Coca-Cola’s spiced buttermilk to take on Amul, Mother Dairy, as Coke maker pushes Indian beverages

Coca-Cola has launched regional beverage Spiced Buttermilk under its VIO brand as the company to woo Indian customers with ‘desi’ flavours. “VIO Spiced Buttermilk further expands Coca-Cola’s existing portfolio of beverages, providing more choices to the consumers. The introduction of VIO Spiced Buttermilk is a part of the company’s hyper-local strategy that focuses on developing localized products in India to suit consumer preferences specific to a region,” the company said in a statement. The soft-drink and sparkling beverage maker’s entry in the buttermilk category is expected to raise competition for Gujarat-based Amul and Noida-headquartered Mother Dairy among a plethora of other regional players, which are popular existing players in the category.
India is the biggest dairy producing and consuming country in the world and milk-based drinks are fairly popular in the country, so much so that Amul launched a milk infused range of juices called ‘Tru’ a year ago. “Dairy as a category is deep-rooted in Indian tradition, having been consumed as a refreshment or digestive drink for centuries, with an ever-growing mass appeal spanning the length and breadth of the country,” Sunil Gulati, Vice President, Technical and Supply Chain, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia said. With its latest offering, the company now looks to build a localized consumer-centric portfolio and adapt to the local flavors of the country.
VIO debuted in India in 2016 as the company looked to expand in ready-to-drink, value-added dairy beverages. The company has made the product available via e-commerce platforms and will also retail it through stores across Delhi and Chennai, and major towns in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, and Maharashtra. The VIO ‘Spiced Buttermilk’ retails for Rs 15 for a 180ml pack as against Amul’s ‘Masti Buttermilk’, which is available for Rs 10 for a 180 ml carton and Mother Dairy’s ‘Chach Tadka’, which sells for Rs 12 for a 200 ml pack.

Source : financialexpress