Consumer Market Entry Makes Synthite Upbeat

Kitchen Treasures has demystified and democratised ‘Brand Synthite’, one of Kerala’s biggest manufacturing success stories.

When the four-decade-old Synthite Group, the world’s largest producer of value-added spices, decided to enter the consumer market, it took everyone by surprise. It was because Synthite, which has been staying away from the public glare till now as a ‘best-kept secret’, was finally coming out in the open with a B2C brand.

“We are a hugely successful B2B business and, like any traditional B2B business, we never looked at B2C. But now a major transformation is happening in Synthite with the next generation entering the business, necessitating a change in outlook,’’ says Ashok Mani, who is leading Integrow Foods and Beverages as its MD and CEO, under which the Kitchen Treasures brand is marketed. Ashok belongs to the third generation, being the son of Synthite Group Finance Director Mani Varghese, who is son-in-law of the Group’s Founder-Chairman C V Jacob.

Kitchen Treasures, which was launched in 2013, caters to the HORECA (hotel, restaurant, catering) segment which continues to be a major part of the business registering close to 15-18 per cent of the turnover. In fact, HORECA customers are more concerned about quality than individual consumer segments. Only players capable of high quality procurement and manufacturing can succeed in this business.