Gulf markets take instantly to Bru

Vimala Vasan

ABU DHABI, Dec. 12

POPULAR Indian processed foods and beverages are making their presence felt in supermarkets in the UAE and other Gulf states, with major new entrants in the field being Hindustan Lever's Bru instant coffee and the Kissan range of sauces and jams.

Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) entered the Gulf market earlier this year through a tie-up with the Dubai-based Crescent General Trading LLC, of the Nikai Groupand its products, particularly Bru instant coffee, andthe new varieties of sauces and jams from Kissan areeliciting a good response from customers, Mr. ParasShahdadpuri, Managing Director of the Nikai Group told Business Line.

Mr Shadadpuri said that plans are on toincrease the availability of these food products inall the Gulf states, the CIS states and Africa.

Crescent is the sole distributor and C&Fagents for HLL's productsin the region. This is the second overseas foray forHindustan Lever's popular brand names after anearlier entry into the Singapore market.

Bru instant coffee can now be found in many of themajor supermarkets in the UAE as well as in Oman,Qatar and Kuwait. Plans are also on to launch it in Saudi Arabia shortly.

Mr Shahdadpuri said that Bru has found a goodclientele among the large Indian expatriate populationin the Gulf states, particularly South Indians. "Itoffers a new blended version which is not available in the market and the response has been very good," he said.

Kissan is also targeting expats from thesub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) with itsspecial varieties of sauces such as Tomchi, Tompudina and TangyTom, Mr. Shahdadpuri said. Plans are also on to later introduce Kissan bottled mushrooms, `atta'(wheat flour), salt and a variety of other products.

The UAE and other Gulf states import a large variety of coffee, sauces, jams and other food items from all over the world and people are spoilt forchoice. Mr. Shahdadpuri feels that familiarity withIndian food products could lead Indian expats topurchase more of the Indian brands, and there is a need to focus on international standards of packaging and marketing. Kissan sauces, in fact, willsoon be available in the more internationally-acceptable 320-gm pack in the region in response to market needs, he said.

Mr V.S. Parthasarathy, Director, FMCG division,Crescent Trading, said that Kissan products havebeen launched in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar andwill soon be launched in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Plans are on to market Bru and Kissan in a big way in the region, while also taking advantage of TVcommercials on Indian channels which are also viewed by residents in the Gulf states, he said.