Merisant to expand in North

Merisant India Private Ltd, the 100 per cent subsidiary of Chicago-based Merisant Company "" the worldwide leader in table-top sweeteners with flagship brands like Equal and Canderal "" is gearing itself to consolidate its position in the northern market.

"Punjab happens to be the key market for us because there is high awareness among people of diabetes," Sanjay Nayyar, the chief executive officer of Merisant India Private Ltd, South Asia, told Business Standard.

He said the NRI population was chiefly responsible for this awareness. "People of Punjab have a sweet tooth," said Nayyar, adding "so we have relaunched and reinvented our products to carve out a niche in the regional market".

With a network of 15 dealers in Punjab and 10 in Haryana, the company has clocked a turnover of Rs 75 lakh in 2003-04, and the target for the current year is Rs 1 crore.

Nayyar said the firm was exploring opportunities to launch a zero-calorie chocolate in India, which is already being marketed in the US and Europe.

"Equal" has been able to garner a 20 per cent market share in just three years. Nayyar said they had been focusing on touch-point advertising, going on a charm offensive by offering value-packs, and cross-promotion tie-ups with Tetly.