Brands
Tata’s ‘Himalayan’ mineral water enters U.S.
MUMBAI: Tata Global Beverages’ natural mineral water brand Himalayan has entered the U.S market.
Alliance with Talking Rain Beverage Company to distribute and market the Himalayan water brand in the U.S Tata Global Beverages’ (TGB) premium natural mineral water brand ‘Himalayan’, will now enter the USA market in a phased manner, through an agreement signed by its subsidiary with Talking Rain Beverage Company, the maker of Sparkling Ice flavored sparkling waters to distribute and market the brand. This makes Himalayan which is backed by the trust and credibility of the Tata brand, one of the first premium Indian FMCG brands to target the broader American audience . This agreement will give Himalayan the benefit of Talking Rain’s extensive go to market and execution capabilities in
the U.S, which synergize well with TGB’s product expertise and marketing capability. The premium end of the water market in the country is growing rapidly and Himalayan is well positioned to leverage the growth in this segment.
Himalayan water is a premium source water, from a pure and pristine underground moving stream aquifer, which is about 400 feet below the surface, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Every drop travels through layers of rock, sand and silt for over 20 years. These layers act as natural filters and during this journey, allow the water to pick up essential minerals from which it acquires its unique composition and taste.
Himalayan is currently available in India and Singapore. The brand recently launched a Sparkling variant in select markets in India and is piloting its flavoured water ‘Orchard Pure’ in the Delhi/NCR region.
TGB managing director and CEO Ajoy Misra said “We’re happy to be partnering with Talking Rain Beverage Company® for a phased launch of Himalayan in the U.S market. The strength of their distribution network and category expertise will help the brand make a strong foray into the U.S market. Himalayan is a key part of our functional waters portfolio. We believe in the product’s potential and are confident it has the attributes to become a global premium brand. The brand has been making steady progress in India and we are expanding its reach and strengthening the product portfolio.”
Talking Rain Beverage Co. president Marcus Smith, “Since 2012, we have worked diligently to create a strong and strategic direct-store-delivery distribution network, comprising more than 300 distributors covering every county in the United States. We are thrilled that the groundwork laid by the company and our distributor and retail partners has allowed the opportunity for a partnership of this kind, and we look forward to playing an instrumental role in the successful U.S. market entry for Himalayan Natural Mineral Water.”
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
