Rasna maker eyes NRIs

Ahmedabad-based soft drink concentrate maker Pioma Industries, which owns the Rasna brand, has launched snacks under the Bollywood Bites brand name in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia.

It plans to launch these in the US, Canada and New Zealand later this month or early next month.

The formal worldwide launch of the 12 flavours of the snack will be held at the APEDA Food Exhibition in Germany on October 11.

Pioma has set up a new entity, Waves Foods Pvt Ltd, that will exclusively handle the exports business of packed snacks.

All the 12 flavours of snacks are packed in air-tight aluminium containers with bright labels and caricatures of Bollywood heroes and heroines.

"The products manufactured in Ahmedabad are already on the shelves in markets in the UK, Singapore and Australia. We hope markets in the other three countries will be flooded with Bollywood Bites by the first t week of October. Though WFPL is a Pioma group firm, it will handle manufacturing and marketing of snacks only for exports," Piruz Khambatta, chairman and managing director of Pioma said.

He added that none of these products will be sold in India. "These snacks have premium pricing and are targeted at NRIs. Though Rasna soft drink concentrates are doing well in the Gulf and other Middle-East countries, we are not keen on introducing Bollywood Bites in these price-sensitive places," said Khambatta.

Over 7.5 million of Indians stay in the six targeted countries.

Pioma is also planning to take Bollywood Bites in other European countries in the next year but it will stay away from markets in SAARC countries as it feels the product will have few takers there because of its pricing.

"We have invested a lot on the packaging of the product which looks trendy but is also healthy. It is colourful and bears an Indian character. It has been named on Bollywood as nothing can represent India better than Bollywood," said Khambatta.

Pioma has so far been marketing its pickles, jams and chutneys in select markets of Middle-East, US and UK under the Rasna brand name.

"We are trying to find space for Bollywood Bites as a separate brand which will, however, carry the Rasna emblem, just to assure quality," he added.

Pioma earned Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) revenues from exports, with soft drink concentrates being the main contributor. With the launch of the packed snacks, Pioma is eyeing an increase in export income.

"We have set target as such for this new brand (Bollywood Bites) but we hope it will definitely bring us a good returns from the overseas market," added Khambatta.