The panel discussion on ‘Brand Homes’ featured Geetanjali Chabbra, Head of Craft at Diageo India; Hansel Vaz, Founder of Cazulo Feni; Vaniitha Jaiin, Founder of Revelry Distillery; and Yoginee Budhkar, Co-Founder and Director of Mahuwines Meadery.

The panel was moderated by Heemanshu Ashar, Global Brand Ambassador and Head of Single Cask Programme at John Distilleries.

A ‘Brand Home’ is described as more than just a visitor centre – it is an extension of a brand’s personality and a place where the ‘soul’ of the brand can be physically felt by the consumer. For many brands, it serves as a critical marketing tool to.

• Building trust and authenticity: By showing the craft and process transparently, brands can earn lifetime consumer loyalty.
• Educate the consumer: For emerging categories like mead, or misunderstood products like feni, brand homes provide a space to interact with people and define what the category truly represents.
• Cultural grounding: It allows consumers to connect with their roots and the origins of a brand.

The panellists shared diverse philosophies on using technology within these spaces:

• Technology as enabler: Some brands use technology to transport consumers back in time or manage high volumes of visitors through brand films and presentations.
• The ‘anti-technology’ approach: Hansel Vaz of Cazulo Feni advocates a low-tech, high-human interaction model. His brand home features no branding, no signboards, and no electricity, focusing instead on the “art of hosting” and real-world sensations like sitting in a water body for a tasting – his ‘Floating Feni” experience in Goa.
• Human-centric focus: Across the board, speakers agreed that technology should never overshadow the craft. The goal is to make consumers feel something that digital scrolling cannot replicate.

Brand homes have proven to be significant revenue models. Sula, a pioneer in the space, attributes double-digit percentages of its revenue to its visitor centre in Nashik. Similarly, Cerana Meads (Mahuwines) reported a 15% increase in sales following the launch of its taproom in Nashik.

Some brands have discovered unexpected interest from chemistry and R&D students who visit distilleries for “industrial visits” to study organic chemistry and distillation processes.

The discussion highlighted how ‘Brand Homes’ can elevate a local spirit to the global stage. Cazulo Feni, for instance, has successfully hosted high-profile guests ranging from delegates to the G-20 summit and celebrities like actors Akshay Kumar and Joanna Lumley, effectively granting the indigenous spirit global credibility.

A ‘Brand Home’ is like a theatre for a story that was previously only available as a book. While the book (the product) contains all the information, the theatre (the Brand Home) provides the lighting, the atmosphere, and the live performance that turns a simple narrative into an unforgettable, immersive experience.