Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) is looking to introduce new products in the household segment in 12-18 months.

Its innovation centre in Pune is working on around 30 new products, including rice flour and poha, said Amit Chincholikar, Global Chief Human Resource Officer, TCPL.

The aim is to expand its reach to more households with multiple product categories so as to ensure their availability both in modern trade outlets and at kirana stores in rural areas, he said.

The consumer in India is more health conscious now and there is a need to cater to their tastes, said Chincholikar, citing the growing popularity of unpolished dal, which is more nutritious than the polished version.

Chincholikar was speaking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of an international conference on natural dyes at Munnar organised by Aranya Natural, Shrishti Trust supported by TCPL and Tata Trust.

Combined entity

TCPL, which recently became a combined entity of four verticals by adding food to its existing ones of beverages, water and international business, is eyeing an 8 per cent growth this year. The company is aiming to grow at a much faster pace than the industry in the coming year, he said, adding that the FMCG segment has been impacted significantly by the slowdown.

“We are fairly bullish. We believe we have the right set of products, the brand value of Tata and a strong distribution network,” he said. The company is looking at utilising its strong distribution network to maintain its growth rate in FY21, he added.

With a 20 per cent market share in the tea segment, TCPL is focussing more on speciality and high quality premium products, said Chincholikar. “We have the advantage that our tea is available across all price segments,” he added.

For the Himalayan brand of water, the company recently introduced glass bottles, he further said. TCPL as a combined entity has a turnover of ₹9,300 crore.