PepsiCo India is making a bigger bet on the ready-to-cook oats segment by expanding its Quaker Oats portfolio with “made-for-India” offerings as well as bringing in products from its global portfolio to the country. This comes at a time when the pandemic has fuelled the demand for healthier packaged food options.

In a bid to grow its presence in the savoury oats segment, the snacks and beverage major is rolling out the Quaker Oats with Flavour mix product, which comes with two different flavour mix sachets, Homestyle Masala and Tangy Tomato, in one pack.

Masala, tomato flavours

The company said this innovation was backed by consumer research, which suggests that 90 per cent of the sales in the oats segment in India are dominated by the masala and tomato flavours.

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Replying to a BusinessLine query, a spokesperson for PepsiCo India said, “We believe that the oats category, and particularly the ‘flavour’ and ‘savoury’ segments, hold immense potential for unlocking incremental growth for us. As consumers are increasingly adopting mindful eating and seeking nutritious and versatile food options, we decided to roll out this flavour innovation. Our aim with the launch of Quaker Oats with Flavour Mix is to further gain market share in the oats category and also to recruit more consumers from the ready-to-eat category.”

E-commerce push

The company also recently launched products from its global portfolio which include the “Porridge-to-go” breakfast cereal bars and Quaker Oats Crunchy Granola on e-commerce platforms for Indian consumers. The snacks and beverage major said the e-commerce channel has emerged as the fastest growing one for Quaker Oats and the contribution from this channel for the brand has nearly doubled over the last one year.

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The size of the oats industry in India is pegged at about $56 million but growing at double-digit rates. “In the western markets the oats category is bigger compared to India but with a heightened focus on boosting immunity, fortification and functional ingredients, Quaker Oats is witnessing a robust uptake and demand growth across channels,” the spokesperson added.