You launched the Onam campaign a few days back. Tell us about it.
Kitchen Treasures as a brand has always been associated with the word purity. In one of the consumer researches we have done, purity is something the consumers identify with when Kitchen Treasures is spoken about. We have also done campaigns in Malayalam previously which had the tagline ‘Shudhamanu Viswasikkam’ which translates into ‘Purity is guaranteed, hence can be trusted’. Purity is already established – this concept popped up while talking with the agency and it was decided to take it to the next level. Until then, the association was with the brand and to the product as such, so we said let us attempt to make it a little more consumer centric. We are trying to say that Kitchen is the source for all purity and goodness, not just in terms of the products used there, but also in terms of good action and thoughts – that’s the basic premise. When we say kitchen, there is a direct connection to the brand as well.
This is the first phase of the campaign. Since it is Onam and we need to make a lot of noise to be seen and visible, we have dedicated a major share of our ad budget towards TV. We also have in the pipeline an OOH leg. There is a lot of sampling and on-ground activities that’s happening. We are also leveraging influencer marketing and Google and Meta are also used in terms of digital marketing. When it comes to print, we are not big advertisers on newspapers, it is limited to magazines.
Is Kerala the major market for the brand? How do you assess brand performance in non-Kerala/ South markets?
Kitchen Treasures is a Kerala-centric brand. As a Malayali who has lived in other parts of India, I picked masalas which were from Kerala. I have a subconscious feeling that the brand from Kerala will resonate with my food taste. Similarly, when I am looking at sales of Kitchen Treasures outside Kerala, typically it will be Malayalis who are settled outside Kerala will be looking at our products or those customers who want to try out something new or experiment. We are available in different markets through distributors, but our focus is completely in Kerala and a bit of Karnataka.
Currently, we are not looking at any national expansion. Masalas and food are very cultural. As mentioned, people prefer masala brands that are manufactured in their home state. There is a strong consumer belief that a brand which is not manufactured from their state of origin may not be to their taste. That is the reason why we are concentrating in the Kerala market. But, if there is any possibility of expanding to other markets, we may do that. We are available in international markets like UAE, Europe, US and UK.
Around 95 pc of our revenue is from Kerala, rest is from Karnataka and these international markets.
Kitchen Treasures onboarded Manju Warrier as brand ambassador in 2015. How has this relationship benefited the brand? How do you measure the ROI?
We were one of the first brands to be associated with Manju Warrier in her comeback phase. As a brand there are a lot of values we possess; we find ourselves a little different from other traditional brands. We associate ourselves with working class women, who are empowered and have an opinion of their own. They can relate to Manju Warrier on those terms and a lot of synergies work between Kitchen Treasures as a brand and Manju Warrier as a person. It has been a very cordial relationship working with her. The association has helped beyond the measures of ROI, than brand building. It has helped in building consumer relationships. During the initial days, people used to refer to Kitchen Treasures as Manju Warrier’s brand.
Kitchen Treasures is from the family of Synthite Group which is the producer of value-added spices. How has it been an advantage?
Synthite has always been there as a B2B player and it is the vision of the Director to reach out to consumers with a consumer brand that has led to the origin of Kitchen Treasures. For Kitchen Treasures, the benefit we get is the access to sourcing of world class raw materials.
The brand has breakfast mixes, masalas, pastes, pickles, spices, and ready to cook products. Which is the category that contributes majorly to the brand revenue?
Around 80 to 85 percent comes from spices and masalas. The other categories are small; we are working on them. Breakfast mixes are seeing some traction. We are concentrating on re-looking at the products as the taste keeps shifting. For example, the sambhar powder is a product that provides good traction, but then we realised that consumer’s taste has shifted from what was in 2015. We re-invented the product through a different recipe, which has been very successful. Similarly, we are revisiting certain products especially in the breakfast category and that will be a continuous process.
Reportedly, the brand has plans to enter beverages, ready-to-eat, snacks and nutraceuticals categories. When is the launch expected?
We have launched two products in the ready-to-eat category. We are yet to scale it up, right now we are testing products in multiple markets and gauging consumer reactions. That is the category we are looking to develop over the next five years. We are planning to launch more products in the same.
How is the brand’s online sales?
Online sales is a very limited aspect for the brand as of now. We are sure to build it but the D2C way wouldn’t work for us. The reason is that typical masala powder costs around Rs.45, but the packing cost might be more than that for D2C. If an individual wants to buy masala powder, they will pick it from the nearest grocery store or it will be a part of monthly purchase – that’s the trend we have seen. The ticket size will be very limited for the category. That’s the reason why we have placed the products on marketplaces.
With Onam around the corner, what are your sales expectations for this year compared to 2022?
We are hoping for the best ever Onam yet. This year what we are looking for is the best ever performance of sambhar powder. Since that is the focus product for this season, we are looking at 200 pc growth on that product.
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