Aamras takes the brand route

After tasting success with its newly launched premium ice cream range, Ahmedabad-based Vadilal Industries, the second largest ice cream maker in the country, is now planning to spread wings in the processed fruits business with its aamras brand, ‘Garden Fresh Kerino Ras’.

The branded aamras and processed mango pulp category is all set to see some activity in the coming months. Players like Jain Irrigation, the largest mango processor in the world, which now operates in the business-to-business (B2B) segment, is all set to come up with its branded ‘aamras’ this month.

Traditionally, ‘aamras’ would be made from fresh mangoes in homes of west India to beat the heat in the summer months. “With nearly 50 per cent of the country’s population below the age of 35 years, who comprise bulk of the workforce, the consumer is increasingly turning towards packaged food. People now have more disposable income and less time, so it’s a matter of convenience. Organised players are seeing opportunity in this and are coming up with offerings like ‘aamras’ and ‘nimboo-paani’”, says Anamika Mehta, chief operating officer of consulting firm Lode Star Universal.

 

The mango pulp market will be a huge hit in the next five years, says Rajesh Gandhi, managing director, Vadilal Industries. His company has raised its mango processing capacity by 50 per cent to 150 tonnes per day (tpd).

Vadilal plans to focus on the Maharashtra and Rajasthan markets first where it has recently entered due to the cultural similarity in eating habits. This would be followed up by entry into the north Indian markets of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and within the next two years it would expand its presence in the East and South.

The mango pulp market has been growing at a 25 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in both the domestic and export markets, says Sunil Deshpande, senior vice president, Jain Irrigation. Jain has seen a 30 per cent CAGR in the last five years in the segment.

Jain has invested close to Rs 20 crore to add 400 tpd additional fruit processing capacity in April this year. “We already do some business-to-consumer (B2C) business in West Asia where we sell one kilogram packs of mango pulp. We will launch such products in India as well.”, Deshpande says. While it expects the India volumes to be small initially at around 1,000 tpa, it hopes that it will surge five times in the next five years. Jain’s product will be marketed under the brand name ‘Farm Fresh’.

Another mango pulp player, Surat based Vimal Agro Products, which now exports 95 per cent of its production to overseas wholesalers, who in turn, sell to retailers like Walmart and Tesco, is planning to focus on the domestic market. Sandeep Neemani of Vimal Agro Products says while the export market has been clocking a 15-20 per cent growth, the domestic market is growing faster at 20-25 per cent. “We already sell 850 gram consumer packs of aamras overseas under the ‘Swad’ brand, and have also expanded our capacity to 5,000 tpa,” Neemani said.