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Alka Kshirsagar

Pune, Dec. 25

The ongoing festive season is likely to be a dip-stick of sorts for Italian confectioner Ferrero International that has launched a product in a couple of southern States to get a feel of the Indian market.

Through its subsidiary Imsofer Manufacturing India Private Ltd, the chocolate-maker has launched its Kinder Joy chocolates in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is conducting a study to determine the response, and feasibility of extending its footprint within the country.

Though the launch of Tic Tac in the Indian market is also expected, sources in the industry assert that the popular breath-freshening mint is not likely to be introduced here for another year in the least.

The Kinder Joy chocolates are egg-shaped chocolate confections, which enclose a capsule containing a small plastic toy, sometimes requiring assembly.

Part of the reason why the company is watching sales over the next couple of months with interest is because demand for the modern day ‘Easter eggs’ picks up with Christmas, and peaks around Easter. “Nearly 20-22 per cent of annual sales of these happen during and around Easter,” an official, who prefers to remain unnamed said.

Currently, the chocolate is imported from Poland, and re-packaged at a small facility that has been leased at Baramati. Through Imsofer, the company — whose portfolio includes confections like Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Mon Cheri, Pocket Coffee and the Kinder series — signed a Memoradum of Understanding with the Maharashtra government to set up a manufacturing facility.

The company is setting up the factory on 100 acres at a new 1,000-acre industrial estate being developed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation at Indapur. Last week, Imsofer officials met up with Maharashtra’s Minister for Agricultural Marketing, Mr Harshvardhan Patil, who is also the MLA from Indapur, and visited the proposed site to scout for suppliers of raw materials like milk and sugar. The facility is expected to begin production by 2009.

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