At Rs 750 per kg, Tata Salt Flavoritz is India’s costliest

India’s leading salt manufacturer and market leader (64% market share in branded salt segment), Tata Chemicals Ltd has introduced a new range of flavoured salts under the banner Tata Salt Flavoritz. Besides being a unique offering, what sets this new product offering apart is the fact that these are the costliest, being sold in India. Its introduction also marks the entry of the first indigenous brand of flavoured salts in India.

Ashvini Hiran unveiling flavoured salts

Available in three flavours viz. lemon coriander, red paprika, onion garlic and an extension in the form of black ground pepper powder, the salts are available in 60 grams packs and come in attractive hour glass shaped HDPE sprinkler bottles. Each flavoured salt is priced at Rs45 per 60 gram bottle i.e. Rs 750 per kilogram.

The company’s current offerings include Tata Salt priced at Rs 14 per kilogram, Tata Salt Lite that costs Rs 21 per kg and I-Shakti available at Rs 12 per kg.

According to Ashvini Hiran, chief operating officer - consumer products division, Tata Chemicals Ltd, the company has always carried the onus of delivering differentiated value-added offerings within the salt spectrum. “Tata Salt has been trusted for consistency in taste, purity, iodine content and assurance of health. With Flavoritz, we are now adding a pinch of flavoured salt to our portfolio. The idea is to give consumers never-tasted-before blends of flavours that give a new dimension to their daily food. Flavored salt is iodised salt mixed with natural flavours that makes mundane recipes sumptuously tasty,” said Hiran.

The company officials said that an in-depth consumer research and studies were conducted to identify the flavours and arrive at an optimal product formulation for Flavoritz. “The product development journey was an uphill task which needed creating own benchmarks in terms of product stability and striking the right balance between saltiness and combination of flavours. Several combinations were tested over the year to arrive at a formulation that suits Indian palate,” said Parag Garde, assistant vice president – marketing and strategy, consumer products business, Tata Chemicals Ltd.

The company will initially make these flavoured salts available in key metros starting with Delhi and Mumbai with close to 1 lakh units. By September 2012, the flavoured salts will be sold through modern retailers and key local kirana outlets across the country.

Tata Chemicals currently enjoys a market share of 64% in the branded salts segment and the company management is targeting to increase it by 5-7% in the upcoming fiscal. The company's distribution network currently at 11 lakh outlets across the country is also likely to grow by 15% in the next 12 months. The company currently has a production capacity of a little over 8 lakh tonnes p.a. and its average monthly sales volumes is around 75,000 tonnes per month.  

A part of the $83.5 billion Tata Group, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) is the pioneer and market leader in India’s branded Iodised salt segment. The company also provides affordable, safe drinking water solution to the masses with the introduction of its innovative, low-cost, nanotechnology based water purifier called Tata Swach. The company currently is the world’s second largest producer of soda ash with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.