Amul to hot up frozen yogurt market

VADODARA: Dairy major Amul is now eyeing the growing frozen yogurt market in the country. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul has launched frozen yogurt - a first-of-its-kind product offering from Amul's basket. Frozen yogurt, a tangy combination of ice-cream with probiotic yogurt, is a globally established category.

Amul's move comes at a time when a string of frozen yogurt chains are entering the country riding on the healthier , guilt-free dessert plank creating a space within the traditional ice-cream market.

If US-based yogurt brand Red Mango has made a debut in the Indian market this month following the Canadian yogurt chain Kiwi Kiss, which had forayed in the Indian market last year, Singapore-headquartered yogurt brand Berrylite is firming up its plans to open outlets soon.

But home-grown Amul is set to give these brands a run for their money as it plans to launch the new product across 70,000 outlets across the country in the first week of February against nearly 40 outlets managed by the international brands. India's organized ice-cream market is estimated at Rs 1,200 crore and Amul currently commands 40% market share.

With the launch of this new product under the brand name - Amul Flaavyo - Amul wants to revolutionize the ice-cream market while becoming the "first mover" in this new category among Indian companies. "We are expecting that the frozen yogurt highway would account for 5% of total ice-cream sales," GCMMF's managing director R S Sodhi told reporters.

"As many are becoming health conscious, the market for frozen yoghurt is going to grow. We estimate that it would expand the market by increasing customer base. Essentially it would not only convert non-consumers of icecream into eaters but also increase frequency of ice-cream consumption," Sodhi said.

The Amul frozen yoghurt is presently available at select Amul scooping parlours. Amul has a chain of 500 scooping parlours across the country. Initially, the dairy giant has introduced the product at its scooping parlours at Rs 35 per scoop (against Rs 100 per scoop charged by international brands).

"In February first week, we will launch consumer packs across the country while making Amul Flaavyo Frozen Yogurt available in smaller packs in two flavours - mango and strawberry," Sodhi said.