London:
Two young Asian entrepreneurs, including an Indian-origin man, have created history of sorts by bagging a deal to sell lip-smacking lassi in the luxury store of Harrods in central London.
The two entrepreneurs are Indian-origin Laurence Nair-Price and Pakistan-origin Hayley Hadfield, who launched their version of lassi in 2007 after graduating from Leeds
University. Hadfield's father came to Britain from Pakistan when he was 14, and Nair-Price's father is from India.
Their lassi brand capitalising on their Asian heritage is already being sold in several stores of retail giant Tesco, while their other business activity of producing art for hotels is also gaining ground in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.
Called 'Schmoo', the lassi produced by Nair-Price and Hadfield goes on sale in Harrods from January. It will sell for one month initially, which they hope will lead to a longer extension. It will be displayed next to the Indian food section.
An 'exclusivity' agreement means it will not be sold in Harrods's main rivals. The product, which uses only four ingredients, will be aimed at first-time buyers and tourists but Nair-Price and Hadfield told the Yorkshire Post they could not put a value on the deal.
They also plan to launch a Tetra Pak version of the drink for export and have already met the Icelandic ambassador to Britain and plan to launch there and in mainland Europe. "Getting into Iceland is quite easy because we didn't need to change the packaging," Nair-Price said.
The drink is made from natural ingredients, including fresh yoghurt, and is based on a traditional Indian recipe. Hadfield and Nair-Price began with a mango flavour and have since added vanilla and strawberry. The drink is selling between 3,000 and 4,000 units a week.