Delectable Spread

With an asset-light business model, Harley Foods has drawn up ambitious expansion plans to turn into a pan-India snack company.

- Shrivatsa S Joshi

Soumiik Mitraa wants to have a big bite of the Indian snack market. Having tasted success in Gujarat, the young and dynamic chairman and managing director of Harley Foods is readying for a pan- India launch of his Harley brand of chips and namkeens (salted snacks).

"We are planning to have a pan- India launch by 2017 and will cover 60 per cent of the domestic market by the next financial year," discloses Mr Mitraa. The Harley Foods chief is counting on his over two-and-a-half decades of rich experience as a professional in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment.

His Surat, Gujarat-based company has established strong footprints across 12 States in the western, southern and northern parts of the country. Harley's more than 50 variants of chips and salted snacks, which have materialised after extensive research on regional tastes and popular flavours, are finding their way across these markets. The snack maker is now focusing on building markets in West Bengal and eastern India to attain nationwide presence.

Last September, Harley Foods shot into the limelight with the big-bang launch of its products in Mumbai. Mr Mitraa had roped in top celebrities from the world of film and television to unveil Harley products in the country's commercial capital.

Lip-smacking launches

Glamour apart, a lot of thought seems to have gone into the making and marketing of Harley's snacks. The brand's catchy tagline, Bache Khush Toh Hum Khush, aptly targets children, the most powerful and influential market-movers today. Besides, the company has introduced high-quality, mouth-savouring, healthy snacks at an attractive price point of Rs 5 per packet. "The idea is to get the product out and moving in the market. Premium products of higher price points will be gradually launched as our snacks gain popularity in the market," adds Mr Mitraa.