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Mumbai: Mondelez, which owns globally popular cookie brands such as Lu, Prince and Nutter Butter, plans to introduce some of them in India as it looks to expand its presence in this segment where it trails established players. “Our aim is to bring the premium segments that we have globally, here (in India),” Mondelez India Foods Pvt. Ltd’s managing director Deepak Iyer said on the sidelines of the opening of its global research, development and quality centre in Thane on Wednesday.
Mondelez, which sells Bournvita and Oreo biscuits in India, is the market leader in chocolates where it offers a host of offerings under the Cadbury brand.
Mondelez, earlier known as Cadbury India, has been present in the country for over seven decades.
Globally, the company has BelVita breakfast biscuits, Wheat Thins, Ritz crackers and Nilla wafers, among its product offerings.
“We look at this segment by segment...we will get in cookies and surely down the line (other offerings),” said Iyer.
Mondelez’s centre in Thane is spread over 12,000 square metres.
It was built with an investment of $15 million to support new products and technologies for the company’s global brands in chocolates and beverages.
“Our mission at Mondelez International is simple—to offer consumers the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. And our global Technical Centre network is crucial to support this,” said Maurizio Brusadelli, executive vice president and president (Asia, Middle East and Africa) at Mondelez International.
“Our AMEA region hosts three global technical centres—the other two being in China and Singapore—demonstrating that our dynamic markets are at the heart of the company’s growth strategy.”
Iyer said the company is working on a series of projects, from its Indian research and development (R&D) centre, which include products for sugar and health conscious consumers, among others.
Going ahead, Mondelez India hopes to gain more headroom for its products in the urban markets, and also grow its rural presence. The share of rural regions to the company’s sales has jumped to 20% from 10-12% previously.
The company, however, is facing the challenge of reaching out to consumers in rural markets, which is growing at a faster clip than urban regions, said Iyer. “The best way to reach (these) customers (are) through sales and distribution network,” he said adding that the company is also using technologies like Google Maps to reach out to remote markets.
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