DevRaj Patel, Founder, Jivati in conversation with Prabhjot Bedi, editor, www.hospemag.me
Prabhjot Bedi: "Creating a beverage company is easy, but being successful in a saturated market will take full-time grinding." why a beverage company?
DevRaj Patel: I agree; starting a company, in general, is a full-time grind. People think I’m crazy to enter into a saturated market as a start-up. However, Jivati is more than a beverage company; it’s a movement. People are spending thousands of dollars on healthcare due to companies creating the same unhealthy sugary and artificial beverages. They aren’t solving a problem; they’re only adding to it.
Jivati’s mission is to create a healthy lifestyle brand that encourages people to live up life. We will provide consumers an ecosystem of holistic products for any occasion. Most importantly, we are bringing value by being innovative with our ingredients. We are 100% plant-based and multi-functional. Our unique formula is different than any beverage currently in the market. This three-tiered approach gives us a competitive advantage.
There’s usually a beverage in hand when people celebrate, relax, traveling, playing sports, or on any occasion. Therefore, a beverage company was the best option to spread Jivati’s vision on a grander scale. So no matter what you’re going through in life, have any of Jivati’s beverages, and we will keep you going by providing healthy products.
PB: What made you feel there was space in a 'saturated market'?
DR: The market is trending towards healthier options at a rapid rate. It’s here to stay, and Gen Z aligns with our brand. They want something new, innovative, healthy, exciting, and pro-environment. Currently, there isn’t a popular beverage company in this niche. I took my time with branding, products, and ingredients to create a degree of separation to capture a market share from every angle. However, my company may be solid as a brand, but the go-to-market strategy is critical. We need to execute well, or the company will never last to see two years. There are many parts to creating a business, but to stand out takes proper planning. I continuously optimize to make sure I’m ahead of the competition.
I decided to create Jivati based on my personal experiences. It means to be alive. We have all gone through hardship, and I wanted people to resonate with Jivati as a positive energy force. The light out of the darkness. I also chose a Hindi Term (from Sanskrit) because my family’s background is from India, and I wanted to create something for my community. People love Indian Culture, and what a great way to celebrate life by sharing a holistic beverage from a brand with Indian roots. Imagine Jivati (alkaline line) in every Yoga studio, a great marketing strategy to get into the fitness industry. It’s just another way for me to penetrate the saturated market. Branding plays a significant part in a company’s success.
PB: You said & I quote, 'I hope to help the next wild dreamer become a world-changing entrepreneur.' 'my vision for Jivati is far beyond a beverage company. I have the next 10+ years already being mapped out on how the company will evolve over time and play an intricate part in society.'
How do you envision this happening? What is it about Jivati that makes this a possible reality?
DR: I’m a visionary entrepreneur, which allows me to think outside the box. Every 3-4 years, we plan to launch a new product line to capture additional market share in the beverage industry. As we become more popular, we will transition into an influential brand. We will encourage people to go after their dreams and hopefully provide a network of resources to achieve them. I know firsthand how difficult it is to create something from just an idea. I’m glad it took me two years to perfect this vision. I want people to hear my story and how I created Jivati. I want to inspire people to be the superhero in their story. There is no wrong path, some roads don’t work out, and we just need to pave a new way to our final destination. Everything is a learning experience, and hopefully, we encourage people never to give up.
PB: For owners, hospitality leaders, what can they expect from Jivati?
DR: I already have plans to work with hotels, restaurants, and bars. I want to provide them a subscription plan to purchase Jivati products on a month-to-month basis. I know storage space in the hospitality industry is limited, and buying in bulk doesn’t help. I came up with a business plan to order Jivati products on a discounted basis, similar to purchasing inventory in size. Still, we will deliver it to the business every month instead of upfront to avoid hospitality businesses from storing it on-premises for months and taking up space.
PB: Any plans, ideas to create signature beverages for brands?
DR: I don’t know. I set up Jivati to be a stand-alone brand, and I would only collaborate with companies with the same vision to improve the beverage industry. I wouldn’t want another company to misrepresent us, nor would I want to support a company whose primary mission is to sell products to make revenue. If I do my job correctly, we will be profitable, but I see us teaming up with companies with the same goals.
PB: Current availability, future plans, any revenue or operations metrics that you can share.
DR: The formulation will start this June 2021. Our products will be available by the end of summer. We will also have an online presence with our e-commerce website for our non-alcoholic beverages. We plan to scale up slowly as we gain more brand awareness. I’m taking a micro-economics approach to ensure that Jivati products are available to the right customers for the highest possible ROI. It’s easy to get your products into stores, which is why people see a saturated market. Our job is to get the products out of the stores through brand awareness. We are controlling where the products will be sold initially, especially as a start-up. Once we go national, more prominent distributors will come in to play to help us scale up. At this time, Jivati would be well-known and more accessible to be purchased anywhere.
