Soft Drinks in Kochi

Key findings

Kochi’s consumers drink a lot of tea on an everyday basis

Consumers in Kochi drink tea on an everyday basis. Adults from the age of 18 years and above will start their morning with a cup of tea, which is generally made with milk and a lot of sugar. Tea is almost always consumed with chips. In the morning, tea is generally made at home, however there are small unorganised retailers open since early in the morning, from 05.00hrs onwards.

Powdered and liquid concentrates are very popular

The temperature of the city varies between 25°C to 32°C, which makes it a warm city. The humidity of the city is above 70% across the year. This leads to severe dehydration for consumers in the city, resulting in them drinking a lot of concentrates with water throughout the day in order to keep themselves hydrated.

Dairy-based beverages are popular amongst all age groups in the city

Dairy-based drinks are popular in the city, especially milk and ice cream shakes. These are generally made fresh at milk shake parlours, which are present across the city. The price of a drink varies between Rs25 and Rs40, depending on the restaurant. Furthermore, since the city has a strong population of Keralites who were in the Gulf for years and then returned, the preference for milk shakes is influenced by that as well.

Coconut water and lassi – both packaged and fresh – are popular in the city

Kochi is a coastal city, hence coconut water is readily available across the city. Fresh tender coconut is available at hawkers, where consumers can get it cut and consume it there and then. Similarly, butter milk and lassi are extremely popular in the city, due to its cooling properties and ease of digestion.