The concept of yogurt is not new for the Indian consumer; what’s novel is the kind of variety you get on retail shelves now from the portfolio of a range of domestic and international brands. Amul is among the latest entrants in the market for value-added yogurt with a frozen variant under the brand name Amul Flaavyo. It is a tangy combination of ice-cream and probiotic yogurt. It contains real fruit pieces and essential vitamins, capturing the therapeutic benefits of both yogurt and probiotic bacteria.
Again last week, Mother Dairy announced the launch of fruit yogurts in four variants — blueberry, raspberry, mango and plum. Priced affordably at Rs 18, these fruit yogurts are available in 100-gm packs with a shelf life of 15 days.
Both these brands essentially target the health-conscious consumer. Subhashis Basu, business head, dairy products, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable, says, “Consumers today have become health conscious and are meticulous about their food intake. Mother Dairy’s fruit yogurts which will allow the consumers to munch on real fruits while having their daily dose of yogurt.”
Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) hopes such products will also increase the base of ice-cream consumers. Says RS Sodhi, managing director, GCMMF, marketer of Amul, “This will not only convert non-consumers of ice-cream; it will also increase the frequency of ice-cream eating. We are expecting that the frozen yogurt highway would account 10 per cent of the total ice-cream sales.”
Amul Flaavyo is available in mango and strawberry flavours, priced at Rs 25 (125 ml), Rs 90 (500 ml) and Rs 650 (5 ltr) for a pack. The company plans to add more flavours soon. In the first phase the product has been introduced in Mumbai and Gujarat. “As many consumers are becoming health conscious, the market for frozen yogurt is going to grow,” says Sodhi.
Amul and Mother Dairy move into the market when a string of international frozen yogurt brands have already marked their presence riding the ‘healthier dessert’ plank and are trying all tricks in the book to win over a chunk of the traditional ice-cream market. Those that have already thrown their hats into the ring are Cocoberry, Kiwi Kiss, Yogurberry besides early entrant Nestle.
According to data provided by Technopak, there are several factors that support the yogurt market in India. Besides increasing health consciousness, some other factors include easy availability of raw material (milk and an assortment of fruits), an increasing tendency to experiment among consumers, a higher disposable income and a growing acceptance of packaged foods.
Yogurt is classified under health and wellness (H&W) food segment in India. According to published reports, the segment clocked sales of $2 billion in 2011. The H&W sector will attain a size of $5 billion by 2015, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent, say analysts. At present, the packaged yogurt market constitutes a marginal 7-8 per cent of the overall H&W food market and is growing at a CAGR of 18-20 per cent.