Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri’s Santo Spirits has expanded its international distribution into India. All five Santo expressions, including Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, 110 Proof Blanco and Mezquila will be available in India through HS Oberoi Spirits, with broker services provided by JIN Consulting.
“India is probably the next conversion market for premium spirits,” says Santo president Dan Butkus. “It’s much further along than many other middle class drinking age consumers, and India is expected to grow exponentially over the next 10 years.”
Preparing for the India Expansion
Santo works with a broker who has contact with importers in India, making the expansion process as seamless as possible.
“Prior to contacting any importers, we really had to narrow down the space within India to figure out where we wanted to play,” explains Butkus. “Once we had the area figured out, we found an importer we wanted to use and struck a deal with them.”
Once Santo sealed the deal, there were several registration and compliance factors that needed to be factored in before the expansion could officially begin. About nine months after the idea first struck to enter India’s market, Santo Spirits’ product line can now be purchased in the country.
Continued Expansion for Santo Spirits
Santo isn’t stopping at India. According to Butkus, the brand is currently working on proposals in both China and Finland to get their product line into those markets.
“We expect to ship to Finland within the next 90 days,” says Butkus. “We’re hoping to start shipping to China by Q2 next year.”
With these future expansions and where Santo Spirits can currently be purchased, the spirits brand is making quite the global entry. All products are available nationwide in the United States, including Puerto Rico, as well as Mexico, Canada, Japan and online at https://www.santospirits.com. Santo Spirits is represented by Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits in 44 markets across the U.S.
