The Good Craft Co.
The Intersection of Craft, Community, and Innovation of Spirits
India has a rich tradition and history of exceptional craft spirits. As the world takes notice of award-winning Indian craft products, local craft community continues to innovate and build the culture of high-quality innovations derived from grassroots.
At The Good Craft Co., we strive to put the “good” Indian craft spirits on the global map. The idea of good is authentic and rooted in best-in-class practices that inspire and wow the enthusiasts, thereby, building appreciation for high-quality spirits of Indian craft origin.
The Good Craft Co. is a breakthrough experience home that brings together Indian craft stories, ideas, and the craft community, thereby, nurturing new innovations under one roof. It is Diageo India’s first global initiative to build a direct-to-consumer experiential ecosystem that anchors its efforts on education, advocacy, empowerment and appreciation of the community of craft spirits and its makers.
Diageo India’s first sensorial Experience Home with a vision to put Indian craft on world stage.
Ethos and Philosophy
At the intersection of history, tradition and progressive innovation lies The Good Craft Co. – a platform built on six pillars of doing good to nurture exceptional Indian craft spirits. Established in 2022, under Diageo India, one of the country's largest alco-beverage players, it aims to foster a thriving ecosystem of start-ups across the Indian spirits industry.
Background and Genesis
In 2017, Diageo India revived its Ponda distillery in Goa, positioning the site as a hub for craft and innovation. Now it houses a 6KLPD distillery with about 25000 casks in maturation. The company also created a spirit dedicated to artisanal Indian craftsmanship and heritage called Godawan Single Malt, while kickstarting initiatives around Diageo Ventures in India – an investment wing for alco-bev startups.
All these initiatives were unified by the vision to put Indian craft spirits on the global map. A vision fostered in 2022, The Good Craft Co. is born from this innovation-first and builder’s philosophy of Diageo India. It brings consumers closer to the foundational blocks of craft spirits – raw materials, processes, communities and makers, unified by the ethos of sustainability. Epitome Reserve, Godawan & Diageo Ventures are some significant propositions from The Good Craft Co. philosophy with many more to follow.
The 6 Pillars of Craft
Embodying the ethos of 'Crafted for Good', the foundation of The Good Craft Co. is built on these core pillars:
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DOING GOOD - Craft is a responsibility that goes beyond sustainability
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UNIQUE SERIES - Craft is small batch and special editions
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TRANSPARENCY - Craft is being open and inclusive
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RAW MATERIALS - Craft is being mindful of the ingredients and materials used
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COMMUNITY - Craft is connecting with people
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PROCESSES - Craft is making it your own way, with skill and creativity
Craft Spirits and Stories
We open the world to spirited storytelling of Indian crafts and craftsmen who have taken it upon themselves to build #CraftforGood in the form of exceptional propositions. Rich stories of sourcing, ingredients, provenance, indigenous craft distillation, maturation and finishing processes are lesser known and at The GoodCraft Co., we aim to take these to the world.
Diageo India has launched a series of craft spirits over the last 3 years. Starting with Epitome Reserve – a limited-batch, collector’s edition that brought two very different expressions out for consumers to experience, followed by Godawan, the artisanal single malt from Rajasthan – the company has created a strong validation of quality, consistency and advocacy for great Indian craft spirits. Godawan has won over 65 awards including the “Best Single Malt in the World” at the London Spirits Competition and the “Whisky Masters at the Spirits Business UK” for Godawan 100.
As a part of their efforts to promote the Indian alco-bev startup ecosystem, Diageo Ventures in India has invested in four brands, NAO Spirits (the makers behind Greater Than and Hāpusa Indian Gin), Maya Pistola Agavepura (the makers of Pistola, an Indian-born agave spirit), zero-alcohol spirit distiller V9 Beverages, and cold-brew coffee liqueur producers Indie Brew and Spirits. The investments give the brands access to lab facilities that aid with innovation, research and development.
Community
The essence and efforts of The Good Craft Co. lie in building of an effective community, specifically in collaboration with the industry leaders and enthusiasts. These are fostered through the experience centres, as well as partnerships with other homegrown players across industries, helping them with a platform that amplifies their voice and a resource pool to build the Indian craft narrative. It brings together the heart and soul of the spirits community to deliver a made-in-India-for-the-world experience.
Case Study
We began working with 30BestBarsIndia when the platform was in its third year, though it lacked widespread recognition. Our primary goal was to ensure that every story and conversation about the top bars featured their 30BestBarsIndia ranking. Over the past three years, the platform has grown to a celebration of the rising standards of Indian bars and beverages – both nationally and internationally.
Approach
Our strategy focused on positioning 30BestBarsIndia as the most prestigious bar ranking platform while building recognition and advocacy for Vikram Achanta as a leading expert in the bar and beverage industry. This was achieved through a communications plan that hinged on the following:
Industry Insights and Thought Leadership:
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Hosted annual knowledge-sharing sessions covering key trends in India's bar landscape—sustainability, bar takeovers, ice programs, glassware innovations, and more.
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Supplemented these with insight notes and expert quotes, positioning Vikram Achanta as an authoritative voice in the industry.
Experiential and On-Ground Engagement:
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Organized bar crawls in key cities, engaging journalists and alco-bev advocates beyond conversations—immersing them in India’s best bar experiences.
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Hosted media at the finale weekend, featuring an exclusive bar crawl in the host city, culminating in the awards night.
Regional Amplification:
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Highlighted city-wise rankings and trends through tailored media outreach, ensuring local relevance and engagement.
Awards-Specific Amplification:
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Created focused communication around the lists (Top 100, Top 50, and Top 30) as well as new categories, driving visibility across trade and lifestyle media.
Experiences
To introduce consumers across the world to the diversity and richness of Indian spirits, The Good Craft Co. is launching a first-of-its-kind, immersive sensorial tangible experience home rooted in craft stories. By engaging with the production process, consumers gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Indian craft spirits and open themselves up to its rich sensorial world. These homes can be found in two locations across India:
The Good Craft Co. Flavour Lab, Bangalore (Opened September 24'):
This experimental lab is an immersion into the art and science behind Indian craft spirits. With four unique zones of engagement, consumers get the ring-side view of the creation process, complete with guided tasting sessions, all focused on Research, Development and Innovation outcomes. This space also acts as a bootcamp for aspiring start ups in the alco-bev space.
The Good Craft Co. Experience Home & Flavour Market, Ponda Distillery, Goa (Opening April 26'):
This centre offers a deep dive into the essence of Indian Craft spirits. Created around the ethos of discovery, the destination promises to expose consumers to the wide array of indigenous stories. It takes one through the visual journey of craft, distillery tour, a micro brewery experience, artisanal processes, collaborations with Indian and Global spirit makers and hyperlocal F&B experiences that bring the power of local communities to life. Unique tasting experiences are set to sensorially delight and inspire the visitors.
The Flavour Lab
Imagine a playroom where you can experiment with flavour and design and witness the birth of a spirit, encapsulating the essence of the ‘Grain to Glass’ philosophy – passionately pursuing the foundation of good craft spirits.
But, what does good craft constitute? Join us as we decode the who, the why, and the how behind making a good craft spirit this September onwards - at India’s first-ever Flavour Lab. Nestled in the middle of a medical college in Whitefield, Bangalore, are the elevator doors to The Good Craft Co.’s first experiential centre; here’s a snippet of what awaits you.
At the intersection of craftsmanship and innovation, The Flavour Lab offers a curated space with four unique engagement zones. From The Academy and The Walkthrough, where consumers can immerse themselves in the highest resolution of craftsmanship and science, to the R&D Centre showcasing the spirits creation process, this experiential space offers a comprehensive exploration of the world of craft.
Zone 1: The Entry Experience
As you enter fully excited and enchanted to unfurl the mysteries of the craft spirit world, take a quiet moment as you savour your first sip of the evening—a welcome drink that prepares your palate for the exciting three hours ahead. Here, you enjoy a cosy space, the calm before the storm, if you will, as you engage with your hosts for the evening. Let your questions and curiosity simmer, to be unleashed next.
Zone 2: The Academy
Here is a zone like no other – where you will truly live and breathe the ‘Grain To Glass philosophy.’ Have you ever wondered what pre-distilled barley smells or feels like? What are the essential ingredients that shape your favourite whisky or rum? What is a copper pot still, and how does whisky emerge into a beautiful golden-brown liquid? The answers to all these questions and more await you at The Academy. Immerse yourself in the story of craft and the intricate complexities of spirit-making, and discover the meticulous processes that form the backbone of the Science and Craft of Distillation. Here, you get to understand the very essence of India’s tryst with craft spirits and watch it come to life. Learn, listen, watch, and play with ingredients that undergo the magic of distillation – this is your journey into the heart of craft.
Zone 3: The Walkthrough
Walking down the corridor from the Academy, you step into a passageway leading to another world – with the most innovative experiments in craft spirit culture taking shape. The ‘Walkthrough’ serves as a window into the soul of craft, as you get to glimpse the innovation centres of The Flavour Lab with several exciting pitstops along the way. Every step of this journey brings you closer to understanding the micro-processes that shape each bottle of spirit – from liquid to label. With a sneak peek into DIAGEO India’s secretive R&D Labs, such as the Separation Lab, the Incubation Lab, and the Molecular Lab, immerse yourself in the behind-the-scenes magic of Indian craftsmanship as you feel, hear, smell, taste, and watch true craft spirits, come to life.
Zone 4: Bar & Fermentary
Now that you are well-versed in the art of spirit making continue your walk down the lab zone and test your palate–with boundless and infinite flavours at The Bar.
Get behind the bar as you author your presence into the living library of flavours. As you delve into the final saga in your evening of connoisseurship, craft your own whisky via calculated blends of micro-quantities of malt and grain distillates. Enjoy an exclusive tasting of never-before-seen or released samples of the rarest of rums, whiskies, and other aged, dark spirits housed in The Flavour Lab’s vault. As you put your expertise to the test, allow our mixologists to present you with three technique-driven cocktails that narrate the excellence of Indian ingredients and the best of homegrown flavours.
Step onto the other side of the wall to The Fermentary - a space that will bring out the alchemist in you as we ferment something new every month. From orange vinegar to lacto-ferments and much more -- a ferment can change a flavour with every drop.