Eastern Condiments eyes global retail majors

Eastern Condiments, a Kochi-based curry powder manufacturing company, is all set to provide food products to major retail chain marketing companies in the world.

According to M E Meeran, chairman, Eastern Group, the company has already tied up with retail chain Trinetra Super Market for supply of curry powders.

"We are also in talks with a number of global retail majors, including Wal-Mart. A number of other companies have approached us to outsource our products," he said.

Addressing a press conference here today, he added that the coming up of supermarket chains and retail shops was a boon to manufacturing companies like Eastern.

The advent of margin-free markets in Kerala has helped increase the sale of various food products, especially of curry powder.

The company is planning to launch its ready-to-eat food products, including chicken, mutton, fish and sambar, within four months for both exports and domestic markets. It registered an export turnover of Rs 24 crore in 2005-06 and is eying Rs 35-crore in the current fiscal.

The company, which exports mainly to the Middle East (80 per cent of the total exports), plans to penetrate other markets like New Zealand and Russia.

Eastern is the first company in the country to get ISO-22000 : 2005 certification in the spices and masala sector by the FoodCert BV of Netherlands, according to him.

Meeran said that the coveted certification would be a gateway to European and US markets as most of the importers insist on the certification. Eastern has already secured HACCP certification.

The Eastern Group is targeting a total turnover of Rs 175 crore in the current fiscal of which Rs 135 crore is expected through the sale of condiments.