Priyanka Save: A Winemaker who introduced Fruzzanté

When we think of sparkling alcoholic beverages made from fruit, we immediately think of wine. While wine is made from grapes, there are several other beverages like Cider, which is made from apple. The sparkling alcoholic beverage market has developed over the years and now, alcoholic beverages are now being made from fruits other than grapes like Priyanka Save’s Fruzzanté. Talking about fruit beverages, Fruzzanté has emerged as one of the most popular products manufactured by Hill Zill Wines that is located on the outskirts of Mumbai present within the premises of the Hill Zill Resort in Bordi.

Fruzzanté is a unique homegrown 100% sparkling alcoholic fruit beverage that is a result of an effort to save the wastage of Chikoo on her farms. Priyanka discussed this problem with her husband Mr. Nagesh Pai and they came up with the idea of introducing Chikoo wines and hence came this beverage. They even coined the term frizz to make Fruzzanté develop its own image. Priyanka explains,’ Firstly, the fruit is ripened, then put in a machine to extract juice from it. Once it is done, the juice is fermented and carbonated after which it is finally bottled. This process of carbonation adds frizz to the drink making the drink frizzy and the name Fruzzanté’ While Priyanka attributes this product to fate, the people who have tried this drink call it a genius beverage.

Priyanka Save grew up in this small, dreamy town with a beach at the bay and fantastic greenery. After completing her schooling from Bordi, Priyanka went to D.G. Ruparel College in Mumbai and did her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from DY Patil College of Engineering, Pune. She further went on to complete her Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT, USA. Apart from that, she has also done several certificate courses in Wines and Spirits from WSET, London.

Fruzzanté is the first entrepreneurial venture that the couple started, and they care about it like their own child. Priyanka’s father, Mr. Srikant Save, a farmer from Bordi and a hotelier seed-funded the venture. Fruzzanté has grown steadily as a brand, and it is already selling 25,000 bottles a year. The fruit wine is available at all major retail outlets throughout Maharashtra, especially in leading cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and 20 other districts.

The couple started the company with a vision of making sparkling gluten-free alcoholic beverages from all Indian fruits available in the market. The couple wants to make their products available throughout India and create a unique brand identity in the market. They also want to educate people about various alcoholic beverage types, as most people think that wine is the only type of alcoholic beverage made from fruit. So far, the feedback that they have got from their customers proves that the company is on the right track and making headway.

The wine industry is a very competitive place and requires at least a ten-year investment period. With the support of her family, Priyanka has been making constant progress since they started in 2017. One of the earliest challenges the Hill Zill Wines faced was to develop Chikoo wine. As the wine is one of a kind product, it was extremely challenging to create, and there was a long trial and error process involved. She also faced other challenges such as getting excise duty exemption and getting fruit wines categorized among wines. However, with hard work and determination, the couple is clearing every hurdle and making their product Fruzzanté a considerable success.

Fruzzanté is already present in all major locations across Maharashtra, and they are planning to expand their reach to more states by March 2021. They also offer a winery tour of about 35-40 minutes duration, where a wine expert guides the visitors through the entire winemaking process. 

The winery is also planning to introduce customized one to three-day holiday packages where travelers can come and stay at the resort and experience the local sights and life. Fruzzanté is also set to expand its product range, and the company will soon introduce new variants such as Orange. They are targeting new wine markets across West Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, and Goa. By the end of the year, Priyanka and her husband aim to make their product familiar with at least half of India.

This newcomer in the wine industry was a product of saving chikoos from getting wasted. However, this new wine beverage rapidly gained popularity and attracted many wine enthusiasts. This endeavor that Priyanka started is also acting as a motivation for many to brainstorm into finding ways to save the fruits and other resources from getting wasted. Who knows, what’s next? Maybe an apple flavored beer is next in line.

In order to inquire about one of the packages that this winery is offering or just to get in touch with Priyanka, you can connect with her on Linkedin.