Calypso Foods to expand capacity

Calypso Foods Private Ltd, a Bangalore-based food-processing company, plans to double its fruit- processing-capacity at its Siliguri plant in the next three years by investing around Rs 25 crore.

The present capacity of the plant is close to 100,000 tonnes per annum. Recently, the company had invested Rs 20 crore in setting up a fruit juice-extraction-facility in the plant.

With the capacity-augmentation, the company aims to have a firm footing in the export market.

According to Debashish Mitra, managing director, Calypso, the company is eying export orders worth Rs 150 crore in the next two-three years.

This apart, the company will invest another Rs 15 crore in augmenting the capacity of its vegetable-processing plant in Karnataka, to 50,000 tonnes in the next three years.

Also, Calypso was keen in diversifying into processing of mandarin oranges, lychee, green peas, sweet corn and tropical fruits, Mitra said on the sidelines of a seminar organised by CII on Tuesday.

The company sources fruits and vegetables through its "Farmer Partner" model, whereby it directly procures fruits and vegetables from farmers.

The company recently issued a cheque of Rs 16 lakh as the outstanding money to 100-odd farmers, from whom it had procured pineapples between June and September this year.