Category — Food Processing

According to an article posted on Decanter, Moet-Hennessy (a world leader in Luxury with over 60 prestigious brands in perfume, jewelry, wine and fashion) is willing to release a domestic sparkling wine in India. According to Cathryn Boudiak, Brand Manager for the company, 19 hectares of seeds were planted in 2011. She also said that the first bottles should be launched by the end of 2013.

According to International Wine & Spirit Research, India is a growing market for sparkling wine where 90,000 cases were sold in 2012 which represents a rise of 24% over 2011. Indian wine professionals think that demand will significantly increase for domestically produced sparkling wine.

According to the Times of India, the Indian wine industry will soon market wine with geographical identification. A system will be created which will help recognize wine grape-growing zones in India and the wine produced in each region will therefore have a distinct brand name. Some countries such as the USA or Australia already possess such a system.

Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s have decided to bring some changes to their restaurants in India. Indeed, Dunkin Donuts whose shop has opened in Delhi almost a year ago has added some local flavors to its menu, such as Kesar Pista and Coconut Burst toppings. Regarding McDonald’s, it has announced that it will open all-vegetarian restaurants in 2013.

According to Rajesh Maini, a spokesperson for McDonald’s in northern India, “there is a big opportunity for vegetarian restaurants as many Indians are vegetarian”.

Sameer Suneja, Managing Director of the confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle India, is moving on to an international assignment.

According to Business Line, Suneja, 40, will be based in the Netherlands and take on a larger responsibility in the global operation of the company. He will report to the global CEO of Perfetti, Mr Ubaldo Traldi. In his 15-year stint with the company, he has played a key role in the company’s growth and has  headed the Indian business for the last four years. In his new role as Executive Vice-President, he will identify and develop projects in different markets related to new product ideas and exchanging cross-group experiences in the marketing and commercial fields.

What this means

While good managers in most BRIC countries do well, India stands out in the ability of its nationals to get promoted to global positions at the multinationals companies where they work. At Amritt, we have seen Indian origing managers who work for European and American companies be located not only in Singapore or Dubai as you might expect, but also to take on global roles in Hong Kong, Shanghai. London, New York, Chicago or Boston. This access to the high quality management talent is one more reason for companies to engage with India.

Ed Fast, Canada’s Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway,  highlighted the launch of the fifth round of negotiations toward a Canada-India trade agreement. “Our government remains firmly focused on what matters to Canadians: jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Deepening Canada’s trading relationships with high-growth markets like India is key to these efforts,” said Fast.

A Canada-India joint study concluded that a trade agreement between the two countries could boost Canada’s economy by at least $6 billion. That translates to almost 40,000 new jobs or a $500 boost to the average Canadian family’s annual income. A trade agreement with India would eliminate or reduce tariffs on Canadian goods, liberalize trade in services, and directly benefit Canadian workers and businesses in sectors such as agriculture, resource-related and chemical products, transport equipment, machinery and equipment, and services.

Last week, Atlanta, Georgia based Coca-Cola declared that  will invest an additional $3 billion in India through 2020 to further capture growth opportunities in the country’s nonalcoholic ready-to-drink (NARTD) beverage market. With this new commitment the Coca-Cola system now plans to invest $5 billion in India from 2012 to 2020.

“Achieving continued sustainable, responsible growth in India is core to achieving our 2020 Vision of doubling system revenues in this decade,” said Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO,  of The Coca-Cola Company. “Our ongoing investment in India is focused on delivering innovation, partnerships and a portfolio that enhances the consumer experience, ensures product affordability and builds brand loyalty to deliver long-term growth.”

Coca-Cola India has registered unit case volume growth in India for the past 23 quarters, 17 of which have seen double-digit growth. Two of the company’s core sparkling brands — Thums Up and Sprite — are the country’s top selling soft drink brands while brand Coca-Cola is one of the country’s fastest growing sparkling brands,  reporting 27 percent growth in the first quarter of this year. In the still beverage category, Coca-Cola’s Maaza is India’s largest selling juice drink.

Coca Cola builds on India Success

The Coca-Cola family employs more than 25,000 people in India and is estimated to have created indirect employment for more than 150,000 people in related industries through its procurement, supply chain and distribution system. Atul Singh, CEO, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, said, “India is a strategic growth market for The Coca-Cola Company, ranking among our top 10 markets in volume globally.

What this means

American companies from Starbucks, to PepsiCo to Coke are betting the farm on India’s consumer growth story. Impending elections in 2013 and the recent political drift in India is not slowing them down, largely. Last week Sweden’s Ikea announced a billion dollar investment plan for India as well.