The Hindu Business Line : Chyawanprash gets a makeover with new variants

Come winter and one of the highest selling FMCG products of the season is Chyawanprash, which clocks 80-95 per cent of its annual sales between October and March. This year too, the product is being given a makeover by both its top selling companies Emami and Dabur with variants such as chocolate and sugarless.

Dabur's Chyawanprash, which clocks 75-80 per cent of its yearly sales during the six-month period accounts for 10-11 per cent of its over Rs 100-crore consumer care business. "Dabur Chyawanprash is our heritage product. Every time one thinks of the company, it is this product that enjoys top of mind recall," said Mr V.S. Sitaram, Executive Director, Consumer Care Division (CCD), Dabur India Ltd.

Combating Stress

"Chyawanprash has always been perceived as a health supplement for the young and the elderly. Thus, we have made a conscious decision to make it relevant to the other segments of society through product variations," Mr Sitaram added.

This year, Dabur plans to introduce a sugarless variant targeted at diabetic patients and those who prefer less sugar, while working on other variants simultaneously. Last year, it introduced its first variant Chyawanshakti, which had high levels of ashwagandha to combat stress.

Dabur, which has 65 per cent of the Rs 231-crore Chyawanprash market, is hopeful of growing at 20 per cent this winter.

Meanwhile, Emami's Rs 30-crore Sona Chandi Chyawanprash, which clocks almost 95 per cent of its sales during this period, is gearing up for the competition as well. It recently introduced its test version of Chocolate Chyawanprash in Kolkata and Delhi, and is in the process of rolling out the variant in the rest of the country.

"There are primarily three reasons why Chyawanprash as a category is still restricted to its 3 per cent penetration of the domestic market. First, the uncommon taste; second, its difficult process of consumption by the virtue of it being sticky; and third, its uninviting black colour. This is why we decided to introduce the chocolate variant which will fight all three problems," said Mr Aditya Agarwal, Director, Emami Group.

The company is also in the process of launching its Kesar and Dry Fruits Chyawanprash, which Mr Agarwal feels, will become a Rs 2-crore brand by March 2007.

The companies are competing fiercely in terms of advertisements too. While Dabur has Amitabh Bachhan as its brand ambassador, Emami pitches Shah Rukh Khan.

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