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Though cooking pastes, which give food that distinctive flavour and aroma of freshly ground herbs and spices, are in their infancy, pioneers like Dabur and Capital Foods are pepping up the segment, by dropping prices and introducing innovative contests for housewives.
While Dabur, with its brand Hommade, has a contest for housewives with a free trip to the US, Capital Foods is dropping price points with a new brand, to attract more consumers.
The cooking-paste market is estimated at Rs 55-70 crore and is growing at 30 per cent. Ginger-garlic paste dominates the segment, and is one of the primary cooking ingredients. Pickle companies such as Mother’s Recipe, Nilon’s and Priya have also entered this segment.
Building the market
Nitin Jain, Brand Head, Hommade, Dabur India, said, “Being the pioneer in the cooking-paste segment, it is our job to build the category and equity for the Hommade brand.
“It has been 17 years since Hommade was launched. Even today, we are trying to convince consumers about the taste and convenience associated with this segment.”
Recently, the FMCG company held its national culinary contest short-listing 30 Mumbai housewives for a finale, based on their secret recipes, as part of the Dabur Hommade HomeStar contest. The winner is to be flown to New York and will dine with Michelin-starred chef, author and TV judge Vikas Khanna in his restaurant, Junoon.
“Such contests help in building further equity for our brand and the category.
“We are exploring more options in convenience foods, as the cooking-paste segment is now catering to working professionals who are pressed for time, and not just housewives,” added Jain.
Apart from just the basic ginger-garlic paste, Dabur Hommade also has products such as tomato puree and coconut milk, in its portfolio.
Positive outlook
Future Ventures-promoted Capital Foods, another pioneer, has high hopes from the segment.
Says Ajaay Gupta, Managing Director, Capital Foods, “Both Dabur and we got into the cooking-paste category in 1996. It is only in the last four years that the category has seen some traction. Today, we sell equal amounts at the Rs 5 (30 gm) and Rs 35 (200 gm) price points for our Smith and Jones brand.’’
Capital Foods has now created a new price point at Rs 4 (30 gm) for its ginger-garlic paste under a new brand, Raji. “The only way to grow the category is to get in more price points.
“So, while Smith and Jones will be our premium brand, Raji will address the mid-priced category in the cooking paste segment,” added Gupta.
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