Puratos Foods, a Belgian confectionary company, that manufactures ingredients for breads, cakes and chocolates has become integral to feeding India’s sweet tooth.
Established in Mumbai, in 2008, the company enjoys a healthy double digit sales growth in India. At the core of this growth are first of its kind innovations and new technologies that have helped Puratos Foods establish a strong presence in the market and become the first preference for Indian bakers. “We have a state-of-the-art production facility in Maharashtra, where we manufacture our products, across three core lines—Bakery (powder), Patisserie (wet line) and Compound. Our high quality and innovative product range is the best in the industry,” says Dhiren Kanwar, MD – India, and Area Director – South Asia, Puratos Food Ingredients India.
Puratos may be a global company but the secret of its success is a global approach where it has studied the specific needs and preferences of its Indian consumers to trigger the innovations.
The company recently launched four thoughtfully crafted products for the Indian market. “Our recent food offerings, the Vivafil, Deli Cheesecake, Satin-Cake premixes and Sunset Glaze, available in different great-tasting flavours, are based on key consumer insights the company had into evolving consumption patterns of the new-age customer,” he said.
For Kanwar considering the potential and opportunity for growth, India is globally, a key focus country for Puratos. The company’s employee strength is today more than 100 across its offices in India. The company is positive about the growth of the confectionery industry in India and is ready to propel this growth.
States Kanwar, “We have positioned ourselves as a solution partner for any brand or artisan investing in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate industry. The range of innovation in our products and services is our key USP for growth besides being the taste leader in the chocolate and compound range.” However, the gap between innovations and the new product reaching the market could be a cause for concern.
The future trend of innovations in this industry will be based on health, taste and freshness, for which we invest 2.2 per cent of our global turnover in research and development. “We welcome the support of the government in creating the right environment for innovations as well as allowing companies to bring these innovations to the consumers. This is possible by approving innovations quickly through the regulatory framework,” Kanwar suggests.
While Puratos business plan seems invincible, it could face some tests, possibly the lure of Indian sweets. “Our biggest challenge is an increasing consumption of baked goods in the Indian market and getting customers to invest in innovative, and value added products,” Kanwar said.
