MAM
Vikram Singh Gulia joins Amalgamated Plantations as MD and CEO
MUMBAI: Amalgamated Plantations Private Ltd (APPL), one of the leading Tea selling companies in Eastern India, welcomed Vikram Singh Gulia as MD and CEO to the board of its company.
With more than 33 years of experience in the Indian tea industry, Gulia has served for 32 years at Camellia Plc, UK-owned Goodricke Group Ltd. After a brief stint as the chief operating officer at Assam Company India Ltd, Gulia joined APPL as CEO-designate in September 2019, for a planned eventual assumption of the MD and CEO role from June 2020.
As a successful business leader and trailblazer, Gulia has led several market-leading tea brands to their milestone moments, with his deep understanding of consumer behavior and preferences, as well as his vast experience in marketing and strategy. Following the retirement of Jagjeet Singh Kandal, former MD of Amalgamated Plantations, Gulia will look after the management of day-to-day business of the company and contribute his excellence and decade-long expertise in leading and developing APPL’s future growth.
Gulia said, “Amalgamated Plantations has to sustain and further build the stature it occupied in the industry, in its former avatars of James Finlay, Tata Finlay and then Tata Tea. The renewed focus on quality in terms of our produce, human resource, compliance, sustainability, environment and welfare will be the foundation for Amalgamated Plantations in its pursuit for excellence”
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
