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Del Monte Foods taps Maldives market; plans to export to Sri Lanka, Nepal
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Saturday, 14 April, 2012, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Anurag More, Mumbai
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Del Monte Foods Business, a FieldFresh Foods Pvt Ltd group company, has started exporting beverage and culinary products to Maldives. The company also plans to export their products to the neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Speaking to FnB News, Yogesh Bellani, business head, Del Monte Foods Business, said, "Our products are manufactured at a state-of-the-art facilty at Hosur, Tamil Nadu, set up at an investment of Rs 127 crore. We expect exports to contribute between 5-7 per cent of our topline and would be happy to serve the SAARC countries with our brands of beverages and processed foods."
Sharing the company's plans to increase the production of fruit drinks for the summer season, he said, “Increased production of drinks would depend on the demand in the market. It is expected to be a long summer and hence, a good opportunity for beverages.”
Del Monte Foods Business manufactures fruit drinks in cans and PET bottles at their Hosur plant. “While the North and West are the biggest markets for the company, we also intend to enhance our visibility in Southern India, especially with our beverages in PET bottles,” said Bellani.
They have recently launched Mango Splash in 1.2 litre PET bottles. There is a 240ml variant available in six flavours, namely 240ml Pineapple (with real fruit pieces); Pineapple-Orange; Four Seasons (a mixed fruit drink); Green Apple, Orange and Mango. Two flavours are available in 500ml PET bottles, namely Mango Splash and Four Seasons Fusion; and one in 180 ml cans, namely Four Seasons. In the fruit drink category, they currently have 10 different B2C SKUs.
Having witnessed a phenomenal rise in the consumption of Italian cuisine both in and out of home, Del Monte has developed specific products and SKUs which will work as innovative solutions for their B2B partners. The newly launched SKUs in the category include products for both the B2B and B2C segments, which includes pomace olive oil (1 litre and 5 litre); olives – A10 (3.1kg) Black Pitted and A10 (3.1kg) Green Stuffed; Pasta Sauce-Chilli Arrabbiata (340g) and Tomato Basil (190g), Pasta- 1kg Pennoni Rigate, 500g Tagliatelle, Conchiglie, Rigatoni, Meal Combo Pack and Pizza Pasta Sauce.
With growing aspiration for high-quality branded products and increased awareness and interest in international cuisines, the company expects a growth across its SKUs, such as the Italian range, culinary sauces & emulsions, beverages etc. On the basis of the demand, we may launch more products in the future.
Del Monte inaugurated a state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facility at Hosur, Tamil in November 2010, with an initial investment of over Rs 127 crore. The plant aims to create new benchmarks in the Indian processed food and beverage industry. This manufacturing facility produces fruit drinks as well as culinary products like ketchups, sauces, mustard sauce and mayonnaise, thus making it the first of its kind in India.
The state-of-the-art facility is supported by plant infrastructure for power generation and re-distribution, effluent treatment, cold storage, pasteurization and packaging, which is believed to be the best in its class.
The products remain untouched by human hands during the entire production process. This facility includes an online lab and automated monitoring systems which allow consistent output with great recipes being transformed into great tasting products. The plant equipments are fully integrated and highly automated resulting in production of consistently high-quality products.
Del Monte Foods Business has about 120 SKUs at present in four product categories: fruit drinks, ketchups & sauces, the Italian range and packaged fruit & corn. Our fruit drinks and culinary products are mainly manufactured at Hosur. The remainder, like the authentic Italian range and the packaged fruit range, will continue to be sourced from the most suitable origins outside India.
The company's supply strength now rests on three pillars; namely domestic manufacturing from our Hosur facility; sourcing from the worldwide network of Del Monte and selecting third-party manufacturing tie-ups to utilise geographical or logistical advantages.
The R&D facility at the plant supports and encourages customisation and innovation for Business to Business customers. To meet B2B requirements the facility enables the company to create innovative and customised products to provide solutions to meet the ever-challenging demands and requirements of its B2B customers.
Speed in innovation is achieved by creating small samples in our corporate lab. The Corporate Lab boasts of a full-fledged spacious modular test kitchen and the ability to develop from raw material to finished-products.
Apart from producing innovative consumer products, the facility is designed to give brand Del Monte greater flexibility and responsiveness in meeting ever-evolving needs of B2B customers like hotels, restaurants and catering clients, airlines and modern retail.
Bellani stated, “This year, besides increasing depth in the existing retail markets, we plan to continue to expand to new markets, primarily in B-cities. We plan to further strengthen our presence in modern trade channel. We have received an excellent response for products such as beverages, pasta, etc. They will continue to equally drive the business growth. The B2B business has and continues to be a key business driver. Our partners in the B2B category have given us a very encouraging response across product offerings such as Italian, culinary sauces, mayonnaise and mayo derivatives. Our B2B business today contributes approximately 50 per cent to our topline revenues. We feel it will continue in this year as well. We have been focusing on providing customised solutions to meet the ever-changing and challenging requirements of our customers in several B2B segments like quick service restaurants (QSR), low-cost airlines, cafes, etc .We have benn awarded by Yum and Dominos for product and service excellence. The bakery and ice cream industries continue to be key targets for packaged fruit & fruit fillings which were launched last year.”
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