Business OpportunitiesNestle: Pasta time
Twenty-five years after it brought Maggi instant noodles to India, Nestle has extended the brand to ready-to-eat pasta. It has come out with Maggi Nutri-licious (nutritious and delicious) Pazzta. There are two flavours: Masala Penne and Cheese Macaroni. The first has been priced at Rs 12 and the other at Rs 15.
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Ready-to-eat pasta is a nascent category in the country. The only national brand is ITC’s Sunfeast. So, Nestle has a more or less open field ahead of it. “We believe that Maggi Nutri-licious Pazzta will define and create the market,” says Nestle General Manager (foods) Shivani Hegde.
According to Hegde, the product has been developed specifically for India. “It required tremendous R&D efforts and food expertise. Our team in India has worked extensively with the Nestle R&D centre in Germany to develop pasta made from 100 per cent suji which is known to be healthy in India,” says she. “It uses advanced international technology to deliver a short cooking time of only five minutes and a product that is suited to the Indian palate.”
Of course, the company has decided to market the pasta under the Maggi brand. It is widely recognised as the most-popular brand in the food category in India. After the success of instant noodles, Nestle has extended the brand to other categories like sauces, soups and pickles. Now it is the turn of pasta.
Won’t pasta eat into the Maggi instant noodles market? Both after all cater to the same snack food market. Hegde says that pasta will actually grow the market. “Consumers have strong bonds with Maggi noodles. Maggi Nutri-licious Pazzta is another innovative concept and will further grow the market for tasty, healthy and convenient light meals,” says she.
Nestle has decided to position the pasta as a tasty, healthy and convenient light meal for the entire family. The launch will be supported with a 360-degree campaign comprising television, press, radio and so on, so that the message is carried to the entire family. Nestle has tweaked the Maggi instant noodles line a bit for the pasta, which now says “Taste Bhi, Health Bhi... Khushiyan Bhi” (taste, health and also happiness). According to Hegde, the initial feedback from the market has been positive and consumers have found it tastier than rival products.