European brands seek shelf space

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Danish crownEuro 6.5 billionMeat exporter Grupo sosEuro 1.2 billionFruits & vegetables Van drie groupEuro 1.7 billionVeal Groupe lactalisEuro 7.5 billionDairy, cheese major KerryEuro 4.65 billionCereal  While the market for most of these products is still nascent in the country, many manufacturers believe this is a good time to gain an early-mover advantage.  "While olive oil consumption is not too high in India, we will be here by the year-end," said Luis Folque, administrator, Sovena.  The Portuguese company is in talks with third-party importers and retailers to stock its brand and increase awareness about olive oil.  H W A Swinkels, director, corporate affairs, VanDrie group, said there was a growing demand for quality veal in the country.  Meanwhile, many European companies are in talks with their Indian counterparts to set up either sourcing or distribution partnerships.  These companies are a part of the high-powered 'Tasty Europe' delegation, led by European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fischer Boel, that is currently in India.  These 28 companies have a combined turnover of Euro 54 billion ($71 billion) among them, indicating that the average size of these companies is in excess of $2.5 billion. Most of them are top global producers in their respective categories.