PEAKLIFE gets in candid conversation with entrepreneur Varun Jain – Founder of SMOKE Lab, India’s first imported premium vodka.
A THOUGHTFUL AMBIENCE
Headquartered in New Delhi, India, SMOKE Lab is an initiative started by entrepreneur and founder. Varun Jain. Headlining SMOKE Vodka, SMOKE Wear, and SMOKE Water, SMOKE Vodka is indeed the first premium Vodka imported from India.
Entailing an overall production capacity of over 3 lakh liters of ENA per day with a zero-waste facility and zero carbon footprint, this new age vodka range is distilled 5X times using ultra-modern charcoal filtration and unlike potato, Indian rice grain Basmati is used for distillation.
Geared with a mission to transform the global spirits industry, Varun launched the brand in the United States in 2020, and within the first year of operations sold 10,000 cases in the country! The brand’s presence rings in major cities including Dublin, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Long Beach, San Diego and New York, with many more to follow.
PEAKLIFE gets in conversation with the visionary behind SMOKE Labs and discovers its inception, concept, and future plans:
1.) SMOKE Vodka launched in the USA in 2020 – the year of the pandemic. From then to now, how has the journey been like for you?
Smoke Lab launched in the USA in October-2020. While we were establishing ourselves there, COVID-19 happened, on our way to recovery post COVID, the issue of logistics hit us with the shipping industry being badly affected due to the Suez Canal blockage. Even then nothing was able to deter us, in order to fulfill our requirement we moved our consignment via air whenever needed. Post-July, 2021 we have been growing at a phenomenal pace approx. ~121% month over month. Smoke Lab has been consistently moving forward in a planned way to deliver on its mission to become the 1st Global Premium Spirits company from India.
2.) How would you say SMOKE Vodka distinguishes itself from other spirit brands in the market?
Smoke Lab Vodka uses the finest Indian basmati grains for distillation, resulting in an ultra-pure spirit that is completely gluten-free and vegan. The vodka range is distilled five times using ultra-modern charcoal filtration. Our attempt is to produce indigenous Indian flavours and not generic fruit flavours. Apart from Smoke Lab Classic vodka, we have Smoke Lab Aniseed. The Aniseed version is a playful exploration that pays homage to the much-loved Indian herb saunf (fennel), which is a delicate mix of fennel and licorice notes for a creamy and sweet palate.
3.) As someone who is meticulous about sustainability, how important is the notion for you?
Driven by the ethos ‘Live Responsibly,’ conscious consumption is at the core of the brand, encouraging responsible drinking as well as sustainable practices in the manufacturing process. Being a zero carbon footprint brand, our distillation unit in Punjab uses its own renewable sources of energy while ensuring zero water wastage. Our zero discharge manufacturing facility in Rajpura highlights our commitment to sustainability and effective eco-friendly models of production. These practices form the core set of principles around which our vision for SMOKE LAB is organized. SMOKE LAB sources all ingredients from within India and supports the sustainable farming and sourcing of basmati rice, water, spices, and packaging materials. An umbrella organization headquartered in New Delhi, India, that includes Smoke Vodka, and Smoke Wear – a sustainable and environment-friendly fashion label with a line of gender-fluid apparel and Smoke Water – the first of its kind pure Himalayan natural spring water is packaged in reusable aluminum cans.
4.) On the flip side, what are some challenges you’ve been facing in your vision for global expansion?
The biggest challenge we have been facing is the Logistics cost as the shipping freight is moving northwards with every passing month. Shutdowns due to COVID have delayed our plans by almost a year and a half.
5.) Lastly, what are your future plans for SMOKE Lab?
We are currently present in 9 States across the USA with plans to expand to another 11 states during the first half of FY22. During FY22 we have sold more than 10k cases and plan to increase the numbers by 4 times in FY23. Our expansion is on a foray and we plan to launch Smoke lab in various other markets.
