INDIA: Bauli targets local market

Bauli launched in India croissant with cream in a single pack, priced at about 15 INR, equivalent to about 0.2 euros. This is a single-dose format designed for the local market, offered by the Verona confectionery company chaired by Alberto Bauli.

The Bauli single-dose croissants are currently available in some Indian supermarkets, including Easy Day supermarkets and INA market. Distribution is therefore still limited to a select number of large-scale retail outlets, at an initial stage of marketing the product.

The Indian market is very sensitive to the concept of monodoses for two reasons. The first is the spread of kirana shops, small grocery stores that sell small quantities. The second is the local consumer, particularly price-sensitive, who prefers to spend very low amounts on a single purchase.

Kirana shops are the small grocery stores that are very common in India. For exporters of food products, they are important because they favor small and low-priced formats, such as single-serving packages. Bauli also chose the monodose format in response to this extensive distribution channel.

Bauli has signed a partnership with Dreambake, a division of Switz Group, a Dubai-based company leader in Middle East and India for confectionery and bakery products. The agreement concerns the construction of a production line and the commercialization of croissant-type snacks in the Asian country.

The agreement between Bauli and Dreambake, a division of Switz Group, was signed in 2009, but the sale of croissants in India only began recently. The case shows that entering a market like the Indian one can take a long time between the partnership and the commercial launch.