market.
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Big plans for the future
RC Cola Nepal has major goals for the next few years, both focused on strengthening their brand and giving back to their community. The company plans to expand from their current 80 depots to 150 by the end of 2022, as well as securing 10 percent of Nepal’s CSD market within that time frame.
Along with that growth comes additional job opportunities for the local community . The company already employs 90+ people, both directly and indirectly, and hopes to dramatically grow that number. By increasing direct sales and distribution points RC Cola Nepal expects to continue to expand their business in both production and employment.
Making RC Cola a household name among the some 11 million 16 to 40-year-old consumers in Nepal is also a top priority for RC Cola Nepal. They’re aiming to win 20% of the CSD market within the next five to ten years.
Although RC Cola Nepal’s accomplishments so far are notable, the company is most proud of entering the market with the support of a leading international brand. Partnering with RC Cola has given Ventura valuable data and insights into the market and the opportunity to make a significant entry into the market, within a short period of time. It also enabled their beverage marketing efforts to start off strong, as RC’s American branding gave their Nepalese bottlers a solid starting point for messaging.
Helpful tips for aspiring bottlers
The Ventura team has some solid, real-world advice for other companies considering partnering with RC Cola. Before getting started, it is crucial to do the necessary legwork. You need to speak to people in the industry and develop an in depth business plan that puts you in the best possible starting position.
You need to develop your route to market plan and address some of the biggest challenges when creating your beverage portfolio. Our advisors at RC Cola can help with this and ensure you have a solid foundation for a prosperous future.
We can't wait to see what the future holds for the relationship between RC Cola International and RC Cola Nepal. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a bottler with RC Cola, and how our decades of experience in beverage marketing can help you launch your business, get in touch with us.
