When it comes to the non-vegetarian curry spice mixes,Pakistan’s Shan has a strong presence in the market with almost half the share inNorth India. The local manufacturers of spice mixes such as MDH and Everest seem not to take this competition into account as new domestic firms like Synthite have come into emergence.
While Shan is gaining popularity in the northern parts of the country, the domestic spice mix manufacturers are focusing in the southern parts, where the market is estimated at Rs 6,500 crore. It is expected that this value will soon increase as Indians are adopting new methods that will save their cooking time.
It is innovation that is the key for the spice mix manufacturers to stay ahead of the crowd when it comes to competition. Companies are looking forward at different approaches to improve the visibility of their offerings in the changing choices of consumers and the attractiveness of regional cuisines. The firms have started focusing from spices and curry powders to blended masala mixes, ready to eat and ready to cook segments of the market.
Regarding this, Sanjeev Shah, Partner of Everest Spices claimed that the specialized products have their niche markets. For instance, sambhar is authentic in taste and it will appeal to the South Indian market alone. Ever company has its own strategies to attract the customers towards their products.
Notably, Everest Spices owned by a vegetarian Gujarati family has not spent on the promotion of the brand’s blended spice mixes for non-vegetarian delicacies. But, the chicken and mutton masalas of the brand are the ones that are the highest selling spice mixes.
MDH’s Founder and Chairman, Mahashya Dharampal claims that he does not focus on innovation as far as his products are concerned as homemakers prefer the same taste. But, he added that his sons head another firm R-pure that will focus on experimenting with new products and flavors.
