Innovation Morning Fresh

Morning

Fresh

Mitali Tandon, a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, founded Morning Fresh in 2015 when there were no other ‘hangover detox’ drink players in the market.

Made with 100% natural ingredients including vitamins, mulberry extract & silk protein, Morning Fresh is meant to be your LAST drink of the night. Free of gluten, dairy, caffeine and sugar, it offers a healthy solution to replenish a body after a night of revelry by flushing out toxins from the body, protecting the liver and reducing hangovers. Morning Fresh is available in many flavours like cola, lime, strawberry and orange and in easy-to-carry bottles and sachets. Patented for its formulation and process, it is a very successful category-creating product.

A Bangalore girl, Mitali was quick to see a gap in her home market. The TG (aged 25-45, well-travelled, fitness enthusiasts, young professionals) was looking for a natural and effective solution that helped them stay productive and healthy after a night-out. “The idea is that our customers want to be able to have a good time, without compromising their health and responsibilities the next day,” she explains. Morning Fresh was conceptualised on the basis of research by her family’s company Healthline (pioneers in sericulture), which showed that silk protein had inherent properties to boost liver function and health.

The product was test-launched in Bangalore across a handful of liquor shops, specialty grocery stores and online marketplaces and sold out very quickly. Customers started to come in for repeat purchases and a loyalty base was created. A lot of content-led, consumer-first marketing on social media allowed the team to actively engage with the community of users – their insights and feedback are taken on board.

Sampling, sampling, sampling is the marketing mantra – give the potential loyalists a first-hand taste of the product in this new category. Word of mouth has been the preferred route to advertising. Mitali believes that a fellow-friend as Brand Ambassador is more powerful than a Facebook ad.

Mitali shares that it wasn’t easy at the beginning. “We had an unknown product. A lot of liquor-store owners were hesitant to stock our products, until people started walking in and asking for it. Our biggest high is when a random person at a bar recommends Morning Fresh, because it worked really well for him.”

Morning Fresh is now in 500+ retail stores in Goa, Bangalore and Hyderabad – soon launching in DelhiNCR & Mumbai. The pandemic boosted online sales pan-India through major marketplaces (Amazon, Big Basket and Flipkart) and last-mile delivery apps (Swiggy, Dunzo, Blinkit, etc.). Scaling up is customized and adapted to the city’s culture and vibe. Collaborations with event organizers, wedding planners and spirit partners for on-ground integrations help execute campaigns. There is a range of special merchandise such as wedding survival kits, bachelorette kits, custom hip flasks, quirky coasters and witty shot glasses for customers to choose from.

Mitali is expanding Morning Fresh to include a line of functional beverages to further establish the brand as a leading player in the wellness market. On-going research on new concepts will lead to new product launches. These are guided by their already successful formula: 100% natural ingredients, easy-to-drink and effective products that keep you fresh, productive and healthy.

Mitali says, “Hangovers have been around forever. Bad hangovers don’t discriminate, and they get worse with age. As you get older, besides the responsibilities of the morning after, your metabolism gets slower. We want everyone to say ‘I’m really lucky, I have a solution to hangovers.’ We are proud of our product efficacy and are confident that everyone who tries it always comes back.” L