Crave
for more
Lip
Chip potato chips are here to win. Purabi Naha speaks to Gautam Raguvanshi,
MD and CEO, Natraj Cold Storage and Foods, on its newest addition to
the Indian market
Your
stomach is growling and the meal is
hours away. So why not indulge in some tangy munch? And when it comes
to quick snacking, potato chips truly offer an unbeatable choice. Potato
chips arean all-time favourite because these keep hunger at bay –
anytime, anywhere. Indians love potatoes. With Indian consumers constantly
looking for variety andgetting quality-conscious day by day, highquality
potato chips with an Indian flavour would surely be an absolute hit
in the market. Realising this, Natraj Foods recently launched Lip Chip
potato chips, especially to suit the Indian tastebuds. Lip Chip potato
chips is an exciting new range of potato chips – made up of fresh,
sliced potatoes, blended with lipsmacking Indian spices, natural oils
and exciting flavours – to create a mouth-watering experience.
Indian
touch
The USP of Lip Chip is its unique flavours that cater to the Indian
taste. These extreme flavours are made from Indian spices that offer
a delectable snacking experience. Lip Chip is an advanced snacking experience
that offers unique flavours. It is made from the finest and choicest
potatoes from western India.
The
snacking market in India
"Indian snacking market, which is till date dominated by local
and unbranded players, stands at more than Rs 10,000 crore," says
Gautam Raguvanshi, MD and CEO, Natraj Cold Storage and Foods. Commenting
on the present-day consumer demands, he adds"Over the time, people
have shifted their preference to branded packed food products. Lip Chip
is catering to the 60 per cent market which consists of the branded
potato chip players and thus satisfies the need of the consumer by providing
hygienic, branded potato chips made with the finest quality potatoes."
Exciting
flavours, exciting prices
Lip Chip is all set to infuse the market with four unique Indian
flavours. These are Tingling Pepper Attack – the tingling flavour
of pepper, salt and natural herbs; Exotic Tomato Fire – the smashing
freshness and the tangy flavour of juicy tomatoes with a dash of Indian
spices; Lime'N Mint Jhatka – a blend of icy cool mint and refreshing
lime and Sizzling Chilly Achaar – scorching hot green chillies
marinated with Indian herbs. The packs come in two prices – Rs
5 and Rs 10.
A quality
product
Explaining the strict quality control policy followed, Mr Raguvanshi
informs that the quality checks are done at four stages:
• Potato grading and sorting (raw potatoes being checked for quality,
size, shape and so on)
• Post-slicing,
to check the size and thickness.• Post-frying, to check consistency
of frying
•
Final check – flavour checks at regular
intervals to monitor flavour consistency. Quality control is also
applied at packing stage to check weight and air leakages. Promotion
and marketing Explaining interesting promotional strategies for Lip
Chip, Mr Raguvanshi says, "The thrust so far has been on generating
trials through promotional offer. We are running 'Lip Chip' Adventure
ka Naya Taste contest, where consumers can sms and win exciting prizes
such as Yamaha Raptor, Dive With Sharks holiday in South Africa and
many other prizes." Consumers are asked product-related questions,
which one can answer only after buying the product. "We have also
tied up with movie theatres such as Cinemax and Fame Adlabs. We are
focusing on being present in the local festivals such as college festivals,
Ganesh festival, dandia and so on. We have also conducted sampling exercises
at schools," he adds.
Target
consumers and future
plans Who are the target consumers for Lip Chip?"We are targeting
young consumers who eat branded potato chips and are looking for an
advanced snacking experience.," Mr Raguvanshi replies. Lip Chip
will continue to launch the product in other parts of the country, simultaneously
introducing more flavours as it goes along. Commenting on the future
plans, he says, "We have plans to come up with more products in
the snacking category after achieving national presence for Lip Chip."
A successful
launch
Within a month of launch, Lip Chip is already present in more than
20,000 outlets in the markets where it is being launched, that is, Mumbai,
Maharashtra and Goa. According to Mr Raguvanshi, "We have five
CFAs and more than 75 stockists servicing the retail market. The off-takes
have been
