Danone, the $20 billion French dairy major, on Wednesday took another measured step and has expanded its presence in India. The company, which has over the past one year expanded its presence to Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad markets, has now started selling its range of fresh dairy products — dahi and flavoured yoghurts in Bangalore. The company, which is up against Nestle, Britannia and Amul, has entered the Indian yogurt and dahi market estimated to be a little over Rs 500 crore in the organised sector.
Danone Food & Beverages India MD Jochen Ebert told Business Standard that India is a great market that offers a lot of potential. “Danone is an experimental company and we are committed to bringing health through food to the largest number of people. The categories we have entered are still very small in India and are evolving. Our future plans will depend on the consumer response that we receive and we find this market promising for Danone,” Ebert said. The company has launched yogurts — plain dahi, low-fat dahi and flavoured yoghurts (strawberry, mango and vanilla), along with Danette Smoothie in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, and now in Bangalore.
Ebert added that they are witnessing good growth potential in the fresh dairy business and involved in developing the segment. “Our operations are fundamentally different from the others. In the dairy sector, other players are focused heavily on the plain milk business, while our focus is not on plain liquid milk, but on value-added products. The per-capita consumption in India for this segment of dairy products is at 0.5 kgs while in European countries the average is around 30 kgs. India has many players and we would love to grow the market along with them. We see immense opportunities to grow the market in India and we are charting out plans for a range of products in the near future,” he added.
The company in addition to having a presence in this sector has a mineral water and a probiotic business lines through separate joint ventures. Danone Worldwide is present in four core businesses — fresh dairy products, packaged water, baby nutrition and medical nutrition.
According to Danone, its fresh dairy products are fortified with Nutri4Plus, the four essential nutrients, Iron, Iodine, Zinc and Vitamin A. “Health through food and beverages remains at the heart of Danone’s development and has spurred and motivated its ongoing and sizeable investment in R&D. Danone as a brand strives to provide wholesome and delicious foods that promote a healthy lifestyle and is best explained by its tagline — ‘Stay Fittum Fit’,” Ebert added.