Bollygood is a line of Indian-inspired sparkling lemonade and limeade beverages that are packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans. Bollygood is Women Owned certified and Non-GMO Project verified.

The line features four SKUs, including three sparkling lemonade varieties (Lemon Mango Turmeric, Lemon Pomegranate Cardamom and Lemon Ginger Mint) and one lime juice, all of which are sweetened with a blend of organic cane sugar and stevia. The drinks contain 11% juice, which is either a lemon or lime base, plus other juices added for flavoring and coloring. There’s also a finishing touch of Himalayan pink sea salt.

The end result is that the drinks have 50 calories per can and 7 grams of added sugars, which positions itnicely alongside other mid-calorie sparkling beverages.

However, a mid-calorie approach only works well if the drink can deliver the same flavor as its full calorie counterparts. Fortunately for Bollygood, that's exactly what they've done. All four varieties are big on lemon or lime flavor and are complemented nicely by the added Indian-inspired ingredients likecardamom, turmeric, ginger and cumin. They also provide some nice zing and give the brand a memorable point of differentiation.

They deserve compliments for doing a really nice job of keeping the stevia flavor at bay; the touch of salt at the finish helps round things out, too.  The products are sweet and full of flavor, requiring no compromise in taste to achieve the desired mid-calorie profile. 

We very much enjoyed all four flavors, but we think Lemon Ginger Mint and Lime Basil Cumin have the biggest potential. These flavors are a bit less complex than the other two and, therefore, we think will feel like approachable SKUs for those who are new to the brand. 

Design is another area where Bollygood’s approach stands out.  This starts with the bright red background on the can, which is definitely not a typical choice for an entrepreneurial beverage to use as its primary color. 

From there, Bollywood has a busy front panel that has a top-to-bottom hierarchy. At the top is a large Bollygood logo in gold with a black outline and shadow that definitely catches the eye. After this, you’ll find fruit images, the text “sparkling lemonade” or “sparkling limeade,” the flavor name (on an accent color that goes with each flavor), and finally at the bottom are some Elephant images that help tie back to the Indian-inspiration.  The look is something that should definitely stand out, be it in the juice or sparkling beverage set. 

Overall, Bollywood is a fun and enjoyable product line that offers consumers a well-executed and calorie conscious riff on one of the stalwarts of the beverage category, lemonade. Plus, it feels like a somewhat innovative approach to get a foot in the door in the mid-calorie CSD set.