Fast-moving consumer Goods (FMCG) maker Tata Consumer Products (TCP) will introduce Ching’s instant soup in its business-to-business vending machines offering. This comes after a few months since the company acquired Capital Foods, owner of Ching’s Secret and Smith & Jones. The company also plans on offering its tea products, including the acquired Organic India’s herbal tea, through the vending machine business.
Having started the vending machine business in 2023 for serving coffee, the company has already crossed 2,000 machines and is offering vending machines to companies across the country.
“We are looking into offering a new branding for the vending channel with Ching’s suit that is a ₹10 SKU. Over the next month, we are planning to introduce them to the market. With Tata My Bistro, we also offer our hot chocolate, which is to be mixed with hot water. The entire portfolio offering is end-to-end. The machine count has increased over the last year with revenue almost doubling every quarter,” said Nidhi Verma, Head - Vending Business, Tata Consumer Products Ltd to businessline.
TCP majorly operates in the food and beverage business and offers tea, coffee, liquid beverages, salt, pulses, plant-based meat and cold-pressed oils.
“As part of our food strategy, we are constantly incubating new businesses. We realised there is a massive opportunity in the coffee space and we have been supplying coffee to old renowned brands, then ventured into our retail brands including Tata Coffee Gold which is part of the India business and have our JV with Starbucks. There was one space that was missing in our portfolio which was vending. In the vending market space in India, the trend that is happening is bean-to-cup, and we have seen over the years the consumer taste profile in coffee has matured and they have become more demanding. We have integrated our supply chain to offer consumers the same,” added Nidhi.
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Earlier, addressing the shareholders at the company’s 61st Annual General Meeting(AGM), N Chandrasekaran, Chairperson of Tata Group, had stated that Tata Consumer is looking to tie up with companies for its coffee business.
“The company is transforming itself and we are expanding the beverage and food business and are looking at new categories. Tata Consumer Products is also looking at acquisitions in new categories to become a complete FMCG company. The company is looking to tie up with corporations for its coffee. We are also looking at vending machines. Tata Consumer Products launched 34 products in the last fiscal year,” said N Chandrasekaran.