Kochi-based Tierra Food India Private Limited has launched its snack food brands – Kappo and Banano. The cassava and banana chips, packed in small packs and priced at Rs 5 and Rs 10, will be available in over 15,000 outlets across Kerala. The company is gearing up to introduce the products in other southern states soon.
“We are procuring the raw material directly from select farmers so as to ensure the quality of the products,” said Alex Thomas, managing director of Tierra Food.
Tierra has worked closely with farmers and research organisations like the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) and the Kerala Agricultural University to develop the new products, which are being manufactured at a fully-automated plant in the Kinfa Food Park at Adoor near Kottayam.
The plant has an installed processing capacity of 6 tonne per day in two shifts, which requires around 20 tonne of raw material. Tierra procures at least 5,000 tonne of banana and cassava a year from the identified farmers.
“Banana and tapioca are the two major crops cultivated in Kerala by small and medium farmers. A fair share of the produce used to be processed into chips earlier, but that share is dwindling or under threat. A majority of the produce is currently consumed as fresh fruit and the prices are always volatile. In the processed food industry, the raw material prices are stable and the farmers are assured of a fair and consistent price,” Thomas said.
The company proposes to associate with government initiatives like the State Horticulture Mission (SHM) and Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Kerala (VFPCK) for cultivating and procuring the right cultivars for manufacturing chips.
