After frozen peas, Mother Dairy counts on value-added segment to bear fruit

Mother Dairy is betting big on expanding its presence in the value-added product segment through its flagship horticulture brand Safal. The company, which pioneered the concept of frozen peas in India in the 1990s, now wants to replicate the success with fruits and vegetables.

Pradipta Kumar Sahoo, Business Head - Safal, Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable, said: “We believe value-added products will be the growth engine for Safal in the coming years. We have made considerable investments in setting up infrastructure and establishing a pan-India distribution channel. We are now looking to leverage the synergies to launch more products.”

He said the company expects brand Safal’s revenues to touch the ₹700-crore mark by the end of this fiscal. The company believes nearly 50 per cent of these revenues will come from value-added products.

As part of the expansion strategy, the company has launched Safal Frozen Jackfruit, with a shelf life of 12 months, at ₹40 for a 300-gm pack in Delhi-NCR. “We are the first company to launch frozen pre-cut jackfruit in the country. We believe it has as much potential as frozen peas, in the long-term,” he said.

Safal is directly sourcing jackfruits from tribal farmers in Jharkhand. “We are offering a quality and hygienically pre-cut product to consumers. Safal already has strong brand equity in the frozen vegetables space; adding such products will strengthen it further.”

The company also recently added a dried onion flakes product, Safal Easy Onions, to its value-added product portfolio. TSR Murali, Chief R&D Officer, Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable, said: “We believe there is an untapped potential in the dehydrated format as consumers’ lifestyle is evolving and they are increasingly facing paucity of time. Besides onions, there is potential to offer garlic, ginger and other vegetables in the dehydrated format.”

The company is also looking to strengthen its presence in the ready-to-cook range with products such as frozen French fries. Also on the cards is the launch of fruit pulps and fruit chunks, starting with mangoes and litchi, in consumer packs. “With this, we hope to solve the challenge of seasonal availability of fruits,” Sahoo added. The company has been exporting fruit pulp and fruit chunks for some time.